help me expand my library of music from the middle ages and renissance

Posted by: mikeeschman on 26 November 2008

i played a lot of this music when i was in music school, but aside from about 20 albums of brass music and david munrow's sets on vocal and instrumental music from the middle ages and rennisance, i really don't have anything in my collection.

i am most interested in secular instrumental music for winds of every description.

percussion, strings and keyboard are also of some interest.

can anyone help with suggested recordings and books to expand my knowledge?
Posted on: 27 November 2008 by mikeeschman
quote:
Originally posted by mikeeschman:
i played a lot of this music when i was in music school, but aside from about 20 albums of brass music and david munrow's sets on vocal and instrumental music from the middle ages and rennisance, i really don't have anything in my collection.

i am most interested in secular instrumental music for winds of every description.

percussion, strings and keyboard are also of some interest.

can anyone help with suggested recordings and books to expand my knowledge?


i am interested in the music of this period because of timbre. as instruments have become both more powerful and more in tune, we have sacrificed timbre.

in the music of the middle ages and renaissance, no such deficiency can be claimed. they have a special gift for rhythm and a good sense for melody. they give up formal harmonies (or at least follow different rules) and rely on instrumental color.

quite liberating for the ears!

anyone else curious?
Posted on: 27 November 2008 by u5227470736789439
Dear Mike,

This is a field that is both fascinating, and also, being honest, one that attracts me as an idea, and then less so on actually entering its actual sound world!

I think you may enjoy something I put in the post with the Fantastic Symphony.

Sweelink [organ music] ...

Not quite medieval, but older than Bach, which is going some for me!

I could not contribute to this, but would not like you to think it was completely ignored in these quarters!

ATB from George
Posted on: 27 November 2008 by Huwge
The Harmonia Mundi record label website is a good place to browse, they have a rich catalogue and often have some ridiculously priced bargain sets, e.g. recent 50th anniversary stuff. Some interesting Byzantine music in that set.
Posted on: 27 November 2008 by droodzilla
Huwge, you beat me to it! I have the HM 50th anniversary box set, and there's lots of excellent early music in there. The Deutsche Harmonia Mundi label has also issued a similar box (even bigger, in fact) at a super budget price. I got mine for about £38 delivered via Amazon marketplace.

Good luck Mike, and let us know what you discover!

Regards
Nigel
Posted on: 27 November 2008 by JWM
We're not allowed hot links, so one suggestion I would make is to Google Gimmell Records which is the home of the Tallis Scholars and others. Great catalogue of Renaissance and Tudor music.
Posted on: 28 November 2008 by Milo Tweenie
You might find the Early Music Show, Radio 3, 13:00 Saturdays and Sundays to be of interest.

Oops, just seen you are in the US. I think it's available on the BBC website on their "listen again" player.
Posted on: 28 November 2008 by Tam
Not quite old enough, but given your interest in winds, I have to ask: have you heard Mackerras's recording of the original wind arrangement of the firework music. It's a fascinating issue (and worth the price for the superb liner notes which tell the story of the midnight recording session, since they had to do it after all the orchestras of London had finished for the night to get enough good wind players - Lady Barbirolli is playing and I think it's the only time Civil and Tuckwell ever played together).

regards, Tam
Posted on: 28 November 2008 by mikeeschman
quote:
Originally posted by Tam:
Not quite old enough, but given your interest in winds, I have to ask: have you heard Mackerras's recording of the original wind arrangement of the firework music. It's a fascinating issue (and worth the price for the superb liner notes which tell the story of the midnight recording session, since they had to do it after all the orchestras of London had finished for the night to get enough good wind players - Lady Barbirolli is playing and I think it's the only time Civil and Tuckwell ever played together).

regards, Tam


the winds play with flawless intonation and dead-ass accurate rhythm?

:-)
Posted on: 30 November 2008 by pe-zulu
Only very little instrumental music has survived from the medieval age and the renaissance, most of it being dance music (and from the renaissance also keyboard music).

Some suggestions though - just to start with (I own all of them and know them well):

The American renaissance music band Piffaro has made some (six or seven in all) recordings for Archiv and Dorian. They are all excellent as to brilliance and sound.

The English group The Dufay Ensemble has made two CDs (Chandos) containing almost all surviving dance music from the medieval age, recommendable without reservations.

And Philip Pickett has (with his own early music group) made some recordings for Oiseau Lyre of renaissance dance music, most interesting a CD with music by Susato and a CD with music by Prætorius. Also recommendable.
Posted on: 30 November 2008 by mikeeschman
quote:
Originally posted by pe-zulu:
Only very little instrumental music has survived from the medieval age and the renaissance, most of it being dance music (and from the renaissance also keyboard music).

Some suggestions though - just to start with (I own all of them and know them well):

The American renaissance music band Piffaro has made some (six or seven in all) recordings for Archiv and Dorian. They are all excellent as to brilliance and sound.

The English group The Dufay Ensemble has made two CDs (Chandos) containing almost all surviving dance music from the medieval age, recommendable without reservations.

And Philip Pickett has (with his own early music group) made some recordings for Oiseau Lyre of renaissance dance music, most interesting a CD with music by Susato and a CD with music by Prætorius. Also recommendable.


thanks :-)
Posted on: 30 November 2008 by fama