In the extraordinary times of the Renaissance and the Baroque … our only link with the divine order of things, Harmonia Mundi, the divine Harmony of the Spheres was Music. But the music of people, musica humana and musica instrumentalis used instruments which were imperfect and only hindered or even prevented contact with the Absolute. For instance, all wind instruments were considered filthy and vile, imperfect and suitable only for a country dance and the baser pleasures of life. On the other hand, singing - music made with the natural voice, the only respectable instrument, constructed by the Creator himself – was considered worthy to be enjoyed by the most distinguished of listeners at royal courts or even in the divine fields of Nyssa… ...Marsyas was an unrivalled flute player. The judges were selected from among the shepherds and shepherdesses tending their flocks on Mount Nysa. Marsyas played first and astounded everyone. His flute imitated the trilling of nightingales, the murmur of springs, the distant voice of woodland echos, the rumble of storms, composing a hymn of praise to nature, whose child and disciple the fearless Marsyas was. He was already certain of victory, when Apollo struck the strings of his miraculous cithara. He played and sang simultaneously. With every instant he plucked from the souls of his audience first the uplifting of joy, then sweet melancholy, then true sadness. He was adjudged the better... String instruments – bowed: Baroque violin, baroque violin, fiddle, viola da gamba (viol) Ever since its emergence in mid-sixteenth century, the violin family has definitely been among the favourites, if not the most popular group of instruments across the western world. Initially the violin was called viola da brazzo, because of the way it is held (brazzo is Italian for “arm”). The early violin owes its special sound to strings made of animal gut and a light construction – in comparison to the modern-day instrument. It is one of the most universal instruments, equally suitable for solo, chamber and orchestral playing. The fiddle is one of the instruments that preceded the violin. This instrument, brought to Europe by the Moors was immensely popular in medieval times as well as in the renaissance. The fiddle was particularly preferred by troubadours, who used it to accompany themselves when singing or reciting love poetry. In many languages, the word “fiddle” has feminine connotations – so, one should always remember the fiddle is a lady… Viols – Viole da gamba …a family of instruments ranging from soprano to contra-bass which are leaned on or held between the knees. Hence the often used name: viola da gamba – gamba is the Italian word for “leg”. The viol’s reign started at the beginning of the sixteenth century and lasted until the end of the eighteenth. It was exceptionally favoured by the nobility. Thanks to its tuning (thirds and fourths) and frets, the viol is much better suited for not only melodic, but also harmonic playing, more so than any of its cousins from the violin family. The viole da gamba were particularly cherished in France where the viol sound was considered to be the best imitation of the human voice. Wind instruments: - baroque oboe, recorders, the cornamusa, the gemshorn, bladder pipes, shawms; Percussion instruments: - bendir, tamburro militare, darabukka, janissary bells, tambourine; String instruments – plucked: - The lute family (renaissance lute, baroque lute, archlute, descant lute, theorbo, chitarrone) - The guitar family (kitharino, baroque guitar) - harpsichord, virginal The harpsichord can be looked upon as the “grandfather of the piano”. It originated when a key mechanism was added to medieval cymbals (a plucked instrument much like the dulcimer). The plectra that pluck the string were originally made of bird quills (raven, hawk or eagle) which were set onto jacks attached to the ends of key levers. The first mention of the harpsichord comes from 1397 – a lawyer from Padua noted that a man named Herman Poll claims to have invented an instrument which he called a clavicembalum. The Germans called it flügel (meaning “wing”), the reason for this being the shape of the harpsichord case, which has both a structural and acoustic function. In baroque times, when most European music required a special kind of accompaniment called basso continuo, the harpsichord was the instrument most often employed to play it. Moreover, as it grew more and more popular, a vast amount of solo literature for the hapsichord was composed. Interestingly enough, the harpsichord had always caused controversy. Its adversaries criticized its lack of dynamic shading abilities and though it somewhat mechanical. Harpsichord lovers emphasized its clarity of sound and inner depth. The eighteenth century, especially its second half, witnessed a decline of interest in the harpsichord, caused by the growing fondness of the piano. However, according to the great Polish publicist, writer and critic Jerzy Waldorff, French aristocrats from the court of Louis XVI chose to dance their last menuets to the sounds of the harpsichord… right before marching off to be guillotined. The virginal is a type of a harpsichord fitted with a rectangular case. Thanks to its smaller size it was perfectly suited for music-making in the home. The British Queen Elizabeth I played it, and – according to one the court musicians – “played quite well, for a queen”. Historically, the term “virginal” in reference to an instrument was first used in 1460 by Paulus Pauliinus of Prague. It appears in his treatise which is available in the Jagiellonian Library, here in Kraków. Thanks to bookkeeping records from the first half of the sixteenth century kept in Wawel archives, we can be sure that the virginal truly was among the instruments played at court during Sigismund I’s reign.