Christmas Music of the 15th and 16th Centuries

YouTube ^ | Conductor: Konrad Ruhland

[WhiskeyX]

Christmas Music of the 15th and 16th Centuries

Capella Antiqua Munchen conducted by Konrad Ruhland

Anon. (15th c.)-Jure plaudant omnia 1:24

Anon. (c. 1440)-In natali domini 4:00

Anon. (c. 1450)-Christum wir sollen loben schon 2:41

Agricola-Christus wir sollen loben schon 2:27

Agricola-Gelobet seist du Jesu Christ 1:10

Hoyoul-Gelobet seist du Jesu Christ 3:07

Galliculus-In natali domini 1:22

Adam von Fulda- Dies est laeticiae 1:20

Kugelmann-Dies est laeticiae 4:10

Galliculus-Magnificat V Toni 8:15

Herman-Lobt Gott ihr Christen 2:54

Anon. (16th c.)-En natus est Emanuel 3:17

Eccard-Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier 4:00

Nucius-Freut euch ihr Auserwahlte 1:27

This recording is to the best of my knowledge only available on an LP long out of print. While I have carefully removed clicks, pops, static and surface noise wherever possible, I have NOT used any radical equalization adjustments to do

[WhiskeyX]

Ping

[VanDeKoik]

Now THIS is Christmas music.

Stuff that actually projects the real power of the holiday instead of the schlock they play on the radio for 6 weeks.

[Sirius Lee]

thanks!

[Spunky]

Ping to self for later listening.

[Old Sarge]

BIG BUMP for later, thank you!!!

[dhs12345]

If it ain’t baroque don’t fix it.

Very nice! Thank you!

[AnAmericanMother]

This is magnificent! Our choir actually sings a couple of these - the Christum Sollen Wir Loben Schon, and the En Natus Est Emmanuel (in an arrangement by Praetorius).

[AnAmericanMother]

This ain't Baroque! It's High Renaissance.

"Renaissance" - "Gesundheit" . . .

[dhs12345]

Hmm. The title at the link claims that it is baroque. And the timing is right. However, I don’t claim to be an expert.

[AnAmericanMother]

I think that's just the name of the YouTube channel - and it says "Baroque - classical" so it's kind of vague.

The Baroque period is generally considered to begin with the 17th century, in 1600. Reference: Donald Grout, "A History of Western Music", ch. ix.

Also, if you listen to this music it has all the hallmarks of Late Renaissance - the spare vocal lines, the polyphonic structure, the principle of imitation. . . Alexander Agricola and Adam von Fulda are considered Renaissance composers.

One important thing to note is that the Baroque in music starts much later than the Baroque in art and architecture, so the dates are different.

- for what it's worth, I'm the music columnist for my church bulletin, have read Grout cover-to-cover, and have a real expert in our choirmaster whom I consult with any picky questions (he has a D.M.A. from Juilliard so he officially knows everything.) ;-)

[AnAmericanMother]

Here's some Baroque, for comparison:

Telemann, "Laudate Jehovam" . We sing this one for Easter.

The Telemann sounds a lot more modern - the big difference is that instead of separate vocal lines of equal importance in each part (a Renaissance thing) the melody tends to stay in the soprano or tenor, with the other parts supporting the single melody.

[dhs12345]

Thank you! I’ll defer to your expertise. Merry Christmas!

[dhs12345]

My better half is a big fan of Bach. He is from that period.

I imagine Bach was played at Christmas time too.

My high school choir sang a lot of Bach. Not any more. Too religious. Times have changed!

[AnAmericanMother]

Oh, yes. Definitely Baroque.

The funny thing is that Telemann was much more popular in Bach's lifetime. He was a fairly obscure music director (although his post in Leipzig was a prestigious one) while Telemann was an international sensation.

You just can never tell what the verdict of history is going to be . ..