Polonica

In addition to works attributed to the lutenists active at the Royal Polish court of the late 16th c., there is a substantial repertoire of compositions identified as 'Polish dances' or 'Polish songs' preserved in numerous sources of late Renaissance lute music. Characterized by melodic charm and straightforward harmonic and rhythmical textures, such musical polonica spread across Europe, achieving what may have been the widest distribution of musical 'Polishness' pre-Chopin.Polish lutenist Michal Gondko presents a selection of 40 of these polonica, many never previously recorded.