Wow, just getting the hang of Weebly...
Since we've thus far featured either 20th century works (Ligeti, Shostakovich) or very well-known works (Beethoven's piano stuff), this week I wanted something early. I wanted to go with a composer I know I love, but whose instrumental music I didn't know, so I went with Purcell.
After some scouring for his instrumental pieces, I came upon an album of assorted "Fantasies and In nomines" by The Rose Consort of Viols, an English Viol ensemble. If you search Spotify for "Purcell: Fantazias," you'll find the album. It doesn't include all of his Fantasies and In nomines, but it includes 14 of the 18 he composed in 1680 (one of which was incomplete), so it's probably about the most complete picture we'll get of these works.
I did some very cursory work researching what, exactly, a "Fantasy" and an "In nomine" were in the Baroque period, and I think the following somewhat basic definitions may suffice:
Fantasy
(Baroque) typically a piece for keyboard instruments with alternately slow and fast sections
(Renaissance) typically a piece for a consort (instrumental ensemble), often of viols, that mimics vocal motets and features rapid fugal sections alternating with slower sections; these latter types of sections often feature clashing harmony
In nomine - a piece for a consort - again, often of viols - that features one instrument on the cantus firmus and other instruments on complex imitative counterpoint
I feature all of this information, particularly both Fantasy definitions, because despite Wikipedia's claim that Purcell's fantasies were Baroque, I think they're more of a mix of both styles. I really hear a lot of similarities between these fantasies and the vocal motets I know from the renaissance, but I might just be hearing similar harmonies. The In nomines are pretty much standard, from what that definition tells us.
I've listened to a little bit of these already, and I must say that I find them incredibly captivating. To me, Purcell is woefully underrated because his primary output was vocal, but he does some pretty fascinating things here. I'd go into it more, but I don't want to influence your listening. I will say that I'm glad to have a week of what I consider "morsels" of music as a break from last week's "feast" - no offense, Michael! I liked the Shostakovich, but I also like that, since these aren't really meant to be heard together, we can listen to them all at our leisure without musician guilt.
Enjoy! I know I will.
Since we've thus far featured either 20th century works (Ligeti, Shostakovich) or very well-known works (Beethoven's piano stuff), this week I wanted something early. I wanted to go with a composer I know I love, but whose instrumental music I didn't know, so I went with Purcell.
After some scouring for his instrumental pieces, I came upon an album of assorted "Fantasies and In nomines" by The Rose Consort of Viols, an English Viol ensemble. If you search Spotify for "Purcell: Fantazias," you'll find the album. It doesn't include all of his Fantasies and In nomines, but it includes 14 of the 18 he composed in 1680 (one of which was incomplete), so it's probably about the most complete picture we'll get of these works.
I did some very cursory work researching what, exactly, a "Fantasy" and an "In nomine" were in the Baroque period, and I think the following somewhat basic definitions may suffice:
Fantasy
(Baroque) typically a piece for keyboard instruments with alternately slow and fast sections
(Renaissance) typically a piece for a consort (instrumental ensemble), often of viols, that mimics vocal motets and features rapid fugal sections alternating with slower sections; these latter types of sections often feature clashing harmony
In nomine - a piece for a consort - again, often of viols - that features one instrument on the cantus firmus and other instruments on complex imitative counterpoint
I feature all of this information, particularly both Fantasy definitions, because despite Wikipedia's claim that Purcell's fantasies were Baroque, I think they're more of a mix of both styles. I really hear a lot of similarities between these fantasies and the vocal motets I know from the renaissance, but I might just be hearing similar harmonies. The In nomines are pretty much standard, from what that definition tells us.
I've listened to a little bit of these already, and I must say that I find them incredibly captivating. To me, Purcell is woefully underrated because his primary output was vocal, but he does some pretty fascinating things here. I'd go into it more, but I don't want to influence your listening. I will say that I'm glad to have a week of what I consider "morsels" of music as a break from last week's "feast" - no offense, Michael! I liked the Shostakovich, but I also like that, since these aren't really meant to be heard together, we can listen to them all at our leisure without musician guilt.
Enjoy! I know I will.
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