Music was present in the US colonies as well! This contemporary of Bach and son of the composer of Canon in D emigrated to Boston, helped install the organ in Trinity Church, Newport RI, and then spent the rest of his life working in Charleston.
Juan García de Zéspedes
Early Music doesn’t necessarily mean European. Juan García de Zéspedes was a gifted composer (and singer and viol player), and one of many Mexican Baroque composers!
Durum & Molle in the Renaissance
Ever wonder why composers chose certain keys for their pieces? Or what all those accidentals meant? Early Music Sources has all the answers, as always! BONUS: Quick explanation of hexachords and my personal favorite, Monteverdi’s “Zefiro torna”.
Footnotes and comments here: https://www.earlymusicsources.com/youtube/durum-and-molle Created by Elam Rotem and Oren Kirschenbaum http://www.earlymusicsourc...
The Family of Orlando Gibbons
Music was a tradition in the Bach and Lassus families, but did you know Orlando Gibbons also had a musical family? Read more about The Life, Work, and Family of Orlando Gibbons
High Clefs and Transposition
Did the post on high clefs (June 11) just confuse you more? Early Music Sources put together this great ~10 minute video to explain what high clefs were and how they relate to performance practices!
For the footnotes and other extra information see the following link: https://www.earlymusicsources.com/youtube/high-celfs Created by Elam Rotem, Oren Kirsch...
Janequin: Le chant des oyseaulx
Last week’s battle sounds not your thing? Janequin was into many different musical sound effects, including bird calls! Definitely listen long enough to hear the cuckoo…
Ensemble Clément Janequin, Dominique Visse, dir. "Janequin: Le Chant des Oyseaulx" Clément Janequin (1485-1558), French Renaissance composer. Chanson : Le ch...
Janequin: La Guerre
Some of the most fantastic Early Music pieces are secular, written for occasions, like “La Guerre” by Clément Janequin, written to celebrate the Battle of Marignano. This piece is particularly famous for how Janequin used words and syllables to mimic the sounds of battle. Check out this amazing recording (and score) and follow along with the translation here.
Clément Janequin's madrigal La Guerre. Sung by the King's Singers as part of their Madrigal History Tour. This piece was almost certainly written by Janaquin...
Nationalism and Music
While not technically Early Music, here are some thoughts on “patriotic" music for this Early Music Monday.
”This use of folk music by the bourgeois was more to reassure themselves of the authenticity of their own patriotism as well as an appeal across the social barriers of the time. (For the nobility, it was not the national loyalties that counted, but dynastic ones.)”. Read more here
The Story of "A"
If A = 440hz is the standard for modern orchestras, why do baroque ensembles use A = 415hz?
The Story of “A” - More about Baroque Pitch
Why does A = 440hz?
Early Music Monday tackles the issue of pitch level. First up, how did A = 440hz become the standard for modern orchestras?