William's Song a Day Blog - est. September 2007

Year: ~1472; Genre: Renaissance Period/classical/Motet Felt like picking something old today; the Renaissance Period is always a winner for me when I want to delve a ways back. Beautiful, sacred pieces of music such as this always I find uplifting and giving a good, positive feeling Hear Gaude Coelestis Domina on YouTube. My song pick one year ago today: Al Di Meola - Love Theme from "Pictures of the Sea" My song pick two years ago today: Bad Medicine - Trespasser My song pick three years ago today: Styx - Man in the Wilderness My song pick four years ago today: Curved Air - Vivaldi My song pick five years ago today: Megadeth - Endgame My song pick six years ago today: Sirenia - The Other Side My song pick seven years ago today: Jethro Tull - Spiral My song pick eight years ago today: Outerstar - You Love It When It Rains

Year: 1603; Genre: Renaissance Period/Baroque Period/classical Still listening to a lot of Renaissance/Baroque period music and thought I would go ahead and pick another piece of chamber music, but this time from the legendary renaissance composer John Dowland. This piece written for voice with sparse accompaniment by a lute and other stringed instruments is a love song, written from the point of view of someone so enraptured by the beauty of his beloved that time appears to cease movement when she is around. Both the words and the music are extremely well put together; one aspect is not complete without the other. Hear Time Stands Still sung by Andreas Scholl on YouTube. See a great live performance by Jolaine Kerley, Adam Wead, and Josephine van Lieron YouTube. My song pick one year ago today: Tarot - Magic and Technology My song pick two years ago today: Hawkwind - PXR5 My song pick three years ago today: Jethro Tull - Summerday Sands My song pick four years ago...

From: French Sacred Music of the 14th Century, Vol. 1 ; Year: 1994 (14th Century); Genre: classical/Sacred/Renaissance Period I thought it would be fun to go way, way back musically and pick something that I like that is quite old and venerable. This one is without a doubt at this point the oldest song I've ever picked in the almost eight years I've been doing this blog. Sadly, not much has survived about Johannes Tapissler in the eight or so centuries since his death; but he was a quite famous composer and musician in his time. This sacred piece, which is a movement from a Mass about the declaration of salvation, is one of only three pieces of his music attributed to him that has survived. Credo is of course done a cappella with many choral voices; I really love the way that they harmonize and the musical tapestry they weave. Hear a performance of Credo on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: The Isley Brothers - It's Your Thing My song pick two years ag...

1626 John Dowland - In Darkness We Dwell Year: 1610 Genre: Late Renaissance Period/ Early Baroque Period/classical It appears that I've gotten to the point in my song picks where the pick number matches dates in musical history. As you might or might not know, master composer and lutenist John Dowland died in February of the year 1626, so I though I would pick another one of my favourite songs from his pen today. This very beautiful piece of music that is rather dark and melancholy, but pretty all the same. It was first published in 1610, which would put it right at the point where the Renaissance Period was giving way to the Baroque Period, so it contains some aspects of both. I've always found it odd how we look back hundreds of years on and make these divisions based on the popular 'musical ideas' that permeated compositions through those years when in reality there was a lot of overlap as music evolved from one form to another. Here is an excellent perform...

1553 John Dowland - Flow My Tears (Lachrimae Pavane) Year: 1596 Genre: Renaissance Period/classical This beautiful piece of music started running through my mind this morning; it has to be one of the oldest pieces of music I've yet to add to my blog. The piece is known as an Ayre , which was written for a vocal and lute and is most likely John Dowland's most famous work. I originally was introduced to his music through one of my favourite Science Fiction authors: Philip K. Dick. He was a huge fan of John Dowland and went as far as to write under the pseudonym Jack Dowland on some of his works. He actually borrowed the title of this piece for his novel Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said , which is also one of my favourite of his books. Here is a performance of the piece by Paul Agnew and Christopher Wilson on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Slaughter - Days Gone By My song pick two years ago today: Johnny Rivers - Poor Side of Town My song pick three years ago today: Bach...