Week 4

Familiar music
Song: Daydream Believer click here
Group: The Monkees
Time:2:55
Song: Last Train to Clarksville click here
Group: Monkees
Time: 2:26
Song: I'm a Believer
Group: The Monkees
Time: 2:46
Song: Pleasant Valley Sunday click here
Group: The Monkees
Time:2:57
Song: Mary Mary
Group: Monkees
Time: 2:18

So I was driving in my care shuffling XM stations and Daydream Believer came on the other day. Needless to say you could have charged admission to the concert in my car. :)  I have loved this song since I was a kid even thought it was already pretty old by then. Every time I hear it is it just makes me smile.   If you haven't heard it (which I doubt) you really should give it a try.  It's starts out with a great little piano melody and then the lead singer takes front with the harmony in the background.  You can see the band playing some instruments in the videos like piano, tambourine, and guitar but the horns and such that are added in are my favorite part.  The pitch gets louder with the chorus and them comes back down for the verse. (as do I when I am singing in my car ;) )  When I think of sixties music the song styles or sounds in these videos is really what I think of.  The Monkees have a very recognizable style or sound to me and Davy Jones with his British accent really makes this band for me. 

Unfamiliar:
Song/Performer:

MEDIEVAL WIRE-STRUNG HARP
I. Anonymous (13th c. France): Improvisation over an anonymous tune

MEDIEVAL HARP AND LUTE PLAYED WITH PLECTRUM
II. Anonymous (13th c. England): Fuwëles in the frith (fragment)

MEDIEVAL HARP WITH ENSEMBLE
III. Anonymous (13th c. France): Chançonnete, A la cheminée, Veritatem

XV CENTURY HARP AND LUTE
IV. Gilles de Binche (or Binchois, as known as Gilles de Bins, 1400-60): Mesdisans m'ont cuidie

XVI CENTURY SPANISH HARP
From TRES LIBROS DE MU'SICA EN CIFRA PARA VIHUELA (Sevilla, 1546)
V. Alonso Mudarra (c. 1510-80): Tiento para harpa

RENAISSANCE LUTE AND VOICE
From 13 VILLANELLAS, a collection of Traditional Italian Songs (1541-63)
VI. Adrian Willaert (c.1490-1562): O dolce vita mia (fragment)

RENAISSANCE LUTE
VII. Joan Ambrosio Dalza (16th c.): Poi che volse (arrangement of the vocal setting)
VIII. Pier Paolo Borrono (1490-1563): Fantasia per liuto

FAMILY OF RENAISSANCE LUTES AND VIOLA DA GAMBA
From IL PRIMO LIBRO DE BALLI (Venice, 1578)
IX. Giorgio Mainerio: La Zanetta padovana

FAMILY OF LUTES AND GUITARS
X. Anonymous (16th c. Italy): Paduana del Re

VIHUELA DE MANO
XI. A. Mudarra: Romanesca o Guardame las Vacas

ELIZABETHAN LUTE
XII. Anonymous (16th-17th c.): Galliard

CITTERN
XIII. Anthony Holborne (1545-1602): The voice of the earth (The sprite's tune)

SOPRANINO LUTE AND A FAMILY OF LUTES
XIV. Carlo Farina (1600-30): Gagliarda prima Poi che volse (arrangement of the vocal setting)

• Music

  • "Fuweles in the Frith" by Reverdie

Time: 20:53
I put Middle Age music in YouTube and found this.  It starts with strings which are homophonic at first and then adds some voices that sound all female for a homophonic sound.  As is continues it goes through the different instruments/songs listed by Roman Numerals, most it seems with Anonymous composers.  It seems to be a compilation of different pieces of Middle Age music.  I think I liked the sound best at around 4:30 and then 17:55.  The instruments sounded nice together and had a relaxing pretty sound. I think both had the harp as the main instrument.  Some of the singing was a little soprano and high pitched for me in the pieces that had signing, not to mention it wasn't in English so I have no idea what they were saying.  I found the dates for the music interesting as they were from the 13th through the 17th century.  It is amazing how this music is still around to enjoy or at least experience.  This music is relaxing to listen, I felt like I could fall asleep while I was listening.  I will say all the pieces kind of blended together for me and had a similar sound with the harp and lute.