Printed Music Books

John Playford (b.1623- d.1686) published his Musick’s Delight on the Cithren in London, 1666, ‘to revive and restore this harmonious instrument’. Musick’s Delight on the Modern Cittern, which is entirely new, contains a far broader historical repertoire, and responds to the modern instrument’s well-established popularity, together with its wider family including mandolin, octave mandola (octave mandolin in the US) and bouzouki. It includes tunes from many of Playford’s publications, including some from The Dancing Master and Musick’s Delight on the Cithren.

MUSICK’S DELIGHT ON THE MODERN CITTERN is intended for the beginner seeking a collection of simple yet attractive tunes that are enjoyable to play; the more intermediate player desirous of widening their repertoire; and any player in want of a collection of tunes upon which they can build further. 

All tunes are presented in both notation and tablature, together with chords for an accompaniment, in GDGDG for cittern and GDAE for mandolin and octave mandola. Bouzouki and tenor mandola players can also play these tunes via the tablature.  A list of eighteen tuning variants detailing the options for each instrument is provided, together with two hundred and fifty chords each for GDGDG and GDAE. The music in this book can be played via the tablature or staff notation whether you have a modern cittern, mandolin, tenor mandola, octave mandola or bouzouki.

From the age of knights, castles and courtly love; from the palaces and gardens of Renaissance Europe; and from the assemblies, playhouses and noisy streets of seventeenth and eighteenth-century London: Musick’s Delight on the Modern Cittern presents a repertoire spanning 600 years – as delightfully playable and addictive now as it was then.”
Robin Alexander Lucas
Author of Musick’s Delight on the Modern Cittern.

LOOK INSIDE and view sample pages of VOLUME the FIRST.

MUSIC BOOKS for CITTERN and MANDOLIN FAMILY

AVAILABLE NOW
Musick’s Delight on the Modern Cittern & Mandolin, Mandolas & Bouzouki &c. VOLUME the FIRST. 
By Robin Alexander Lucas
A4 Paperback
252 pages
ISBN 978-1-8384385-0-0
RRP £30. 
2021

AVAILABLE NOW
Musick’s Delight on the Modern Cittern & Mandolin, Mandolas & Bouzouki &c. VOLUME the SECOND.
By Robin Alexander Lucas
A4 Paperback
264 pages
ISBN 978-1-8384385-1-7
RRP £25
2022

AVAILABLE NOW
Musick’s Delight on the Modern Cittern & Mandolin, Mandolas & Bouzouki &c. VOLUME the THIRD
By Robin Alexander Lucas
A4 Paperback
320 pages
ISBN 978-1-8384385-2-4
RRP £30
2023

AVAILABLE NOW
Musick’s Delight on the Modern Cittern & Mandolin, Mandolas & Bouzouki &c. VOLUME the FOURTH.
By Robin Alexander Lucas
A4 Paperback
318 pages
ISBN 978-1-8384385-3-1
RRP £30
2024

Musick’s Delight on the Modern Cittern & Mandolin, Mandolas & Bouzouki &c. VOLUME the FIFTH.
By Robin Alexander Lucas
A4 Paperback.
ISBN 978-1-8384385-4-8
RRP £30
2026

Musick’s Delight on the Modern Cittern & Mandolin, Mandolas & Bouzouki &c. VOLUME the SIXTH.
By Robin Alexander Lucas
A4 Paperback.
ISBN 978-1-8384385-5-5
RRP £30
2026/2027

BANQUET OF MUSIC series.
These books will focus on specific periods and themes are also planned and scheduled. These future books, by Robin Alexander Lucas, will include multiple cittern tunings in addition to mandolin tuning etc:
A Medieval Banquet of Music.
A Renaissance Banquet of Music.

The first volume of Pan’s Musical Companion for Alto (Treble) Recorder: Medieval, contains over 100 tunes including examples from Britain, France, Italy, Germany and Spain. This will be followed by ‘RENAISSANCE’, ‘SEVENTEENTH CENTURY’ and ‘EIGHTEENTH CENTURY’. Presented in A5 landscape and most decoratively illustrated – MEDIEVAL volume launched in October 2025 and INCLUDES:

• Over 100 tunes. Among them are Troubadour and Trouvère tunes of courtly love, English, French and Italian dances and cantigas from Spain.
• Scales for all keys included in this volume.
• Standard Baroque recorder (Alto) finger chart, plus blank charts which can be filled in for recorders with different finger patterns.
• Transposition table and key signature guide.
• Blank staff notation paper.

Pan’s Musical Companion for Alto (Treble) Recorder: Medieval.
By Robin Alexander Lucas
A5 paperback (landscape)
276 pages
105 tunes from c.1050- c.1480
ISBN 978-1-8384385-6-2
RRP £27.50
October 2025

Pan’s Musical Companion for Alto (Treble) Recorder: Renaissance.
By Robin Alexander Lucas
A5 paperback (landscape)
TBC

Pan’s Musical Companion for Alto (Treble) Recorder: Seventeenth Century.
By Robin Alexander Lucas
A5 paperback (landscape)
2026

Pan’s Musical Companion for Alto (Treble) Recorder: Eighteenth Century. By Robin Alexander Lucas
A5 paperback (landscape)
TBC

Pan’s Musical Companion for Alto (Treble) Recorder: Seasonal Merriments (TBC).
Neptune’s Musical Companion for Alto (Treble) Recorder: Maritime (TBC).

The same series will later be available for soprano recorder.