The Earle Of Salisburyby John Renbourn

The Earle Of Salisbury is a Pavane by William Byrd around 1612. It was written for the keyboard of the day, the virginal and dedicated to Robert Cecil, an associate of King James I. This solo guitar arrangement was done by John Renbourn and was the opening piece on his 1968 album Sir John Alot...

This stately piece is quite challenging for guitar players as there are many measures that include three independent voices, each of which must be sustained as if they were being played by separate instruments. We go over some fingering options but pay closes attention to the length of every note. The entire tune is only 16 measures long and moves slowly, but don't let that fool you into thinking it should be easy.