Of all the early instruments to have gone extinct – or at least fallen out of everyday use – we should mourn in particular the decline of the lyra viol. Imagine an instrument chunkier than a modern viola (they varied in size), held upright like a little cello, with a voice that is noble, fragile, melancholy and sweet. The lyra fell out of fashion in the mid 1600s, but fortunately we still have a small but gorgeous body of solo works including these pieces by William Lawes, court musician to Charles I and composer of some of the most inventive, playful and striking music of the early 17th century. Richard Boothby’s handling of them on bass viol is supple and genial if a little careful and reverent: all except one of the 34 pieces on the disc are dances, but he makes them sound more like gentle meditations. It is a sumptuous album – but don’t be fooled by the dancing shoes on the cover.
