Michael Praetorius – La Sarabande à 4 from "Terpsichore"
Michael Praetorius's dance collection "Terpsichore" is the largest unified collection of instrumental that survives from early seventeenth-century Germany. It consists of dances in 4, 5, and 6 parts and can be performed on any combination of instruments. This selection is modeled after the sarabande, a dance that made its way to Germany from Spain via France; it is said that the Spanish brought the sarabande back from the New World in the 16th century. It's entirely possible that an early form of the sarabande traveled from Spain to the New World, and later traveled back to Europe after becoming popular in what is now Mexico and Central America (though there is no way to conclusively prove this). This performance plays up the gentle aspects of the piece, using two tenor recorders, bass recorder, bass viol, and theorbo to evoke a quiet, courtly air.
Recorded at St. Martin's Lutheran Church in Austin, TX, on May 22, 2021.