Foundations of English Opera: Improvisation and Ornamentation as part of the National Identity created by Professional Singers and Accompanists in Early Seventeenth-Century England

The presentation demonstrates improvisation techniques found in manuscript rather than printed sources of English solo songs. Kenny explores the range of options available to professional singers and their lute- and theorbo-playing accompanists. Starting with songs from theatre productions such as 'The Tempest' (1611) she analyses the implications of improvisation practices for lutesongs, often assumed to be for domestic performance. She traces the overlap of lutesong with the masque repertoire (Alfonso Ferrabosco). She outlines the porous nature of the boundaties between Italian, French and English styles in the music of Lawes, Dowland and Henry purcell, and explores the sound of the 'English theorbo' and its relation to the harmonic language of accompaniments.