THE MILÁN PAVAN AND FANTASIA
Luis de Milán · Pavana I & Fantasía XIII
Ted Mann · Vihuela
The music of Luis de Milán takes us back to one of the earliest printed collections of music for a plucked instrument: El Maestro, published in Valencia in 1536.
This new single brings together two contrasting works from that remarkable collection: Pavana I and Fantasía XIII.
The Pavana begins with the measured, chordal character of a dance. Yet, as the music unfolds, unexpected passages emerge—moments of movement and invention that seem to reach beyond the dance itself.
The Fantasía takes us somewhere different. Here, musical ideas seem to develop freely, almost as though the instrument is discovering its own possibilities as the music progresses. Milán himself makes an intriguing connection between certain fantasias and the Italian pavan, suggesting that the boundaries between these forms were not always so clearly defined.
This recording is presented in mono, bringing the sound of the double-course vihuela into a particularly intimate focus. The two strings of each course create a subtle chorusing effect, giving the instrument a distinctive depth and presence.
Two pieces, two different approaches to musical invention, and a glimpse into a world in which the vihuela was helping to shape the language of instrumental music.
Somewhere within these early printed pages, a much larger story remains hidden.
The journey continues.