Absolute "must haves" for renaissance music

[Prof. John Bull]

There's a web site that has good background but is now out of date regarding performers and recordings:

http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/

For madrigals (secular unaccompanied singing in parts), some MNRF performers' websites include:

http://decantus.com/
http://www.elizabethansyngers.com/home.htm

While both of these groups are amazing there are also some groups of international acclaim out there, like the King's Singers.

For instrumental music and accompanied singing, look for recordings of John Dowland's works.  There are thousands available.  I would recommend major recording artists rather than fest performers for such material:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=john+dowland&x=0&y=0

And let's not forget a few secular keyboard works by Prof. John Bull.  There are a number of recordings.  I don't have this one but it looks good:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Bulls-Jewel-Keyboard-Music/dp/B000UZ4C5Y/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1279058253&sr=1-4

While bumping around on Amazon I also found this intriguing survey of Renaissance instrumental music:

http://www.amazon.com/Gut-Wind-Wire-Baltimore-Consort/dp/B000WPJ5T0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1279059299&sr=1-4

On the sacred side of things, which we like to ignore at fest but which was historically a huge part of the musical scene, I would start with Spanish organist Antonio de Cabezón, who is the earliest organ composer for whom there is a sizable body of surviving scores.  I have a Naxos recording of some of his stuff.  To the modern ear it rapidly blurs together and all sounds the same, so one CD is plenty.  There are many recordings available.

John Bull also wrote sacred music, which has been recorded by a variety of groups.

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Girolamo_Frescobaldi is better known and was a little later, in Italy, with a more accessible style.

For sacred vocal music, I like the Tallis Scholars CD.

That should be enough to get you started.

There's a great deal of early music that is performed around the Twin Cities area, usually with free admission.  I've been to several excellent performances at St. Olaf College, for example, which usually aren't very well attended.

[Mairte]

Thank you for the info! This will be a fun project to work on as I never was completely certain about what was historically accurate and what was not.

[Prof. John Bull]

Minnesota being the center of the world for vocal music we do get a number of H/A vocal groups.

But, most of the fest music isn't, including the stuff I play, because H/A music lacks crowd appeal.  ::sigh::  And, H/A instruments aren't loud enough to work, in practice, at fest.  That's why you don't see many lutes or recorders, yet lots of guitars (=not H/A, steel string guitar was a late 19th century invention).  Something like a virginal would not only be too soft but not portable enough for the realities of fest.  And, anything involving sacred music tends to make fest organizers everywhere all squirmy because they don't want to acknowledge the inherently Christian character of the era. ::sigh::  Then again, the story of ecclesiastic music in Elizabethan England is one that blows hot and cold with many regrettable times we'd sooner forget.

Nonetheless, the polyphony and simplicity of the H/A music do have a beauty of their own, and it's tragic that we don't give that a broader audience.

[Rapier Half-Wit]

My favorite band of all time is from years gone by. Their name was Celtic Stone.
Their music is still for sale on CDBaby

http://www.cdbaby.com/Search/Y2VsdGljIHN0b25l/0

There was some talk a few years ago about them reforming, but I don't know whatever became of that.

[renren]

I usually buy at the fest, being MNRF, or Twig.
I have music from:
Wolgemut
The Dregs
Bramblebush
Caterina
Cromatico
I used to have a My Ladys Cutlass CD, but I lost it!
ALso, a cd of the H/A group of singers, I forgot the name
Blackmores Knight (which, of course, I didn't buy at faire!)

[bellevivre]

dont think i saw Medieval Baebes listed- a lot of thier stuff is medieval, esp. the older stuff.

[Rapier Half-Wit]

Another one that comes to mind is Steeleye Span.

[crazyrennie]

There is also The Whiskey Bards
and Jolly Rogers

[Capt. Morgan]

Always enjoyed Bells and Motley...

http://bellsandmotley.com/

...and they are very educational and historic...

[will paisley]

Since I haven't seen them mentioned:

Serious: Bedlam (group is defunct; CDs still available), Cercamon

Comic/serious: Pyrates Royale, The Lost Boys

[Lady Nicolette]

Everything by The Pentangle, John Renbourn, Bert Jansch etc
Most of Alan Stivell's catalog
Loreena McKennitt's catalog
Craig of Farrington's recordings
Empty Hats recordings
Owain Phyfe's catalog
Cantiga's catalog
Milladoiro's catalog

Cercamon is a great choice!  Athena and I followed them to
most performances at MDRF last year.

[Athena]

Most of Alan Stivell's catalog
Loreena McKennitt's catalog
Craig of Farrington's recordings
Empty Hats recordings
Owain Phyfe's catalog
Cantiga's catalog

Cercamon is a great choice!  Athena and I followed them to
most performances at MDRF last year.

Almost everything on Nickie's list is on mine as well. Cercamon are phenomenal, I wish I could make the trip out to MDRF to see them again!

My tastes lean more toward the historically inspired rather than the accurate. Here are a few more of my must haves.

Azam Ali
Corvus Corax
Faun
Blackmore's Night
Omnia
Minstrels of Mayhem
E Muzeki
Mediaval Baebes
Steeleye Span
Dead Can Dance

[Lady Nicolette]

Many of yours are on my complete list, too, Athena...As you probably know.  I was trying to stick with more traditional for this list, but certainly there is much wonderful music that takes the original pieces and themes and mixes them up into something delicious to listen to, ofttimes adding electric instrumentation or even primarily so, such as with Fairport Convention and even some on my first list like Alan Stivell and Loreena McKennitt.

[Athena]

I agree, Nickie. That's the best music to listen to on way to faire, IMO. Really enhances the mood!

I also like Qntal, and a new discovery via Facebook, Al Andaluz Project.

[will paisley]

Cercamon is a great choice!  Athena and I followed them to
most performances at MDRF last year.

Almost everything on Nickie's list is on mine as well. Cercamon are phenomenal, I wish I could make the trip out to MDRF to see them again!

Cercamon will not be at MDRF this year.  I'm not sure they're playing very many renaissance faires at all any more, as most of them are quite the schlep from Montreal, and they all have weekday jobs they can't afford to be away from.