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Popular Music of the Renaissance Anne and Rob Burns Second From the Bottom Records, PO Box 294, Rochester, MI 48308 Anne and Rob Burns, long-time faire players, have combined two of their tapes into one CD. The music from start to finish, is an extraordinary collection of Renaissance street music and covers a wide variety of topics, from the lusty and sarcastic to table manners for a young Elizabethan gentleman. The first half of the CD includes many familiar songs: "When Joan's Ale was New," "Of a Number of Rats Mistaken for Devils in a Man's Slops," and "My Lord of Oxenford's Maske." But familiar or not, all of the pieces have an authentic and, at times, rowdy flavor, especially with the use of the shrill 6-hole pipe. Other period instruments incorporated into the album are the shawm, the cittern, the 4-course guitar, and the straw fiddle. Although each selection on the CD is a real treasure, several outstanding selections include the fife duet in "See, Mine Own Sweet Jewel," and the pipe work in "Cuckolds All a Row." The second half of the album offers an extensive collection of children's tunes. Joined by a children's chorus, the Burns give truly delightful renditions of "Tomorrow the Fox will Come to Town," "Room for Company," and "Three Blind Mice." Not to be missed is a reading from the "The Boke of Nurture," describing proper table manners. This album is funny; it has moments of sublime musical expression and is a work to be treasured for many years to come.

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