Jane Pickering

Jane Pickering was an early 17th Century composer and lutenist, and copyist of her eponymous lute book. We know nothing of the life of its original owner ; indeed it is pure serendipity that we know her name, for the first section of the manuscript has been lost, the damage narrowly missing the folio containing her signature and a date (1616). However, Jane's manuscript still conveys a vivid impression of her musical taste, technical attainment, and even the type of instrument she owned.