Playlist
Midsummer Night
Music - 'tis nature's voice
Share this
FIRST PUBLISHED 09 JUN 2024
Festive and joyful, contemplative and pensive, and with a strong nod toward nature, this is music for a Midsummer Night:
The list begins with the beautifully simple song Uccelino, which asks: "Little bird, beautiful little bird, how can you sing so sweetly?", followed by dance music and more reflective pieces, as the sun (almost) sets for only a short time in this 'eternal' season. (The dances include the medieval Estampie, the Bransle, a type of Renaissance dance popular in the early 16th century, the Saltarello, a dance originally from Italy and two Baroque dance movements, the Gigue and the Courante.) The Grand Duke throws a Baroque ball, and Purcell praises nature's voice. And you may even end up falling asleep to the songs of nightingales. The playlist is available on Spotify.
Uccelino (anon)
Angelo Michele Bartolotti: Prelude
La Palatine
Douce Dame Debonaire (trad.)
Bransle de la Torche (trad.)
Estampie Real (trad.)
Guillaume Dufay: Saltarello
Jordi Savall, La Capella Real De Catalunya
William Williams: In Imitation of Birds
Ensemble Sonority
Quant je suis mis au retour
Giovanni Legrenzi: Ballo del Granduca
Richard Jones: Chamber Airs Op 2, No 4, A minor Giga. Allegro
Rachel Podger and Brecon Baroque
Ca' the Yowes (trad.)
Henry Purcell: 'tis Nature's Voice
Elisabeth Kenny, Robin Blaze
John Jenkins: Fantasia Suite in A minor, No1, III
Rachel Podger and Brecon Baroque
Jacques Hotteterre: Pourquoi doux rossignol
Ensemble Sonorita
Share this
Keep reading
Handel: ‘Lascia ch’io pianga’ from Rinaldo
Almirena’s aria from Handel's Rinaldo, ‘Lascia ch’io pianga’, has become one of Handel’s best-loved opera extracts in the repertoire of every fine mezzo-soprano and countertenor.
Monteverdi: Vespers 1610 | NDR Vocal Ensemble & Ensemble Schirokko
Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine, sung by NDR Vocal Ensemble & Vox Werdensis Ensemble conducted by Klaas Stok. Hamburg-based Ensemble Schirokko accompanies on historical instruments. Recorded on 14 June 2023 at the Marktkirche, Hannover.
Sacred spaces, living sounds: Music in Country Churches
Director of Music in Country Churches, Dr Philip Burnett, discusses the natural affinity between churches and early music, and the charity's connection with Continuo.