So you like the Renaissance, huh? Me too. Here you'll be able to download tabs and sheet music and listen to many of the tunes in the video you probably just watched. I listened to SO MANY ALBUMS and watched too many YouTube videos to "get into" Renaissance music. I found some wonderful stuff. And some trash. But this video represented my actual like... formal steps trying to understand this time period of music academically and the other side of things.
Feel free to get in touch to let me know if you liked the video (or hated it). People who find erorrs get sneak peaks, mentions, and free sheet music. It takes a village people. And remember, I'm not making money here people lol, I'm just having fun on the internet. And if you actually want more music, click the Sheets & Tabs page. Due to my free cello and irish books, there's more tunes there than a person can reasonably play in a year unless it's like... the main thing you do. If it is, get in touch with me. I wanna hear that story.
Tielman Susato (we're not sure...~1510 – ~1570)
I just love this one; it sounds so musty and old. There's lots of spelling variations of this tune so beware. Please for all that is good and holy click the video below by Aline Hopchet playing a Renaissance period instrument called a shawm. It's so cool. It's like if an oboe and a trumpet had a kid that got too large. Super cool.
Ronde mon ami
Ronde-Mon Amy
King Henry VIII (1491 – 1547)
Penned by King Henry himself this song’s got a nice ascending line and is quite catchy. It’s in English; you can join along and actually learn to sing this! Please do or at least analyze the English of its tyme. It sounds so cool in the video below. This one seems to be performed in multiple keys and I’ve got an “open” version that utilizes open strings on mandolin. if anyone wants the closed version in a weird key, lemme know. There's some easy double stops here, some with bass notes that hold while moving the melody line. I do climb the neck toward the end for dramatic effect, using some nice triple stops. It's tricky at first but it's a wonderful exercise.
Singer with Guitar
Anonymous
Sometimes we find a tune in a pile of papers and there’s no attribution. This is super common with renaissance era tunes. The accompaniment is simple so we’re not losing too much by omitting it. The melody shines through. It's a 6/8 tune but it's not a jig. Lots of ways to play this one. Note the 16th notes in the B part. These were originally multiple lines playing against each other and I re-wrote them as 16ths to make them work on mandolin. Don't fear them. But you need to approach the tune slowly enough that they are playable in time and enjoy those double stops.
John Dowland (~1563 – ~1626)
If you enjoy playing music alone in a dark room by candlelight, this tune is for you. This arrangement can be difficult as it is beautiful. Focus on tone tho. It’s great to trouble shoot buzzing frets and your technique. I like to pause unnecessarily for dramatic effect. You should too. I find correct finger placement important for this tune. Be intentional with which fingers you touch the frets with to give you better options. If you get stuck, use a different finger for the baseline is a common solution.
Mr. Dowland's Midnight
Mr. Dowland's Midnight
Pierre Attaignant (1494 - 1551)
Perhaps written by Pierre, But I've also seen it attributed as anonymous with Pierre being the collector of the tune. Anonymous or not, this tune is a lively one! Notice the 3/2 time signature. You can write it a different way but it won’t have the same feel. But this tune sounds great at Mach speed. I’m stealing some Irish triplets here for extra flavor. I’m also adding implied chords, but it fits a nice moody vibe. Throw some leading tone G#s when closing in on that A every once in a while.
Listen, I can't change the video really once it's come out. But this page can be a living document. Thanks to the following readers, technologists, researchers, and musicians for sharing corrections, source clarifications, and thoughtful suggestions that helped improve its accuracy.
If you spot something that seems off, I’m always happy to learn more.
