[Windswept]

Last night, I went to a Renaissance musical event, where the musicians played recorders, tambourines, wooden blocks, guitars, and drums. They were all dressed in Renaissance-type costumes, of course. Some of the performers sang, with and without instrumental accompaniment. I *loved* their a capella singing. It was truly wonderful!

Quite a few of these people were colleagues from a software development company. I asked what 'kind' of software, and one replied "telecommunications". Several others were from various medical fields. They do the music for fun, and all seemed like wonderfully interesting people.

I enjoyed this event a lot, and think I'll start seeking out music from this time period, played on appropriate instruments. I'm not sure why I like this music so much, but I guess it appeals to my English-major instincts. I like to think of how life was, and what people were listening to, back in the 1500s and 1600s.

At one point on stage, there were 12 people playing all different sizes of recorders. Here is a pic of the sizes of recorders they played (soprano, alto, tenor, bass recorders):



If any of you know of some good examples of music from this era, I would appreciate it if you could give me some links.

I'd also like to look into African music, Caribbean music, and other such 'alternatives', if you have any suggestions along any of those lines.

Thanks for any replies.



I'll see if I can post a few clips of stuff I've just found online. Not very good samples, I'm afraid.

[psmith2.0]

I don't know if this counts (and you may want to go closer to the "real source"), but the Sting put out a pretty neat album a year or two ago of old English songs (it was from a particular writer, and I saw him (Sting) making the various publicity rounds, and it was quite beautiful and alluring). I'd just never heard that kind of music before, so it was all new to me. He played a lute (or lyre?) and another was with him, playing something with about 600 strings and three necks.

iTunes store link. Again, this may be a bit more of a modern spin on it than you're after, but it sprang to mind because it struck me as quite old and beautiful. I don't know any of the more legit, real players in the field.

But it sounded really nice. I wonder if that was close to what you saw last night, that sort of sound?

[Windswept]

I've been digging around looking for some clips, and found a couple that I kind of like. Go to the *very bottom* of this page, and click on these six tunes.

http://www.curtisclark.org/emusic/renaissa.html


• Rounds

o Now thanked be the great god Pan (3.0k, 0:34) - 1609
o Hey, ho! what shall I say? (3.4k, 0:34) – 1609


• English country dances

o The shepherds hey (4.0k, 0:49) - A traditional Morris Dance tune.
o The new rigged ship (Piper's fancy) (4.2k, 0:35)
o Rufty tufty (3.5k, 0:30)
o Cobbler's hornpipe (2.4k, 0:39)


I think it's fun to explore this old music. It takes a lot of looking before I find selections that I like, though.

I hope a few of you will listen to these six tunes. I'd especially like to know what sunrain thinks of them, but I haven't seen him around here for a while.

One thing, it's kind of easy to forget stuff like global warming, terrorism, war, plague and pestilence when listening to this music from many centuries ago.

Maybe I'll put up a poll.

Also, it's interesting to see songs composed by King Henry VIII in the list. They aren't very good though, imo.

[sunrain]

Pretty much anything from the music labels L'Oiseau Lyre and Harmonia Mundi fit into what you're asking after. Both have a focus on early music performance with authentic/original instruments and performance practices.

Other similarly related (and some less so) that you might want to look into:

Capilla Flemenca (really like them)
Academy of Ancient Music
The Medieval Ensemble of London
Musica Reservata
New York Pro Musica
John Tavener and John Taverner

more famous is

Chanticleer
The Hilliard Ensemble

Well, that's a start anyway.

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by sunrain Pretty much anything from the music labels L'Oiseau Lyre and Harmonia Mundi fit into what you're asking after. Both have a focus on early music performance with authentic/original instruments and performance practices. Other similarly related (and some less so) that you might want to look into: Capilla Flemenca (really like them) Academy of Ancient Music The Medieval Ensemble of London Musica Reservata New York Pro Musica John Tavener and John Taverner more famous is Chanticleer The Hilliard Ensemble Well, that's a start anyway.

Wow! Presto! You appeared almost instantly, in a puff of smoke.

Thank you *so much* for your suggestions. I'm going to really enjoy looking into all this, since I know less than nothing about old music.

[sunrain]

Originally Posted by Windswept Wow! Presto! You appeared almost instantly, in a puff of smoke. Thank you *so much* for your suggestions. I'm going to really enjoy looking into all this, since I know less than nothing about old music.

I've been lurking a bit. Plus unlike Kick and chucker, I don't know everything so I have to pick my moments.

Just please promise you'll quit listening to midi files of music. I'll send you CDs even if you stop. It's just... wrong.

[sirnick4]

Just to add. More Choral Music:

(links to the iTunes store)

The King's Singers <-- Just saw them live. They were excellent.

The Tallis Scholars

I second Chanticleer. Although sometimes there tone bugs me a little..

[Ryan]

I can't remember their name right now, but there's a group of musicians which plays classical era music on original instruments built in that time period. I know it's not quite the Renaissance period, but it might interest you. I played Mozart's Rondo from Serenade clarinet quintet last year and this group did their own recording, on period instruments.

I'll try to find a link if I remember their name.

[sirnick4]

Also, check out the Renaissance Period iTunes Essential selection as well. It's pretty decent.

