“Being a Windham Hill fan, it certainly takes me back to those days, where a simple guitar album, played with endearing quality and attention to detail, has become a delight”.
MICK WORDLEY
FINGERSTYLE GUITARIST
RafaelArden
Renaissance lutenist
RAFAEL ARDEN – SOLO LUTENIST
Rafael Arden
MULTICULTURAL ARTS FORUM
Ancient Scottish melodies
rediscovered through the voice of the lute
Drawing inspiration from the great Scottish lute manuscripts of the seventeenth century, Rafael Arden brings warmth, intimacy, and a contemporary twist to some of the oldest surviving music of Renaissance Scotland.
From haunting airs to lively dance tunes, these ancient melodies echo across four centuries,
connecting modern audiences with an almost forgotten musical world.
THE ROWALLAN MANUSCRIPT
The Rowallan Manuscript is the oldest surviving collection of Scottish lute music in existence. Compiled in approximately 1612, it offers a rare and captivating glimpse into the musical world, of early seventeenth-century Scotland.
Within its pages are lively Scottish dance tunes, graceful airs, and works with an unmistakably French influence — reflecting the rich cultural ties between the two Kingdoms. There are melodies that sparkle with the lilting charm so deeply associated with Scottish music, while others unfold with haunting beauty, drawing listeners from across the glens, and conjuring images of another age.
In this recording, Rafael Arden draws on decades of musical knowledge to breathe new life into these remarkable works. With his somewhat contemporary interpretation, he reveals the timeless beauty hidden within these ancient melodies.
‘One of the finest musicians to be heard anywhere’
ABOUT RAFAEL
Rafael Arden grew up in the entertainment industry and was performing on stage from a very young age.
Over the past fifty years, he has studied music spanning from the 10th to the 21st century, exploring a remarkably wide range of styles including rock, blues, country, classical, Celtic and pop.
Throughout his career, Rafael has worked as a performer, composer, session musician, teacher and producer. After studying classical guitar in his early twenties, he was invited by the Multicultural Arts Forum to represent Australia at the Spanish Guitar Festival. He later became a featured artist and regular guest performer with the Arts Forum throughout the 1990s.
As a guitarist, Rafael appeared as a featured artist in magazines and newspapers, on radio and television, and worked extensively in theatre as both an onstage actor and orchestral musician. He has also taught at a number of music institutions, including the Sydney School of Music, Adelaide’s Yamaha School of Music, and the Contemporary School of the Arts in Canberra.
While studying classical guitar, Rafael discovered the lute and the music of the Renaissance, beginning a lifelong exploration of the instrument and its repertoire. He has performed extensively as a lutenist — accompanying English lute songs in a duet, performing the music of John Dowland in a broken consort ensemble, and appearing as a soloist.
Rafael is currently recording two albums of Scottish music for solo lute, featuring works from the Rowallan and Straloch Manuscripts, under the guidance of his current teacher, Elizabeth Pallett