Who was ML? In 1912, when this quirky trove of pavans, galliards, courantes and grounds by Dowland, Holborne and Johnson was added to the British Library, Matthew Locke was the prime suspect.
Later scholars opted for one of Prince Henry's lutenists but Elizabeth Kenny believes ML was the Margaret who wrote her name in its margins. Patron or pupil, this 17th-century mystery woman had sophisticated tastes. Kenny's passagework is exhilaratingly crisp but most startling here is the bold ornamentation and dramatic dynamics.
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