Medieval Composers

[jam8086]

Hey all,

Does anyone know of any really great medieval composers? I find that period in music to be extremely interesting, and I especially like the choral music and the harmonies used in them, but I want to buy some recordings and I don't know which composers to look for!

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

[allchopin]

There are a few that you can't do without:  Palestrina, Lassus (probably the most popular in his time period), Gesualdo, and Thomas Tallis, whose music is pioneered by the Tallis Scholars.  I would highly recommend getting recordings of the Tallis Scholars (choral group) singing medieval motets and masses.  Others are des Prez, Botnyansky, and Tavener.

[whynot]

The prior post mentions some of my favorite composers-- and performers!, but I'm afraid those composers are all renaissance era, a little later than what you were asking about.  Tallis is probably borderline, time-wise, but he was Byrd's teacher, so you probably wouldn't find his style sounded as medieval as the usual representatives. 

Machaut is maybe the most well-known, at least he gets talked about and performed/recorded  a lot.  Well, "a lot" relative to the genre, I guess.  Also Landini, Perotin, Leonin.  For performers, if you could find some old David Munrow albums, he recorded everything, including lots of vocal music.  He was really, really good.  He took his own life when he was pretty young-- tragic.  Anonymous 4, a group of women in New York (one from the UK) recorded gobs of medieval music, wonderfully sung.  I'm not sure they are still together, but there are many, many recordings, each with an interesting and often obscure theme.  And Jordi Savaal, who I thought was more of a baroque specialist (gamba), seems to have directed some medieval recordings, and anything he does would be outstanding.  His might be mostly instrumental, not sure.  Have fun!
 

[stevie]

hildegard von bingen?

she lived a long time, the first great female composer, to my knowledge...lived a little while ago..

[allchopin]

Ah yes, whynot you are correct - I had my medieval to renaissance dates a little off  .  Nonetheless, good music.

[jam8086]

Thats quite alright, allchopin. I'll gladly take input on some great Renaissance music as well.

[khantallis123]

Anonymous: My favorite medieval composer.
earlymusician.weebly.com has many great medieval pieces, mostly arrangements for piano.

[thalbergmad]

Medieval would also describe the age of this thread.

Thal

[kakeithewolf]

Medieval would also describe the age of this thread.

Thal

Reminds me of when I once bumped an 11 year old thread somewhere.