Nigel North (Baroque Lute)

• Arcangelo Corelli (1653–1713): La Follia, Op. 5/12 (1700. Arr. North)
• Silvius Leopold Weiss (1687–1750): Sonata in B-flat Major: Allemande – Courante – Bouree – Sarabande Grave – Menuet – Presto
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750): Prelude, Fugue and Allegro, BWV 998
• Heinrich Ignaz F. Biber (1644–1704): Passacaglia from Mystery Sonatas, ca. 1676 (arr. North)

Born in London, England, Nigel North has been playing the lute for over 50 years, since the age of 15. Teaching and playing have gone hand in hand and he has been Professor of Lute at the Historical Performance Institute (formerly Early Music Institute), Indiana University, Bloomington (USA) 1999–2024. From July 2024 he was thrilled to return to Europe, and now lives in Gent, Belgium. Previous positions include The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London (1976–1996), Hochschule der Künste, Berlin (1993–1999) and the Royal Conservatory, Den Haag, (2006–2009).

Initially inspired at the age of seven by the early 60s' instrumental pop group The Shadows, Nigel North studied classical music through the violin and guitar and eventually discovered his real path in life, the lute. Nigel is basically self-taught on the lute and was inspired by Michael Schäffer, Gustav Leonhardt and the jazz duo, Tuck and Patti. The music of Bach has always been his first love in music, especially after a dream at age 12 in which Bach handed him a lute.

After hearing one of Nigel's Bach recitals in London, Julian Bream recalled in 2002 "I remember going to a remarkable recital, one which I wish I had the ability to give: it was one of Nigel North’s Bach recitals, and I was bowled over by how masterful and how musical it was. A real musical experience, something you don’t always get from guitar and lute players and which, in general, is pretty rare."

Nigel North wrote Continuo playing on the Lute, Archlute and Theorbo (Faber, 1986 and Indiana University Press). More recently in 2024, Le Luth Dore (Paris) published Bach on the Lute, volumes 1 and 2. Transcriptions for baroque lute of BWV 1001–1006, 1007–1012 and the complete works for lute, BWV 999–1006a. 2026 will see his latest book, Playing with Patterns: 16th century divisions on the lute (Oxford University Press).

Recordings include a four CD boxed set Bach on the Lute (Linn Records), four CDs of the lute music of John Dowland (Naxos), four CDs of music by Sylvius Weiss (BGS) and 2 CDs of music by Francesco da Milano (BGS). Most recently for "Deux-Elles," a double CD of Bach's complete works for lute and other new transcriptions (April 2023).