Pastorale Blues And Homage by Peter Dickinson. Arranged for Recorder (tenor and descant) and Piano for John Turner.1. A James Joyce Pastorale (1955)2. A Robert Burns Blues (1967)3. Homage to Poulenc (1963)The Pastorale comes from a song a student work setting the first poem of James Joyce’s early cycle Chamber Music – ‘Strings in the earth and air’; the second piece is another song to Burns’ ‘My love is like a red red rose’ which was frequently performed by Meriel and Peter Dickinson in their recitals (recorded on Albany TROY 369); Homage to Poulenc started as a piano duet No. 1 of Five Forgeries (recorded by the composer and John Flinders on Naxos 8.572287). It is dedicated to Lennox Berkeley because he and Poulenc were good friends.The first performance of Pastorale Blues and Homage was given by John Turner and the composer at St Peter’s Church Westleton on 4 October 2012 in that year’s William Alwyn Festival. Their recording has been released on Heritage HTGCD 254.

Beginning in 1651 John Playford released a series of dance instructions with corresponding melodies. After their initial success he named them ?The Dancing Master?. Editions continued to be published up until 1728. They incorporated traditional as well as new song themes of the day with powerful and memorable Baroque melodies.The most beautiful of these songs have been arranged here for descant or treble recorder and piano accompaniment. Included among others are ?Newcastle? ?Black and Gray? and ?Nobody?s Jigg?.The arrangements include an optional part for a second flute. The editorNikolaus Newerkla is a cembalist arranger and ensembledirector. He founded and directs the internationally-renowned early music ensemble ?Quadriga Consort?.