The Great Musical Adventure part 3

This week I started listening to Renaissance music. William Byrd, John Dowland, Giovani Gabrieli, and Claudio Monteverdi are probably the most familiar ones to our ears. Willam Byrd wrote three different masses for three, four, and five voices.* John Dowland wrote a lot of music for flute and guitar. Claudio Monteverdi wrote those familiar works for trumpet along with works for singers and the lute. Giovanni Gabrieli, like Claudio Monteverdi, wrote many works for the trumpet and Renaissance orchestra. The Renaissance orchestra was a little different than the orchestra of today.

The recorder was quite a popular instrument for the Renaissance orchestra. It carried the melody in such a way that it surpassed even the sound of the clarinet that could have played the melody in that way. However, some instruments of today had not yet been created. Before the trombone, there was the sackbutt which was of a similar sound. The shawn and the curtal were both processors of our modern oboe and bassoon. While it was true that there were the usual instruments of the violin family (such as the violin, viola, and cello), there was another instrument, the viol or viola de gamba. I will include a link to the viola de gamba playing Bach at the end of the post.

Like Medieval music, Renaissance music has its own unique and hollow sound. Not quite as mysterious and haunting as the Medival music, but still somewhat hollow. Considering that the Renaissance quickly enters the Medievals period in the 14th century, it shouldn't surprise us that the beginning music of the Renaissance sounds like that of the Medieval period. For the next two weeks, I will start the journey through the Baroque period. Bach and Vivaldi are popular baroque composers, but I will try to find some less well known Baroque composers.

Cheers!

Chloe Elizabeth

Listen to the Viola de gamba.

*(N.B. Later I will have a whole post about the different masses and chants covering the Medieval period and Rennaissance period.)