ABSTRACT
Judging by style, what seem to be the earliest surviving compositions by members of the Bassano family are the 'Pavana Bassano' and 'Galliarde Bassanni' that appear in the Susanne van Soldt keyboard book. The composers are all instrumentalists associated with the Court, so these dances could well have been part of the repertory of the recorder consort. The two versions, which sound like independent workings of a common tune ('gist') and bass, could both be by the composer. Oliver Neighbour has written that the style of these compositions is simple, with 'no imitation beyond the occasional passing-note figures', and that they were 'either originally composed in four parts or devised by [a composer] who thought more naturally in four parts than in five'. All the composers are readily identified with the exception of 'A.B.' — presumably a member of the Bassano family.
