A Book of Toyes

and various other Delights

This book is intended to introduce the student guitarist to the fascinating world of English lute
music from the'Golden Age'- about 1580 to 1620. Almost no solo lute music was published
at this time, lhough many books of lute-songs were, and we know of it loday because
amateur players wrote pieces into their own books as they were taught them or leamt them
off others. Sometimes the lutenisvcomposers themselves wrote in their pupils notebooks.
There are thought to be some 2000 lute pieces in hand written books in the British lsles.

The ltne occupied a place in Elizabethen England similar to the piano (or keyboard!) today_ lt
was very lightly buitt with 6 courses or pairs of gut-strings and a single top string. Tuning was
difficult as lhe frets were designed to be moveable; one writer recommended taking the lute
to bed with you to help keep it in lune! Music was written in tablature where the player is
shown where to put his or her fingers rather than which nole to play. Six lines represent the
strings while Ietters show which frets to use: , open slring, , fret one, c fret two and so on.
The rhythm is shown as a series of flags' above. various examples of the original tablature ot
some of the pieces in this book are included.

Most of the pieces in this collection come from Jane pickering,s Lute Bool, with the other lwo
principal sources being the Mynshatl Lute Book and the Sampson Lute Book. A To],8 is simply
a general name for a small beginners piece. ln 1600 it meant a trifle, something intended for
amusement and was also a verb - to toye with. The Ballad, of which there are six in this book
was a kind of musical broadsheet where news was sung to catchy tunes. These pieces
seldom gp above second position and the bass notes are mosfly open strings. The luteni.st
changed position as little as possible and by using tablature ihey gained an understaMing,
partly physical, partly aural, of when to hold on and when to release notes. The lute sounded
a minor third higher than the guitar so by the use of a capo at the third fret the original pitch
can be retained, and the stretches made easier.

ln lhe interests of phyability some of the pieces in this book have had the occasional bass
note raised an octave and some chords thinned, while Forfune has had a whole sect'on
removed.

Lute music usually takes the form A A1 B Bl C Cr with each section having a following
'division' or variation. This can be seen at its simplest in no's 1 and 2 and at a more advanced
level in no 25. The divisions frequently require smooth and relaxed scale technique anrJ what
better way lo praclise than.with such appealing music. To quote the preface lo Robert
Dowland's Varietie of Lute Lessons (1610) -

"by staying the fingers on a string you shall so easily ru| up and down upn the neck
of the lute at your pleasure that the very handling ot rt @fter a lit e labour and time
patiently borne) will be no more trcublesome to you than a pleasant wat(

I hope you enioy your ioumey through this book.

Peter Balchelar
 Contents

1. AToye 4
2. The Morris 4
3. A Toye (Robin Reddock) 5
4. A Toye E
5. A Toye ffhe Friar and the Nun) 6
6, What if a day 6
7. Qo from my window 7
B. O Sweet Oliver 7
9. A Toye B
10. The Branle 9
11. Llantiero .
I
12. Singer's Jigge I
13. AToye 10
14. AToye 10
15. Bonny Sweet Robin 11
16. Preludiume 11
17. AToye 12
18. Qreensleeves 12
19.lady Mary's Qalliard 13
90. Fortune 14
91. A Coy Joy 15
22. AToye (Bara Fausfus' Dream) 15
23,The English Hunt's Up 16
94. Mrs White's Choice 17
25. Delight Qaltiard ,18
96. Alman 20

Computer typesetting, design and layout by peter Batchelar

 1. A Toye

rfllfrHHttr I IHHHflFN

2. The Morris
The Morris dance goes back to the 15th cenxry. The dancers dressed
up as characters fròm the Robin Hood story and danced a 'groiesque' dance'
The origiaal hand-writter tsblahfe in the M]trshall Lute Book is shown above'
 A Toye - (Robin Reddock)

Fref-l-ut Fùa\er-bo *r)

/)
R
Bddge

Pqg-l,ox

L)"- \
So*trcl-boqrd o$d$

4. AToye
I

5. A Toye - [fhe Friar and the Nun)

6. What if a day

i lt f li r
I

7. Qo from my window
'lJlis
balÌad twrc Nas one ol thc m<.xt lxrpuìar
dunng Llizabetìran timc-s. its ongin is unlinou n

B. O Sweet Oliver
This is probably the ballad tune Éorn *'trich Touchstone
sings a Aagment in Act l[I of As You Like lr

TL-------------I

rrr =
lz

fr7
9. AToye

Queen Elizabeth I wearing a beautifirlly embroidered

dress rvorn over a farlhingale, or hooped petticoal
which exaggerates her incredibly thi4 alrnost *'aspish"
rvaist. The large ruf frames her head like a picture.
Both mens and womens clothes vi'ere exter§ivel]'
padded, something they called bombast
 10. The Branle
Knorrl also as ùe 6r arr'l ùre br anic u'as a popular
rcnaissanc.r: round dancc inYoh,ing starnping ol'thc feLl

12. SingersJigge
 13. A Toye

14, AToye

+'+
T'lT'l
tl

*'
rt
I
 .I
ì

15. Bonny Sweet Robin

Also krrorrrr as 1l<rb in lJood is to the (itecnvood g<>na
this tune u'as ven popular u ith composers and ballad rrnters.
Ophelia's line - 'for bonnv srveet Robin is a.ll m1. joy,
rt Hanler probably comes from the onginal ballad.

16, Preludiume
A Prelude was a short introduclory pieoe played very Aeely,
the lutenist tri€d out a few chords to check the tming.

I
12

17. A Toye

;7
lr

18. Qreensleeves
The most well known of all Elizabethan ballads
(over 80 settings were made) can be aacÉd to 1580
and referred to an inconstant lady-love with green sleeves.
 IJ

19. Lady Maryi Qalliard

The title may refer to Mary of Guise, wiÈ to Jarnes V of Scotland.
The Galliard was a lively dance with five stePs followed by a leap
on the fifth beat. Shakespeare called it lhe sinkapas (les cinq pas)
mi m a
 20. Fortune
'l'hc solenn tune lìortune »tv-[t>e rvas olìctr uscd for ballads which rc]atcrl
thc last words ofnotorious criminals and rvcrc s<lld at public executions.
'l}ris setting is by John l)orvland. tlre mol cclcbrated linglish lutenisl

ff
 l5

21. ACoyJoy lohn Dowland

rr
+
/
t'-
l-l -t

ut
Ar

y
f
-l-
È.
i f -r'

22. A Toye (Bara Faustus' Dream)

l6

23. The English Hunts Up

John Wìritfie ld

fr ry r f

7f'r

Arabella Stuart, daughter of Elizabeth, Countq;s of Shrervsburv

who was better known as Bess ofHardrvick Hall ln Elizabethan
times children wore miniature versions of aduils cìothcs
I-

t7

24. Mrs White's Choice

Iohn Dox4and

++ ++)
tl rìt
I8

25. Delight Qalliard

 l9

Or thc fifc Booke of ,{.yres, onelyfor rhe Lure, che

Bafc-vyoll, anddrc Voycc.

(om1o/edbyKoB I Rr I o N e s.

fu c p rofun ty'ngala, n a lta i ru an r.

20

96. Alman

Acrostics, a kind of word-puzzle,

are frequently found in lute books. They are
a form ofdecorative doodle on a name,
oflen the musician's patron but in this case
Richad Myuhall, n
amateur player and
compiler of the Myns hall Lute Book.