Tracks from my first CD of medieval and renaissance music arranged for acoustic and synthesized instruments.

Early Music - CD tracks

This CD is a tribute to three LP albums of early music from the 1960s:

·The Renaissance Band (New York Pro Musica, Decca DL79424) (Tracks 1-11 and 28 on this CD)
·Medieval and Renaissance Music for the Irish and Medieval Harps (Elena Polonska et al., Turnabout TV34019S) (Tracks 15-24 on this CD)
·The Glorious Sound of Brass (The Philadelphia Brass Ensemble, Columbia MS6941) (Tracks 12-14 and 25-27 on this CD)

These were among the first  recordings of renaissance and medieval music that I ever heard. When I first listened to them in my teens, I was captivated by the exotic sound of the instruments and by the sense of excitement, mystery, and beauty that the music evoked in me.  

In this CD, I have tried to recreate a selection of tracks from these albums using a digital audio workstation and sampling synthesizers. I performed the recorder parts; all other parts are digitally synthesized from sound samples of early instruments. Although I cannot replicate all the nuances of the original performances, I hope that I have been able to capture something of the feeling of these three albums that helped to inspire my life-long love of early music.

(Note: Tracks 4 and 6 on the CD are simply short reprises of track 2. I have omitted them from this upload to save space.)

Tribute - CD Tracks

Star in the East

Dance from Praetorius' Terpsichore, arranged for recorders, synthesizers, and what-not.

Gaillarde CCLXXXV

Stories

Pavan and Galliard

Tielman Susato's Basse Dance No.1 (Dont vient cela)

Basse Dance No.1

Ballet des Fous, from Michael Praetorius' Terpsichore collection

Ballet des Fous

Consort from the Court of Henry VIII (anon), and The King's Dance (Michael Praetorius)

Consort and King's Dance

Give Me Back The Music

Trotto (14th century Italian dance) - alto recorder

Trotto (recorder)

A song written by King Henry VIII when he was about 18 years old, performed with autoharp, recorders, and bodhran.

Pastime With Good Company

Byrd's Mass for 5 Voices, played on recorders (soprano, alto, 2 tenors, and bass).

Byrd Mass For 5 Voices 6 - Agnus Dei

Byrd Mass For 5 Voices 5 - Benedictus

Byrd Mass For 5 Voices 3 - Credo

Byrd Mass For 5 Voices 2 - Gloria

Byrd Mass For 5 Voices 1 - Kyrie

2. CORRANTO - Anon. 16th century
(arranged by Carl Dolmetsch)

HENRY V, Act III, Scene 5:
Bourbon (referring to the mocking French ladies): "They bid us to the English dancing schools and teach La Voltas high and swift Corrantos ..."

2 Corranto

1. LA VOLTA - William Byrd
(arranged by Carl Dolmetsch)

HENRY V, Act III, Scene 5:
Bourbon (referring to the mocking French ladies): "They bid us to the English dancing schools and teach La Voltas high and swift Corrantos ..."

1 La Volta

4. CANARIES - Anon. from Straloch Lute Book
(arranged by Carl Dolmetsch)

LOVE'S LABOURS LOST, Act III, Scene 1
Moth: "No my complete master; but to Jig off a tune at the tongue's end, Canary to it with your feet."

4 Canaries

3. ENGLISH JIG - Anon. 16th century
(arranged by Carl Dolmetsch)

LOVE'S LABOURS LOST, Act III, Scene 1
Moth: "No my complete master; but to Jig off a tune at the tongue's end, Canary to it with your feet."

3 English Jig

7. LIGHT O' LOVE - Anon. 16th century
(arranged by Carl Dolmetsch)

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, Act III, Scene 4
After Hero has referred to Beatrice speaking in the Sick Tune, Margaret adds: "Clap's into Light o' Love; that goes without a burden." (bourdon or drone)

7 Light O Love

6. THE SICK TUNE - Anon. 16th century
(arranged by Carl Dolmetsch)

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, Act III, Scene 4
Hero asks Beatrice: "Why, how now? Do you speak in the Sick Tune?
Beatrice: "I am out of all other tune, methinks"

6 Sick Tune

5. THE MEASURE - Anon. English c. 1570
(arranged by Carl Dolmetsch)

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, Act II, Scene I
Beatrice: "The fault will not be in the music, cousin, if you be not woo'd in good time; if the prince be too important, tell him, there is Measure in everything, and so dance out the answer."

5 The Measure

8. FORTUNE MY FOE - Anon. 16th century
(arranged by Carl Dolmetsch)

THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR, Act III, Scene 3
Falstaff (to Mrs. Ford): "I see what thou wert, if Fortune Thy Foe were not, Nature thy friend."

8 Fortune My Foe

10. MORISQUE (MORISCO) - Anon. from "Orchesographie", 1588
(arranged by Carl Dolmetsch)

HENRY VI Second Part, Act III, Scene 1
York says (of Cade in Battle): "I have seen him caper upright, like a wild Morisco, shaking the bloody darts as he his bells." (Note: Jingling bells are worn by the dancers, who also beat time with cymbals, to accompany their capers and rapid beating of the heels on the ground.)

10 Morisco

9. HEARTSEASE - Anon. 16th century
(arranged by Carl Dolmetsch)

ROMEO AND JULIET, Act IV, Scene 5
Peter: "Musicians, O musicians, Heartsease, Heartsease, O, an you will have me live? Play Heartsease."

9 Heartsease

19. O MISTRESS MINE - Anon. 16th century
(arranged by Carl Dolmetsch)

TWELFTH NIGHT, Act II, Scene 3
Clown: "Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life?"
Sir Toby: "A love-song, a love-song."
    Sir Andrew: "Ay, ay; I care not for good life."
    (Clown here sings "O Mistress Mine".)

19 O Mistress Mine

A Paris Frese Nouvele

S'on me regarde

Alle Psallite

Quant Voi

Pange melos lacrimosum

Estampie

Canzon a5

Adesto dolori meo

Heigh Ho Holiday

The Fairie Round

Bransle

Bransle de Bourgogne

Bransle de Bourgone

Bransle de Champagne

Ballet

Bransle de la torche

01 Passameze pour les cornetz

02 Galliarde de Monsieur Wustrow

03 Galliarde de la guerre

05 Reprinse

07 Pavane de Spaigne

19 Pavane d'Angleterre

I am an amateur musician who loves to listen to and play medieval, renaissance, and folk music. I do layered recordings, one track at a time, using both acoustic instruments and synthesizers, and mix the tracks with digital audio software.
I also do live performances of folk, traditional, renaissance, and medieval music in the virtual world of Second Life, under my avatar name, Wald Schridde.

One-Man Renaissance Band

Pinned to spotlight

Popular tracks