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/M...&s=143441&wm=1

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 I don't know if this counts (and you may want to go closer to the "real source"), but the Sting put out a pretty neat album a year or two ago of old English songs (it was from a particular writer, and I saw him (Sting) making the various publicity rounds, and it was quite beautiful and alluring). I'd just never heard that kind of music before, so it was all new to me. He played a lute (or lyre?) and another was with him, playing something with about 600 strings and three necks. iTunes store link. Again, this may be a bit more of a modern spin on it than you're after, but it sprang to mind because it struck me as quite old and beautiful. I don't know any of the more legit, real players in the field. But it sounded really nice. I wonder if that was close to what you saw last night, that sort of sound?

Thanks very much for the suggestion, Paul. I think it would be great to hear old music adapted a bit for the modern ear. I'm looking forward to checking out your link; but, alas, the public computer I'm using doesn't permit the downloading of iTunes. Just one more reason to get my PB hard drive fixed.

Thanks for thinking of Sting's album though. It sounds like something I'd really like.

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by sunrain I've been lurking a bit. Plus unlike Kick and chucker, I don't know everything so I have to pick my moments.

Just please promise you'll quit listening to midi files of music. I'll send you CDs even if you stop. It's just... wrong.

I'll see what I can do.

I've started to listen to a few selections from L'Oiseau Lyre. Some very nice stuff there. I can tell that it's going to take a century to sift through what's available to find things I like. Thanks again for giving me some great places to start.

Holy moly! Someone actually voted in the poll. And they voted for the one I was thinking of leaving off. I guess I should vote too.

[sirnick4]

Renaissance music is my passion. I'm so glad a thread about it opened up. Thanks, Windswept! I hope you keep exploring this period of music!

What I would give to conduct a professional Renaissance choir for the rest of my life.. That would be amazing

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by sirnick4 Renaissance music is my passion. I'm so glad a thread about it opened up.

It's really great to hear such enthusiasm. I can't tell you how cool the people were last night, because they have become so involved with this era, just out of their own love for it.

My local library is having a Renaissance month, it seems. They're having all kinds of events, like teaching Renaissance dancing, making Ren. jewelry, showing how the clothing was constructed, a session on the gilded manuscripts, a Renaissance faire, and of course several events of music, instruments, and singing. They have a wall full of books about that period of history, and I wish I could check them all out at once.

Thanks, Windswept! I hope you keep exploring this period of music!

You're welcome, and I think that I will. I have long had a fleeting fascination for the music and the instruments themselves, but I've never really taken the time to look into any of it. I'd love to learn how to play a recorder and join their group. They seem to have such a great time with their hobby.

[sirnick4]

You should pick up a Yamaha Baroque Soprano recorder. They are like $10 and it's easy to learn. They come with a fingering chart and everything. You could learn Mary had a Little Lamb in no time.

I teach my elementary students recorder. They absolutely love it.

[SKMDC]

When I was a late teen I heard the music of Michael Praetorious on a late night radio broadcast, and I became obsessed. He made a series called Terpsicore, which is a collection of hundreds of pieces commissioned for court dances. I have some albums on Nonesuch, I even arranged some for guitar that me & a friend played at some Shakespeare thing in High School. I highly recommend the Nonesuch recordings if you can find them.

[SKMDC]

This is not the nonesuch collection but it has a lot of the pieces from it.

[LudwigVan]

As far as Terpsichore goes, I'd recommend the New London Consort performance on L'Oiseau-Lyre. Perhaps the best performance by that group. And you get to hear all manner of instruments current during the 16th-17th century; the liner notes include the instrumentation for each track.

Another genre to consider is large-scale Renaissance choral works. I recommend Utopia Triumphans. Striggio's Ecce beatam lucem is my favorite work from this excellent compilation, though Spem in alium by Thomas Tallis is justifiably more famous. And if you want to stick with Praetorius (admittedly one of my favorite composers), check out Paul McCreesh's well-received Mass for Christmas Morning, a compilation of Praetorius' music as it may have been performed in a Lutheran church setting on a Christmas morning in the early 17th century. This one blew me away when I first heard it--the final chorus is especially riveting (not to mention large-scale).

And then there's opera, which got its start in the late Renaissance. Monteverdi's L'Orfeo is the go-to work in this regard, written only a decade or so after the invention of opera and still hailed as a masterpiece. It's been a few years since I hear the work; I have performances by the aforementioned New London Consort as well as John Eliot Gardiner and his English Baroque Soloists. I've come to know and really like Rene Jacobs directing efforts in recent months, so I'm intrigued about his performance. And another new find is Concerto Italiano and Rinaldo Alessandrini.

Anyway, if I get some free time this weekend, I'll look through my music collection and recommend more works from this time period.

[drewprops]

Holy Cow Carol..!!!
Didn't you KNOW??
The PiratePalooza pubcrawl that I throw every year is centered around bands who specialize in this genre of music. I've been friends with some really talented performers for years and years.

Many of these folks are scholars of music from the "British Isles" to much more esoteric non-renaissance (and by that I mean TRUE renaissance) fare, and they naturally tour the nation playing renfaires.

Of the so-called seafaring music used by sailors and such, there was a position on a ship called the "shanty man". That individual was paid a bit more for his ability to lead the crew in singing various shanties used in chores aboard ship. Various tasks have their own speed and their own rhythms, and the shanty man knew them all.

Anyway,
This past PiratePalooza we put out a free album on the website, and you can download it for free!!! Or listen to it online!!

Link: http://www.piratepalooza.com/?p=145

[drewprops]

aaaaaaaaaand waking up and re-reading the WHOLE thread I realize that none of the music from the link I posted has any of their old-school Renaissance music... sorry!