Medieval Instruments
The More Popular Instruments of the Medieval to Renaissance Period Music plays a vital role in human society. It provides entertainment and emotional release, and it accompanies activities ranging from dance to religious ceremonies. Music is heard everywhere: in auditoriums, churches, homes, elevators, sports arenas, and on the street. Recorded music, through our technology, can be heard almost anywhere at anytime. Although we have the technology to listen to whatever kind of music we desire, there is still an exciting sensation for people to watch music performed live. The musicians on stage use their skills with their instruments to produce music that stimulates the mind, excites the heart, and takes the breath away. Through the course of life, humans develop the ability to identify most instruments either by being played or just seen up close. What most people don't know is the history behind the more popular instruments of the world. Some instruments can be traced back --in some form-- to as early as 4000 B.C. This paper will not discuss the history of instruments from the dawn of man, just the late Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Of all the instruments of the Middle Ages, the most popular had to be what is c
Tied to the neck and fingerboard are seven to ten gut frets. The harpsichord plays in a classical and warm quality. The viol preceded the violin and was actually contemporary with the violin during the 16th century. This was done because a majority of the 16th, 17th, and even 18th centuries' music required a traditional harpsichord of the time. The sackbut has four principal sizes: the alto, tenor, bass, and great bass. The instrument produced a soft sound that actually complemented the harpsichord (to be discussed later), voice, viol, lute, and recorder. By the 18th century, the introduction of metal-over spun gut strings allowed bass strings of normal length to be used. Stepping outside of the string family, another family of instruments is the woodwind family. The actual name for the piano is pianoforte or soft loud. The bow is held palm outward and is slightly convex (in contrast to the concave violin bow). Many harpsichordists relied on heavy strings under high tension in a heavily braced case for contemporary musical works that are written for modern harpsichords. The sackbut is the immediate predecessor of the modern trombone. The harpsichord was common to find in the homes of many people. The body of the viol was lightly constructed and the six strings were under rather low tension. Harpsichords often have two keyboards, or manuals, which can usually be coupled or used separately, allowing further variations of tone color and volume.
Common topics in this essay:
Fontegara Venice,
F/E/D/C Larger,
Europe Arabic,
Period Music,
England Stepping,
Middle Ages,
Italian Flemish,
Ages Renaissance,
woodwind family,
bass strings,
16th 17th,
family instruments,
lute recorder,
tenor bass,
percussion instrument,
middle ages,
tone color,
double courses,
16th 17th centuries,
instruments middle ages,
16th 17th 18th,
instruments woodwind family,
lute recorder viol,
|
Acceptance Essays
