At 6:32 AM -0800 1/28/11, Richard Yates wrote:
No Finale content here (except that I am writing an article that includes a
score and examples done in Finale).
Thomas Crecquillon wrote "Ung Gay Bergier" (A Happy Shepherd?) in the first
half of the 16th century. It became one of the greatest hits of the next few
decades inspiring nearly three dozen known versions for keyboard and lute.
For instance, Simone Molinaro published an elaborated intabulation for lute
more than 50 years later.
By analogy, in the 21st century, what is today's equivalent of "Ung Gay
Bergier," i.e. a piece of music decades old that is a favorite for recasting
in new arrangements?
As others have suggested by omission, virtually NOTHING in the
"classical" or "academic" field.
But that wasn't the field Crecquillon was composing for, and to draw
a real analogy you would have to delve into the more specialized
fields of jazz, classic jazz, middle-of-the-road pop, Broadway,
country, all the various flavors of rock 'n roll and rock, and even
rap!
You also have to take into consideration seasonal songs, and in
particular Christmas songs. Whoever mentioned White Christmas has it
absolutely right!
In other words, you can't compare the popular tunes without also
comparing the sociological aspects of the cultures involved, and they
were SO very different in the 16th century that I don't think a
meaningful comparison is even possible. Crecquillon's songs were
entertainment music, right enough, but entertainment for a rather
small upper socio-economic-political class that were comparatively
well off, comparatively well educated, and could afford to buy the
latest sheet music from the Parisian publishers.
John
--
John R. Howell, Assoc. Prof. of Music
Virginia Tech Department of Music
College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences
Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A. 24061-0240
Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034
(mailto:[email protected])
http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html
"We never play anything the same way once." Shelly Manne's definition
of jazz musicians.
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