Chaconne from "King Arthur" (Purcell), mandolin quartet

[Martin Jonas]

This is the Chaconne from the semi-opera "King Arthur, or The British Worthy" (Z. 628), written in 1691 by Henry Purcell. This is the dance that concludes Act 5 and indeed the entire opera.

My recording is based on an arrangement for string quartet by Martin Straeten, available from IMSLP:

Link (click on "Parts" tab)

I am playing this arrangement note for note on mandolin quartet (quartetto classico) of two mandolins, mandola and big thumping mandocello:

Mandolin 1: 1890s Umberto Ceccherini
Mandolin 2: 1915 Luigi Embergher
Mandola: 1925 Zimmermann waldzither
Mandocello: Suzuki MC-815

This is the exactly the same instrumentation I have used for my recording of Purcell's Fantasia for four viols a few days ago, and it's even much the same tempo, but it is hard to think of two more different pieces of music by the same composer. Unlike the cerebral and intimate Fantasia, this one is a rousing Baroque tune intended to wow the masses in London's opera houses and bring this restoration spectacular to a grand finale. It's great fun to play!



Martin