The Essentials of Early English Music
Music in the United Kingdom or “British Isles” has been a large part of British life and featured prominently from the earliest recorded times. The music in the earliest years, before the Baroque era rose, was predominately folk music, secular music (including plain chant and so forth) and various other forms all appealing to different societal divisions.
Despite being so close together, and such a united land, each of the three countries of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland and Wales) had and maintained an individual musical style. Their were variations in style, instrumentation, approach, composition between the three.
The main contributions of the British to music early music (Pre-Baroque) was the development of Polyphony which became an intergral part of the Baroque movement. Other forms of distinct and innovative music arising from the British Isles includes Celtic Chant, Polyphony and the Carol.
While church music was an enormous part of British musical culture, the protestant reformation had a drastic effect on the direction it took during the 16th century.
In the Renaissance Era, English Opera featured proudly, and grew out of England’s incredible creation and proliferation of madrigals, Maques, and lueayres. Court music, on the other hand, was always, and continued until this last half-decade to be very much a part of Europe’s musical culture.
During the Baroque era, which for a frame of reference, fell between the Medieval and the renaissance eras, British Orchestral Music came into existence, and also proliferated. This music was typically more ornamented and elaborate and was responsible for a who slew of new instrumental techniques and of new instrument designs, both alterations to the old and completely new instruments.
If this sort of music interests you, I would suggest listening to some of the best English songs, and if you can, playing this music too as actually playing music gives you a whole different understanding of its discipline. If you can’t play any instruments but are interested in appreciating this music better, you could always try a cheap but comprehensive piano method (I recommended piano) like Rocket Piano, which costs just $39.95 and delivers around 12 months worth of lessons, and will have you playing music before you would think possible.
Enjoy learning and engaging with what may be an exciting new music for you!
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