Nancy Carlin Associates: Good Pennyworths

THEGOOD PENNYWORTHS
English Popular Music from the 16th and 17th Centuries

Good Pennyworths

good pennyworth:
something worth more than its price
-from John Dowland's song
"Fine Knacks for Ladies"

Based in NYC this vocal quartet with lute accompaniment explores 16th century lute songs and traditional folk ballads and present them with dramatic flair. They are noted for their velvety vocal blend and playful performances, and aim to make their concerts intimate, informative and laugh-out-loud fun for contemporary audiences who may be unfamiliar with Renaissance music. Their collective conservatory training and performance experience in music and theater enable them to bring Old English lyrics to vivid life for modern ears. The Good Pennyworths take their name from a line in one of John Dowlands song that forms the focal point of their repertoire.

They have performed for the Lute Society of Americas 2008 Lute Festival in Cleveland, Early Music in Columbuss (OH) 2008 Summer Concert Series and, while on tour in January 2009, won over audiences in eight Southeastern cities, including Washington, DC. In June 2009, they made their Boston Early Music Festival debut with a Fringe concert, and they have recently finished recording a new studio CD entitled Love! Lust! Longing Loss an Elizabethan Romp.

Garald Farnham: baritone, lutes
Matt Leisy: tenor
Erika Lloyd: soprano
Alane Marco: mezzo

Programs

Love, Lust, Longing, Loss... an Elizabethan Romp

Pop Music, Elizabethan-Style! The Good Pennyworths perform lusty ballads, lovelorn laments, and satirical ditties - the pop music of Queen Elizabeth Is England. This concert features music by John Dowland, Thomas Morley, and more, with lyrics by William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Ben Jonson. Meet a varied cast of musical characters including queens and wenches, lads and cads, and hear songs that were sung by commoners and courtiers alike.

A Pennyworth of Christmas

A celebration of holiday songs ranging from Medieval carols to modern favorites given a Renaissance twist, the songs include the old English celebration Here We Come A-Wassailing and twentieth-century nostalgia Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.

Shakespeare's Songs

The Bard wrote lyrics to songs for dramatic effect, for character development, and to bridge scenes together, sometimes for humourous effect. Enjoy the same songs that theatre audiences heard when they saw Shakespeares plays at the Globe: music written by Thomas Campion, Robert Jones, Robert Johnson, Thomas Ford and John Dowland

For more information, visit their web site, their MySpace site or click here for their promo kit..