# Your Top 10 Pre-Baroque Composers?



## Guest (Jan 21, 2015)

Over the last few months, I've become far more acquainted and interested in pre-baroque music, including both medieval and renaissance eras. However, I doubt I'm alone in feeling that these composers can be difficult to substantially differentiate from one another, what with the relatively limited number of forms (motets...masses...motets...masses...oh hey it's a chanson!...oh hi, motets...).

*I'm asking you to list your top 10 (say 5-10 if you must...) composers of all pre-baroque music, if possible.* I hope this thread could spark a bit of discussion about these eras, but I also hope to gain some knowledge about the consensus opinions on certain composers.

Right now, I'm generally focusing on favorites *Machaut, Des Prez, Ockeghem, Gesualdo, and Palestrina*, with additional focus on Hildegard, Dufay, Victoria, and Tallis, *but I'd rather hear from you non-noobs!*

Note: I'm excluding Monteverdi here, obviously. Even if we want to make that argument, I should hope no one's forgetting about him anyway.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

In no particular order, on top of my head:

- *Dowland*. Countless small, great songs and lute pieces 



- *Robert Jones* - another fine composer of _ayres_ 



- *Tallis* - O Nata Lux alone justifies it 



- *Monteverdi* has a big foot in the door here  : Lamento della Ninfa 



 Il Combattimento 




- composers of Villancios, including *Juan del´Encina* 



- French troubadours & trouveres, including *Bernard de Ventadorn* 



- Fitzwilliam Virginal Book composers, including *William Byrd* 



- composers from the *Galicia manuscripts*, including Codex Calixtinus, Cantigas de Santa Maria 



- the *Carmina Burana* original manuscript (Clemencic recordings 



 )

I don´t know enough of Gesualdo. Hildegard isn´t so far much to my taste.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Hildegard of Bingen
Leonin and Perotin
Alfonso el Sabio
Guillaume Dufay
Josquin des Prez
Johannes Ockeghem
Thomas Tallis
Giovanni Palestrina
William Byrd
Orlande de Lassus
Tomás Luis de Victoria
Giovanni Gabrieli
Carlo Gesualdo
John Dowland
Orlando Gibbons
Claudio Monteverdi

I would say that the above names make up the majority of my "Early Music" collection... at least that by known composers. Many fine works are attributed to "anonymous"... collected in various codex and other manuscripts. Among these are the Las Huelgas Codex, the Chantilly Codex, the Montpellier Codex, and the Eton Choirbook.

I would look to a number of performers as much as to composers in seeking out fine examples of "early music". Among these I would include Jordi Savall, Sequentia, the Hilliard Ensemble, the Anonymous 4, the Tallis Scholars, Harry Christophers and the Sixteen, the Clerks Group, Huelgas-Ensemble, La Venexiana, Anthony Rooley and the Consort of Musicke, etc...


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Not really my area of expertise but a name I really enjoy that hasn't been mentioned yet is *John Bull*. If you enjoy Renaissance harpsichord music he is worth checking out.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

In addition to the names listed, Girolamo Frescobaldi, Giovanni Maria Trabaci


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## Giordano (Aug 10, 2014)

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Hildegard of Bingen
> Leonin and Perotin
> Alfonso el Sabio
> Guillaume Dufay
> ...


This list just about covers Pre-Baroque for me, too.

Another one I like to listen to now and then is Hans Leo Hassler.

Missa super dixit Maria


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## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

Tallis
Byrd
Hildegard von Bingen
Dowland
Palestrina
Pergolesi
Gibbons
Bull
Allegri (I think he's old enough)
And that old favourite, "unknown".


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Add some Sweelinck and Gibbons to the list. Glenn Gould loved them too.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

People interested in keyboard may enjoy some of Kimberly Marshall's recordings - selections from the Buxheimer Orgelbuch, and Arnolt Schlick. There are also recordings by Josef Kelemen. Later keyboard music is more well known, recently I've been enjoying Cabezón, Titelouze and Purcell's suites. And I've started to listen to Gibbons too. 

As far as vocal music goes, the area which interests me most is Ars Subtilior at the moment - the French and Italian style just predating Cicconia's music. There are some fine recordings, for example those from Ensemble PAN.

One interesting character in this world of pre baroque is Savall. I'm not a great fan of what he does, a bit too sweet and relaxing, middlebrow interpretations IMO, though I can hear that his music making is impeccable. And I love some of the recordings (eg Alfons V el magnanim)


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

Hildegard of Bingen
Bernart de Ventadorn
Adam de la Halle
Léonin & Pérotin
Jacob Obrecht
Jacob Clemens non Papa
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck
Carlo Gesualdo
John Dowland
Luzzasco Luzzaschi

Do You sort Jacopo Peri as baroque or proto baroque?


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## MagneticGhost (Apr 7, 2013)

All of the above

But no-one has yet mentioned John Taverner.
Listen out for his Missa Gloria Tibi Trinitas.

Also Dunstable (or Dunstaple) - an early pioneer of the use of triads, thirds and sixths. - moving away from the more open sound of fourths and fifths.

And grab some collections from the Eton Choirbook. Some beautiful settings within. I'd particularly recommend the Huelgas Ensemble's CD. Paul Van Hevel described the works within as cathedrals and advises only listening to one a day as you wouldn't visit several cathedrals in one day.


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

Do you consider Heinrich Schütz a pre-baroque composer?
If so, I'd add him to my list of 10, together with
Josquin
Palestrina
Andrea Gabrieli
Byrd
Luca Marenzio (not yet mentioned - his madrigals are awesome, a pinnacle of the renaissance music)
Giovanni Gabrieli
Dowland
Gesualdo
Frescobaldi

Excluding Monteverdi as required by the OP.

