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Greensleeves Project CD

Passamezzo have made a new disc: The Greensleeves Project – Clothing in early modern music and song.

All 18 verses of the iconic ballad of Greensleeves, with its depiction of Elizabethan fashion and material culture; three instrumental pieces named after items of clothing or fabric: Green Garters, Crimson Velvet, The Queen’s Pantoufle; a song from Shakespeare’s play, ;A Winter’s Tale’, describing fabrics and accessories found in a pedlar’s pack.

https://passamezzo.bandcamp.com/album/the-greensleeves-project

Anon: Greensleeves

John Johnson: Green Garters

Anon: Crimson Velvet

Anon: The Queen’s Pantoufle

John Wilson: Lawn as White as Driven Snow

Sam Brown: lute

Eleanor Cramer: soprano

Richard de Winter: tenor

Robin Jeffrey: lute

Alison Kinder: bass viol, recorder

It’s really just a taster, as we hope to record over 100 clothing related pieces of music over the next couple of years

Final Fitting

We had a second fitting on Tuesday, and started putting together the various items that will make up Greensleeves’ outfit. It was wonderful to see everything coming together!

First, a red wool petticoat “of the best” by Constance Mackenzie

Then a boned bumroll made by Ninya Mikhaila, and a sleeve “with gold embrodered gorgeously” by Juliet Braidwood.

Next, Ninya fitted the top half of Greensleeves’ wonderfully green silk satin gown with “sleeues of Satten hanging by”. Ninya has stamped the satin, and added a trim of gold lace on green velvet as decoration. There are piccadils at the neck.

and pinned on the skirt.

The front of the gown, and the linen kercher “wrought fine and gallantly” by Sarah Thursfield.