I was fortunate to pre order my copy of this wonderful, insightful
biography.
I read it in two sittings.
I won't give anything away - but there was so much more to her life
than I could possibly have guessed. Her relationship with Dolmetsch for
example. Then there were so many great people that she was close to.
Her musicological contribution to the lute, its music, its composers
and its historical context are unparalleled. And yet as a teacher she
was never prescriptive and encouraged her students to do their own
research and make up their own minds
This book is essential reading for anybody seeking to understand the
reawakening of the lute and its music in modern times.
Bill
Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android
__________________________________________________________________
From: David Van Edwards <da...@vanedwards.co.uk>;
To: <Lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>;
Subject: [LUTE] Biography of Diana Poulton
Sent: Thu, Sep 19, 2013 8:27:19 PM
Dear All,
Just a small shameless plug on behalf of Thea Abbott who has just
published her biography of the lute pioneer, Diana Poulton, who
founded the Lute Society and taught most of the major players of
today.
Diana Poulton is best known as one of the 20th century's pioneers of
early music. A student of Arnold Dolmetsch, for many years she was
the only professional lute-player in England. Her research in the
library of the British Museum and in private collections laid the
foundations of much of what is most securely known today about the
Golden Age of English lute music. The great passion of her life was
John Dowland and though the beauty of his music captivated and
entranced her, it was the man himself who came to dominate her
imagination and dreams.
Few of those who recognise her name know that Diana could have taken
a completely different path in life. She was one of "the great
beauties of the Slade", and began her studies there just after the
end of the Great War in 1919.
Diana was 'the lady with the lute', making over 400 broadcasts for
the BBC giving recitals all over the country, she regularly provided
lute music for performances of Shakespeare's plays. Her biography of
John Dowland and her edition of his music are still central to lute
studies and lute playing.
Diana had a much wider social circle of contacts and a much more
vivid personal life than many, even her students, ever knew about.
Available here: [1]http://www.smokehousepress.co.uk
Best wishes,
David
--
The Smokehouse,
6 Whitwell Road,
Norwich, NR1 4HB
England.
Telephone: + 44 (0)1603 629899
Website: [2]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk
To get on or off this list see list information at
[3]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
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References
1. http://www.smokehousepress.co.uk/
2. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/
3. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
