Melancholy Galliard by John Dowland

Melancholy Galliard (Poulton No. 25) by John Dowland (1563-1626). Originally for lute. PDF Sheet music or tab for classical guitar. Left hand fingering. The level is Late-Intermediate (Grade 8) due to some larger chord shapes and barre. This is a PDF Download

Please note: The sheet music is fingered for relative lute tuning (tune the 3rd string down to F sharp), see videos below for lesson info. 

PDF Sheet Music or Tab – Includes both a Notation-Only Edition and a Tab Edition.

John Dowland was an English Renaissance composer, lutenist, and singer. He is best known today for his melancholy songs and lute compositions. This beautiful work is an example of the variety that occurs within Dowland’s galliards and certainly showcases the mournful but also hopeful character of his solo compositions. Here’s the YouTube Lesson Link if you want to watch it there. 

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Bradford Werner
Bradford Werner

Bradford Werner is a classical guitarist and publisher from Victoria, BC, Canada. He originally created this site for his students at the Victoria Conservatory of Music but now shares content with guitarists worldwide. Curating guitar content helps students absorb the culture, ideas, and technique of the classical guitar. Bradford also has a YouTube channel with over 100,000 subscribers and 14 million views. He taught classical guitar at the Victoria Conservatory for 16 years and has freelanced in Greater Victoria for 25 years. See more at his personal website.

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