They that in Ships unto the Sea down go

Description

A collection of music, words and song to mark the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower.In Autumn 1620, a ship named the Mayflower left England for the New World.

This much is well known. What is perhaps less well known is that some of the passengers carried books of music with them.

This book aims to recreate the world of the 102 passengers, and that of the sailors on board the Mayflower. The title “They that in Ships unto the Sea down go” comes from the text of Psalm 107 in Henry Ainsworth’s Psalter of 1612, one of the books carried on board the Mayflower by Elder William Brewster.

There are psalms, lute songs and ballads, all taken from books believed to have been in William Brewster’s library; music for mariners and merchants; and songs and dances describing tobacco and other wonders of the New World.

The book includes works by Richard Allison, Thomas Campion, John Dowland, John Ford, Tobias Hume and Thomas Weelkes.

To buy the CD of the music click here.