The modern performer faced with a piece such as Antony Holborne's dance The Fairie-Round faces several difficult decisions, some of which ay have been shared by their Elizabethan counterparts. For one, numerous differing performing forces may have been involved in a realization. Versions of this piece survive for solo lute as well as for instrumental consort; other similar dances by Holborne also were known in versions for bandora and cittern, and traveled as far as the Continent in such forms. In the case of The Fairie-Round, the suggestion has been made that a certain clumsiness in the writing of the inner voices indicates possible adaptation for consort from an earlier lute version. Performances in either ormat should be acceptable.

Unfortunately, even the structure of The night watch remains somewhat obscure. One source from the composer's time calls it a galliard, though some writers and performers in our own time have argued it should be considered an example of the coranto, the Italianate courtship dance which concluded many Elizabethan dance suites. Either way, The Fairie-Round exists in a relatively standard group of three repeated strains, each of which in this case is of the same length. The rhythmic patterns within each strain maintain a lively oscillation between triple-meter segments and brief hemiolas. In addition, the high frequency of leaps in the melody not only help to propel the dance's vibrant energy, but also could easily accommodate the hopping steps of the coranto.

© Timothy Dickey, All Music Guide