Five Medieval Dances

Overview

Samuel Milligan's Five Medieval Dances is the third in the the Wings Press "Ars Musicæ Hispaniæ" series, joining Milligan's Seven Medieval Songs and Nine Sephardic Songs, all arranged for small harp and optional instruments. Very little medieval secular music was written down, especially secular dance music. Five Medieval Dances preserves what were likely some of the most popular pieces of the 13th and 14th centuries, drawn from Le Manuscrit du Roi in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, as well as from manuscripts housed in the British Museum and the National Library of the Czech Republic. 

Author Biography

Samuel Milligan is one of the most widely recognized arrangers of harp music alive today. He was the founding editor of the American Harp Journal, and has served on the Boards of the American Harp Society and the Historical Harp Society. When the harp making firm Lyon & Healy introduced their new Troubadour lever harp in 1961, they commissioned Milligan to furnish a new method, Fun From the First, plus another collection of pieces, Medieval to Modern. These have become standard repertory for harp students, and many pieces can be found as required material for harp contests and festivals. Milligan attended North Texas State College where he received a Bachelor of Music degree with a major in harp performance. Milligan has been the recipient of two recent awards. One, in 2008 from the American Harp Society, honors his outstanding service to the AHS and to the harp. Another, presented by the Somerset Harp Festival in 2014, is in honor of his lifetime achievement. He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, surrounded by harps of all sizes and descriptions.