Honorable mention to Adrian Willaert (not yet mentioned) and to all the other composers of the Venetian School (the Gabrielis been already mentioned).


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Won't post my list, so as not to duplicate the excellent posts above. But has anyone yet mentioned *Diego Ortiz*? He's scrummy!


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

The Fitzwilliam Virginal book has a range of great composers. In addition to those already mentioned add

Giles Farnaby
Thomas Tomkins
Peter Phillips

The Eton Choirbook includes

John Browne

There's also the TC early music group Early Birds - we'd be delighted if you'd join.


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## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

I am not into the time before Baroque.


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## Dim7 (Apr 24, 2009)

atsizat said:


> I am not into the time before Baroque.


Erm, personally I would not dig up an old thread just to tell that I'm not into the time before Baroque.


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## haydnfan (Apr 13, 2011)

ArtMusic said:


> In addition to the names listed, Girolamo Frescobaldi, Giovanni Maria Trabaci


The baroque era is 1600-1750, you are citing two early baroque era composers. Early baroque definitely sounds different from the late baroque that we are used to, but the style sounds considerably different from renaissance era. I also like Frescobaldi.


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## haydnfan (Apr 13, 2011)

This is the realm of music I rarely listen to. I like Byrd and Taverner.


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## Vronsky (Jan 5, 2015)

I have only five...

1. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
2. Thomas Tallis (Sir Terry Pratchett favourite composer)
3. William Byrd
4. Claudio Monteverdi
5. Guillaume de Machaut


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Not my forte, but Victoria stands out a mile for me from these composers, ahead of Monteverdi, Palestrina and Sweelinck.


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## Faustian (Feb 8, 2015)

Unfortunately I don't have a whole lot of experience with pre-Baroque music, something I want to eventually change. I really enjoy what I've heard. All of my favorites have been mentioned; Palestrina, Monteverdi, Josquin de Prez, Gesualdo...


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

In no particular order

Machaut
Ockeghem
Des Prez
Dowland
Gesualdo
Byrd
Dufay
Gibbons
Di Lassus
Lawes


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

haydnfan said:


> The baroque era is 1600-1750, you are citing two early baroque era composers. Early baroque definitely sounds different from the late baroque that we are used to, but the style sounds considerably different from renaissance era. I also like Frescobaldi.


Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck wrote much beautiful keyboard music.


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## Chordalrock (Jan 21, 2014)

I want to mention Robert White. His roughly 20-minute setting of the lamentations is interesting for its time (16th century), rather like some early Medieval music can seem interesting for its time, and might appeal to those who aren't otherwise particularly interested in the period.

Busnois should also be mentioned. He is of the glorious generation of Dufay and Ockeghem, and has a nice intricate darker-toned setting, Missa O Crux Lignum, that appeals to my gloomy taste.

Two interesting masses and some motets have survived by Johannes Regis of the same generation. The Clerks Group recorded all of it. Definitely worth checking out. I find it more appealing than some of the other less-known but occasionally praised music from those decades, like Caron and Faugues.

Gombert should also be mentioned. He would be in my top 10, easily. 'Je prens congie' is atypical of the Renaissance, and also atypical of Gombert, but it was clearly his own favorite (he reused the music for two motets and one credo, so that there's at least four pieces with partly the same music), so I suppose I can get away with considering it my favorite as well. Make no mistake, the typical Gombert - the Gombert of 'Peccata mea', 'O Beata Maria', 'O Jesu Christe', and so on - is great as well, and distinctly himself.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Chordalrock said:


> I
> 
> Gombert should also be mentioned.


The Gombert magnificats are interesting contrapuntally.

My own main interest right now is in a sort of cusp between baroque and renaissance style, I've been listening to music by Frescobaldi especially. Recenly I've really spent a lot of time listening to the instrumental canzonas, and to Fiori Musicale.

From more mainstream, or more clearly, pre-baroque, I found a CD of keyboard music by Attaigngant which completely bowled me over -- 100 years before Chambonnieres too!

Has anyone had a chance to hear the complete Andrea Gabrieli (keyboard) recording by Roberto Loreggian on Brilliant? Is Andrea Gabrieli an interesting pre baroque composer.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

violadude said:


> In no particular order
> 
> Lawes


Yes, my appreciation of Lawes has really grown since finding the recording by Jonathan Dunford. There's another composer which Dunford recorded who I'd never heard of before, Dietrich Stoeffken. I think the music stands comparison with the Bach cello suites.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

ArtMusic said:


> Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck wrote much beautiful keyboard music.


What's your fave piece by Sweelinck?


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Chordalrock said:


> I want to mention Robert White. His roughly 20-minute setting of the lamentations is interesting for its time (16th century), rather like some early Medieval music can seem interesting for its time, and might appeal to those who aren't otherwise particularly interested in the period.
> 
> Busnois should also be mentioned. He is of the glorious generation of Dufay and Ockeghem, and has a nice intricate darker-toned setting, Missa O Crux Lignum, that appeals to my gloomy taste.
> 
> ...





> *Mandryka*
> Yes, my appreciation of Lawes has really grown since finding the recording by Jonathan Dunford. There's another composer which Dunford recorded who I'd never heard of before, Dietrich Stoeffken. I think the music stands comparison with the Bach cello suites.


Thank you both for these informative posts.


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## Guest (Sep 20, 2015)

Only eight:

Giovanni Palestrina
Josquin des Prez
Hildegard von Bingen
Perotin
Carlo Gesualdo
Joaquin de Pres
Lorenzo Allegri
Thomas Tallis


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