1. Instrumental Music

2. Instruments
Haut and bas (high and low) are also designations for loud and soft
Consorts
Instrument families built in sets of different sizes, covering a wide range

3. Wind and Percussion Instruments
Recorders, transverse flutes, shawms, cornets, trumpets
New instruments
Sackbut (early form of trombone)
Crumhorn (instrument with and enclosed double reed)
Percussion instruments were more refined and diverse

4. String Instruments Lute Have six courses of strings and a round back
The vihuela was a guitar-like Spanish instrument with a flat back that was closely related
Viola de gamba (leg viol)
Has frets and is bowed underhand
Six strings tuned in fourths, with a M3 in the middle; tenor viol is tuned G-C-F-A-D’-G’
Violin
Bowed, fretless, and tuned in 5ths
First appearing in the 16th century with three strings and was used for dancing

5. Keyboard Instruments Organ
Large church organs were installed by 1500—pedal keyboards were used only in Germany
Clavichord
Soft-sounding solo instrument for small rooms
Tone is sustained until player releases key
Player can control volume and vibrato
Harpsichord
Includes virginal (England), clavecin (France), and clavicembalo (Italy)
Louder than clavichord but without dynamics and vibrato
Strings were plucked, so the pitch wasn’t sustained

6. Types of Instrumental Music
Dance music
Social dancing was important for people of breeding
Musicians improvised but composed music in the improvisational style was printed in books
Each dance has a unique character, defined by meter, tempo, rhythmic pattern, and form

7. Dance Music continued Basse dance (low dance)
Stately couple dance marked by gracefully raising and lowering the body
Featured five different kinds of steps in various combos
Dance pairs
Often grouped in pairs or threes
Favorite combo: slow duple and fast triple
The two dances were often on the same theme—the second a variation of the first

8. English Virginalists Parthenia (1613)
First published book for the virginal
Contains music by William Byrd, John Bull (c ), and Orlando Gibbons ( )
Variation techniques
Themes could remain intact throughout the set
More commonly the theme was broken up by decorative figurations
Pavana Lachrymae
Composed by William Byrd (c )
Based on Dowland’s Flow, my tears
Second of each pair of phrases is more active

9. Abstract Instrumental Music
Introductory and improvisatory pieces
Keyboard and lute players often improved the intro to a song
Titles varied: prelude, fantasia ricercare
Toccata
Chief improv keyboard genre
Ricercare
Evolved into a motetlike succession of imitative sections
Successive themes, each developing imitatively and overlapping
Canzona
Original compositions in this style appeared in 1580
They were light, fast moving, strongly rhythmic pieces
Typical opening rhythmic figure was half note followed by two quarter notes

10. Giovanni Gabrieli (c. 1555-1612)
Worked for St. Marks from 1585-his death
Composed for mulitiple choirs
Composed the earliest substantial collections for large instrumental ensemble
Polychoral motets
Works for 2+ choirs
Divided choirs was common
Forces could be placed in the two organ lofts of St. Marks
Ensemble canzonas
Instrumental version of divided choirs
Canzon septimi toni a 8 from Sacrae symphoniae