Helen, I completely agree that Neuer weather-beaten Saile is beautiful - not remotely wintery or Christmassy, but with a religious sentiment, which for me is a good enough reason to include it in the programme (I don't need much of an excuse to include this one).   

Yes, Helen, Thomas Campion and John Dowland - together with Anthony Holborne - are my favourite renaissance composers, too: Campion for his directness, simplicity and huge range of song subjects, Dowland for his breathtaking way of making melancholy beautiful in a song and the sheer joy of his dances, and Holborne for his chordal and polyphonic complexity and his left-field idea of what makes a tune. And yes, I agree that Savall's CD of Estampies & Danses Royales is refreshing and original. (Any of Savall's projects are worth a listen.)

Helen, if you should decide to spend any part of December in England, you'd be most welcome!

Tracie, thanks for your thoughts. I did consider Heigh ho Holiday (as above), but in the interests of bredth of material (trying to include as many sources as possible) went for his Nowel's Galiard instead, but I'm still storing Heigh ho in the back of my mind in reserve. Ah! Nutmegs and Ginger! Another obvious title that hadn't occured to me. I have an arrangement I made of that on 4 course guitar which I haven't learned yet, you've got me thinking I should consider it for the show. Mmm, maybe let's see how the rehearsals go for the 'definites' first, which should take a couple of weeks to learn.

Many thanks.

Stower