Early Music

Music has always been one of those things that seems to cause my very soul to stir and resonate with emotion. I suppose being an introvert, it is a good outlet for my emotions and passions that are deep within me.

Lately I find myself listening to early period music, specifically of the Medieval and Renaissance era. The music from that era has a certain soothing elegance to it.

I also decided two evenings ago to place my fingers on a keyboard that has been silent for over a decade. I decided to play some liturgical pieces from that era. My fingers at times were a bit clumsy and slow, but they still remembered the pieces. They still remembered how to express the emotion that is deep within me. The notes that came forth in my fingers were expressive and cathartic.

As I listen and play pieces from that era, I find myself longing to actually be part of that era. Perhaps it is the music and romance of that era that speaks to me.

Also, one little know fact of that era is that King Henry the VIII was actually an accomplished composer. He composed various pieces of court music. The famous Greensleeves is attributed to his penmanship. However, some scholars debate this. Despite the fact he had a certain tumultuous personal life, I would venture to say that he was perhaps the most talented monarch of the English throne.

(La Belle Dame Sans Merci by Sir Frank Dicksee.)