Music of the Renaissance

Some kinds of lutes were already used in ancient Egypt. In the 9th century the Moors brought the Oud to Spain, an instrument quite similar to the lute.

During the Renaissance the lute was played as a solo instrument (it was the solo instrument of that time!) and as an instrument to accompany a singer.

The Irish Harp is a typical instrument of the Renaissance. In Ireland and Scotland harpists had a very high social rank in the Middle Ages.

In the 16th and 17th century all over Europe the Irish harp was played at the courts. In the 18th and 19th century the original Irish harp disappeared.

In the Renaissance everybody danced - the common people danced their country dances and the nobility danced their court dances.

The latter were collected in manuscripts and then, as printing had been invented, in books. So we know about them. Some of the court dances like the bassadance or pavane were slow and stately dances, some of them like the gaillard were fast and lively dances.