Seven Renaissance Dances

This suite of seven Renaissance dances is an arrangement for organ by David A. deSilva of selections from Tylman Susato’s 1551 publication Het derde musyck boexken... alderhande danserye, a collection of popular tunes arranged by Susato as dance pieces in four parts to be played on diverse instruments. The seven dances included are intended to serve as a third, complementary suite to the previously published collection The Danserye: Two Renaissance Suites for Organ (Order No. 97-7398). While the suite may be played in its entirety, an individual movement will serve well as a pre- or post-service selection and as a processional or recessional.

Tylman (Tielman) Susato (c. 1510–after 1570), instrumentalist, composer, and music publisher, was likely born in Soest, Germany, a town not far from Köln, although he spent the majority of his career in Antwerp, Belgium. Active as a town instrumentalist, playing sackbut, trumpet, crumhorn, flute, and recorder, he is most famous as a music calligrapher and publisher. He published nearly sixty books of music, including the works of such composers as Josquin des Prez (c. 1450–1521), Jacobus Clemens non Papa (c. 1510–56), and Orlande de Lassus (1532–94).