The Rags of Time-17th-c. English lute songs and dances

"Within the limits of the medium, Elizabethan songs and lute music could hardly be more evocatively presented on CD - an outstanding disc."
- BBC Music Magazine ( Aug 2002) Pick of the Month

"lutenist Nigel North's pre-eminence is undeniable."
- Independent (26 May 2002)

"'The Rags of Time,' a collection of English lute songs and dances performed by Paul Hillier and Nigel North with such quiet dignity that the music by Lawes, Wilson, Ferrabosco, Anon and others takes the listener into another world. Interspersed with poems by everyone's favorite metaphysical poet, John Donne, this is a disc to play when the cares of the day need be acknowledged, embraced and gently laid to rest."
- Southern California Early Music News


Voice and lute were inseparable partners throughout at least two centuries of English music making. On this recording Paul Hillier and Nigel North present some of the most eloquent songs in the English language by the 17th-century lutenist/singer-songwriters who both composed and performed their own music. The poetry of John Donne is prominently featured, vividly sung and read by Paul Hillier.


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PAUL HILLIER began his career as a singer in the choir of St. Paul's Cathedral in London and later became a member of the Queen's Chapel Royal at Windsor Castle. For many years he devoted his principal energies to the Hilliard Ensemble, of which he was co-founder and musical director. During his tenure the group rose to international prominence, making tours throughout the world, with numerous television and radio appearances. Hillier also established the ensemble's summer festival and planned and directed over thirty recordings, many of which earned distinguished prizes.

Throughout the 1980's Hillier increasingly divided his time between England and America: during 1980-81 he taught at the University of California, Santa Cruz and in 1984 he was Copeland Colloquium Fellow at Amherst College in Massachusetts. In 1990 he moved to the United States where he was Professor of Music at the University of California, Davis until 1996. There he formed Theatre of Voices, of which he is artistic director. Theatre of Voices now tours throughout North America and Europe and has an exclusive recording contract with harmonia mundi USA. In 1996 Paul Hillier was named Director of the Early Music Institute at Indiana University in Bloomington.

Hillier's interest in the music of Steve Reich and Arvo Pärt has lead to several collaborations with both composers. In addition to his book on Pärt published in 1997 by Oxford University Press, Hillier is currently editing the writings of Reich, and has published several anthologies of choral music. He is General Editor of Fazer Editions of Early Music (Helsinki) and a member of the Advisory Council of Early Music America.

A Grammy Award nominee and the recipient of two Edison Prizes, Hillier is also active as a solo singer specializing in medieval lyrics, and as a frequent guest conductor with choirs around the world. His wide musical interests range from medieval to contemporary music and encompass singing and conducting, composing and writing. Theatre of Voices has recorded several CDs for harmonia mundi USA, featuring composers such as Josquin Desprez, Thomas Tallis, Perotin and Arvo Pärt. Their recent Cage release Litany for the Whale (HMU 907187) was called "beautiful and amazing" by the Los Angeles Times. Paul Hillier has also collaborated with renowned harpist Andrew Lawrence-King on two recital recordings. In a review of their first release Chansons de Trouveres (HMU 907184) Stereophile hailed the pair as "the ideal musicians to interpret the 13th century".