Neusidler Lute Music

Hans Neusidler (1508-1563) was born in Pressburg (today Bratislava, Slovakia) and first enters the historical record in 1530, when he settled in Nuremberg, Germany. He taught lute there in the 1530s, publishing eight books of lute music between 1536 and 1549, and also went into business as a lute maker by 1550. Neusidler was one of the most important early German lutenists. His eight publications feature intabulations of German songs, French chansons, Italian madrigals, dance pieces, and preludes of an improvisatory nature. Most of the works are in three parts, but there are two-part pieces for beginners and a few four-part arrangements in two of his publications. Lutenist Yavor Genov presents on this album a selection of works by Neusidler, emphasizing his significance as one of the most prominent and bright lutenists of his generation, but also as one of those instrumentalists, who successfully adopted the contrapuntal musical language of the great Franco-Flemish school to the lute playing. Yavor Genov is a lutenist and basso continuo player. His three solo CDs for Brilliant Classics - "Orpheus Anglorum" (2018), "Zamboni - lute music" (2014) and "Kapsberger - Libro primo di lauto" (2013) have received international critical acclaim. He has collaborated with musicians like Dame Emma Kirkby, Núria Rial, Andrew Lawrence-King, Lars Ulrik Mortensen and Teodor Currentzis. Yavor has studied early plucked instruments and basso continuo with Jakob Lindberg.