John Dowland-Melancholy Galliard-Renaissance Lute

Medieval Music-The Sandsacks in Moritzburg

The Charango Plays Early Music

The charango is a delightful South American instrument. I hope to discuss it in greater detail in future posts as I'm very fond of it and play it occasionally. For now, I wanted to share a video of a man playing early music on the charango. (You may also enjoy visiting his blog, Early Music Charango)

Echo la Primavera (Played on charango)

Well, this video prompted me to do some more research and I found out about the group La Volta. Here are three of their videos. It might seem that the South American charango would be a little out of place in a Swiss group playing early European music, but I think it works very well.

Canarios-Gasper Sanz

Ballo & Saltarello-Simone Molinaro

La Follia - Anonymous, Italy (18th Century)

UNT Baroque Trumpet Ensemble

The baroque trumpet is a kind of trumpet without valves. They can be very difficult to play, so I was especially impressed with this performance.

University of North Texas Baroque Trumpet Ensemble

Early Recorded Sound

Our links to the past are tenuous. It is difficult to imagine the thoughts and feelings of those who lived long ago. Many civilizations have left nothing but scattered artifacts. When written records are discovered, they often assume a perspective and knowledge that is now unavailable, making it difficult to grasp their meaning. Ancient art is enlightening, but limited. Frequently, it is idealised scenes that are portrayed, leaving us little insight into daily life.

Even the more recent past can be hard to understand. We may have detailed records of the events that took place, but it is far more difficult to get a good perspective on what life was like. Music can be a useful tool for gaining this type of insight. It is also difficult to preserve. This is one reason why I am fascinated by early sound recordings. They provide an unique glimpse into the past.

One good place to hear some of the oldest available recordings is Tinfoil.com. Among its treasure is the oldest playable sound recording, an 1878 recording used in an experimental talking clock. They also have many other recordings from the late 1800's and early 1900's.

I'm not just interested in the sounds. I also try to imagine what it was like to experience or work with this technology when it was new. It's hard to imagine, in our modern world, the delight of hearing sound mechanically reproduced for the first time.

See also the Edison National Historic Site collection of sounds.

Viola da Gamba Ensemble

See also Viol Videos

Sample Videos From the Robert Garfias Collection

I recently discovered a web site that is full of documentary music videos filmed by Robert Garfias. It features rare and exotic instruments from around the world. I am pleased to be able to share two of them with you here. If these wet your appetite, you can go to his web site for a veritable feast.

Tao Chu-Shen-Guqin

Hamza el Din-Ud

Hurdygurdy at Olympic Musical Instruments