Ottavio Petrucci was not the first music publisher. But he was the first to figure out how to print complex polyphonic scores. This release collects from his Intavolatura di Liuto (lute tablatures) — a genre that blossomed thanks in part to Petrucci’s innovations. Lutenist Sandro Volta performs music by Francesco Spinacino, Joan Ambrosio Dalza, and […]
renaissance music
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Blue Heron complete outstanding Peterhouse Partbooks series
In the 1540s Thomas Bull compiled partbooks for the Canterbury Cathedral Choir. They were only in use for a few years, as Edward II dissolved professional choirs. The books were stored in Peterhouse College and all but forgotten. Blue Heron has brought this music back to life, with scholarly research and committed performances. This is the fifth […]
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#ClassicsaDay #WomensHistoryMonth Part 1 – Early Music
One of the ongoing Twitter hashtag groups I participate with is #ClassicsaDay. The idea’s pretty simple: post a link to a classical work, and – in the body of the tweet – provide a little info about it. For March, some of the participants decided to celebrate the role of women in classical music. We used an […]
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Al Alva Venid – Secular music from the Spanish Renaissance
“Al Alva Venid” was originally released in 1995. The release sounds just as good now as it did then. Soprano Marta Almajano sings with a honeyed tone that blends beautifully with the vihuela and renaissance guitar. They’re played by José Miguel Moreno, one of the masters of early stringed instruments. His sensitive phrasing makes every […]
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Thomas Tallis, Katherine Parr, and Songs of Reformation
To fully appreciate the music on this release, you should read the liner notes. To appreciate Thomas Tallis’ artistry, you just have to listen. This release features Tallis compositions written for the nascent Church of England. The music reflects the latest scholarship, which shines new light on Tallis and his catalog. The text for Se lord and […]
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Vittoria Vittoria – beautiful restoration of 17th C. song
“Vittoria – Vittoria” is a DVD-Audio reissue of a 1997 release. Both the performances and sound quality are first-rate. Richard Wistreich is a well-established performer of 16th and 17th Century repertoire. This release presents a selection of Italian and English songs from approximately the same time period. Wistreich’s bass voice has an extraordinary range. Some selections, […]
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Alla Piffaresca – La Rossignol masters of the dance
La Rossignol puts together an engaging collection of Renaissance secular music. If you’re a fan of early music, many of their selections will be familiar. There are dances from Tielman Susato’s 1551 “Danserye” and Michael Praetorius’ 1621 “Terpsichore.” The selections from Thoinot Arbeau, Adrian Le Roy and Pierre Phalèse are also found on many releases. So what […]
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Masses from the Mysterious Master of the Polish Baroque, Bartholomiej Pekiel
During the transition from Renaissance to Baroque that began around 1600, contemporary musicians developed terms to capture the distinction — stile antico and stile moderno. To a date that runs surprisingly late into the seventeenth century, there were a number of composers that worked readily in both, and to that company belongs the little-known Polish […]
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Italian Lute Virtuosi of the Renaissance – Jakob Lindberg
There’s an art to putting a release together, especially one for a solo instrument. With only one instrumental timbre, the tracks can blend together into an uninteresting blur. But change up styles too much, and the album can sound disjointed. Lutenist Jakob Lindberg is a past master of program sequencing, and his latest album Italian […]