There have been countless arrangements of the folk song Greensleeves, both in vocal versions and instrumental ones. Perhaps the most famous adaptation for lute came in the Balcarres Lute Book from the 1690s. It contains approximately 250 arrangements of Scottish and English folk songs and folk tunes. The work was done by Scottish musicians, apparently for the (third) Earl of Balcarres, Colin Lindsay, or for a member of his family. The book's arrangement of Greensleeves is an attractive one, conceived for an instrument as popular then as the piano is today. The versions of Greensleeves most people are familiar with exhibit a fluent, gentle lyricism, a lyricism ripe for vocal, flute, or string arrangements. The

Balcarres lute rendition is livelier than most of these, playful too, and quite befitting this six-string early music instrument, the ancestor to the modern guitar. The music is almost jaunty, yet the lovely character of the melody comes through colorfully, mostly bleached of its hints of melancholy, however. Although recordings of this version are still not common, they are periodically available and will appeal to those with an interest in traditional and folk music.

© Robert Cummings, Rovi