Awed by Music
There is so much stunningly gorgeous music in the world created by humans over the past centuries...
This perennial favourite from the 17th century. Anyone else often brought to tears by the high floating soprano notes?
Written in the 16th century by Thomas Tallis, Spem in Alium is an incredible tour de force, with 40 harmonic lines. It is believed by some to be an act of resistance by Tallis, who was a Catholic, against the Catholic persecution in his time.
Apparently in the 15th century, polyphonic masses were a really, really big thing.
As someone points out in the comments about this 14th century Irish song, the acoustics!
Never let it be said they didn’t know how to do party music in the thirteenth century.
This lovely twelfth century song is hauntingly beautiful.
Skipping back forward to the 18th century, this Irish harp music is delightful.
Could have chosen any number of 19th century pieces but Chopin is wonderful.
The 20th and 21st centuries deserve their own lengthy explorations of course, and this one from the early 1900s by Ralph Vaughan Williams is cheating a bit, because it quotes a theme from an earlier century by Thomas Tallis. But it’s one of my favourite pieces in the entire world, so.
What music do you love from any century? I’d love to hear about it!