Luys Milan Recordings

Milan cover

Fantasia del primero tono MP3

Fantasia del quarto tono MP3

The more you listen to the vihuela repertoire, the more you realise that each composer has his own individual voice. Milan seems to have been an excellent improviser, and many of his works seem semi-improvised. These two Fantasias mix chordal and scalar passages, and the overall feel, to me at least, is 'lontano', something distant to which you are being called. All Milan's scores can be found on the internet, so I have not included copies here.

Essential reading: Luis Milan on Sixteenth-Century Performance Practice by Luis Gasser (Indiana University Press).


Fantasias 1 to 12 played by Edward Martin on a vihuela by Dan Larson

Edward Martin is a dear cyber friend, a great musician and an inspirational vihuelist. It is this recording of the first twelve fantasias by Milan which prompted me to buy a vihuela. The above link takes you to the Magnatune website, where you can listen to all twelve tracks and purchase the CD.