Description
Edited by David Lasocki and Giulia Tettamanti.
The only surviving sixteenth-century piece associated with the civic musicians in England called waits and suitable for a consort of recorders is the five-part Phancy or Fantasy by Edward Blancks (fl. 1582–1598). Blancks served in the London Waits from November 1582 until he resigned in 1594. As a member of this group, he would have mostly played wind instruments, including recorders, “a whole set” of which had been bought for the group in 1568.
This fantasy alternates polyphonic passages (including opening imitative entries) and homophonic passages in a pleasing manner. Harmonically, although it is nominally in what would later be called A minor, it ventures out to E major on the sharp side and E-flat major on the flat side.
The edition is presented in two ways (score and parts in each case): (1) In the original clefs, for players who would like to use the original notation (with added barlines) using Renaissance recorders in an FCCGG combination in any register available. (2) In modern clefs, for bass, two tenors, and two altos (Baroque recorders).
