Semper Dowland

In honour of John Dowland, the “Master of Melancholy”, Dr. Thomas Christ speaks with Orí Harmelin – Lutenist and Gestalt therapist – about Renaissance music and the world of emotions.

TC: Dear Ori, by way of introduction my usual question about your career path: how does
one get from Haifa via Trossingen to Basel?

OH: Dear Thomas, Thank you for the invitation! It was the fascination with early music that first led me to
move to Trossingen, this strange little town in Swabia to study the lute under the tutelage of
Rolf Lislevand. When I first heard his album of music by Kapsberger (Libro Quarto d’Intavolatura di Chitarone: Roma 1640), I thought studying with him would remain a mere pipe dream, but before I knew it, I found myself in cold and snowy Baden Würtenberg. While I had always fantasised about studying under Hoppy as well, this was not to be, and so when I finally decided to move to Basel it was not to study in the Schola, but rather simply to crash the party, as it were. Eventually I studied under Eduardo Eguez in Zurich, but Basel always felt like home to me, so this is where I stayed.

TC: You specialized early on in the periods of Early Music, but later you also trained as a therapist, specifically as a Gestalt therapist. Can you tell us a bit about this bridge between the two?

OH: I discovered Gestalt therapy in a period when I felt stagnant in my musical development. Music had always been a passion for me, but at some point it became “just a job”. I was stuck in a comfort zone, and lost motivation. I subscribed to an inherited belief that as a musician “you have to practice X hours a day” and the more I thought I “should”, the stronger my inner “top dog” tried to force myself to practice, the more my inner “under dog” wined and rebelled, and the less and less I invested in the music. Allowing myself to follow my various interests though, I found a new passion in learning about philosophical anarchism, economics and psychology, all of which I did on my own at first. When I finally came across Gestalt, I felt that it resonated with my anarchistic interests since in its non dogmatic approach to therapy it trusts in the individual’s ability to self regulate, to live free and with self responsibility, and ultimately as Marshall Rosenberg put it “People who are in touch with their needs don’t make good slaves”. Moreover, while I was passionate about learning, I was spending so much time in my head, and my Gestalt therapy training that followed invited me to “Lose my mind and come to my senses” as Fritz Perls put it, that is, to begin and feel myself more rather than spend all my time shackled up in my own head. Interestingly it was through saying “yes” to Gestalt therapy (which I thought would also be a “no” to the music) that I regained my “yes” to the music, and got in touch with my passion for the lute again. It was after deciding to train in Gestalt that I finally recorded my first solo album “NESHIMA”.

I’ll be there

by David Fallows

Dowland had it all. The five-voice pavans and dances in his Lachrimae show that he was an effortless master of counterpoint. His lute-songs give evidence that he was a poet at the very height of the best Elizabethan writers (we are not certain how many of the poems are his, but there are enough of them otherwise unknown for us to be able to put him absolutely on the top shelf). His lute music shows a combination of virtuosity and sheer direct communication to put him with the best and most communicative instrumental composers of his day. A concert entirely devoted to his music must be the best possible way of celebrating his life. Come along and enjoy.

All pieces are compsosed by John Dowland (1563–1626).

1 Semper Dowland semper dolens  

Lachrimæ, or Seaven Teares figured in Seaven passionate Pavans, with divers other Pavans, Galiards and Almands, set forth for the Lute, Viols, or Violons, in five parts, London: John Windet, 1604, Nr. 8   

2 Sleep, waiward thoughts  

The First Booke of Songes or Ayres of fowre partes with Tableture for the Lute: So made that all the partes together, or either of them seuerally may be song to the Lute, Orpherian, or Viol de gambo, London: Peter Short, 1597, Nr. 13 

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3 Goe nightly cares, the enemy to rest 

4 From silent night, true register of moanes 

5 Lasso vita mia, mi fa morire  

A Pilgrimes Solace Wherein is contained Musicall Harmonie of 3. 4. and 5. parts, to be sung and plaid with the Lute and Viols, London: Gedruckt für M.L., J.B. und T.S. by the Assignment of William Barley, 1612, Nr. 9–11 

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6 M. Iohn Langtons Pavan  

7 The King of Denmarks Galiard  

8 M. Buctons Galiard  

9 Mistresse Nichols Almand  

Lachrimæ, or Seaven Teares […], Nr. 10, 11, 19, 20  

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10 The Right Honourable the Lady Cliftons Spirit 

Varietie of Lute Lessons, London: Thomas Adams, 1610, fol. Nv–N2 

11 Lord WILLOUGHBY. OR, A true Relation of a Famous and Bloody Battel fought in Flanders, by the Noble / and valiant Lord VVilloughby, with 1500 English, against 40000 Spaniards, / where the English obtained a Notable Victory; for the glory and Renown of / our Nation. To the tune of, Lord Willoughby 

London: Printed for F. Coles, in Vine-Street, near Hatton-Garden, c1624–1680? (British Library – Roxburghe, C.20.f.9.62–63); Melodie nach «Rowland, or Lord Willoughby’s Welcome Home» – William Byrd (c1540–1623); Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum, Mus. Ms. 168 («Fitzwilliam Virginal Book»), Nr. 160 

12 Lord Willoughby’s Welcome Home
London, Royal Academy of Music, MS 602 («Sampson Lute Book», c1610), fol. 11v; Washington, D.C., Folger Shakespeare Library, MS V.b.280 («Dowland Lute Book»), fol. 9v 

13 Can she excuse my wrongs with vertues cloake 

The First Booke of Songes […], Nr. 5 

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14 Lachrimæ antiquæ novæ  

Lachrimæ, or Seaven Teares […], Nr. 2 

15 Flow my teares fall from your springs  

The Second Booke of Songs or Ayres of 2. 4. and 5. parts: With Tableture for the Lute or Orpherian, with the Violl de Gamba, London: Thomas Este 1600, Nr. 2 

 16 Lachrimæ veræ  

Lachrimæ, or Seaven Teares […], Nr. 7 

17 Sir Iohn Souch his Galiard  

Lachrimæ, or Seaven Teares […], Nr. 13 

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18 My Lord Chamberlaine his Galliard 

The First Booke of Songes […], fol. L2v 

19 M. Henry Noel his Galiard  

20 Captain Digorie Piper his Galiard  

21 The Earle of Essex Galiard  

Lachrimæ, or Seaven Teares […], Nr. 14, 18, 12 

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 22 A fancy  

Cambridge, University Library, MS Add. 3056 («Cosens lute book», c1610), fol. 17v–18 / Cambridge, University Library, MS Dd.9.33 («Mathew Holmes lute book», c1600–1605), fol. 6v–7v 

 23 In this trembling shadow  

A Pilgrimes Solace […], Nr. 12 

 

kursiv = instrumental