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Music and Musical Instruments of the 17th Century

Together in this workshop we will....

Involve the children in rhythm and singing exercises.

Find out what impact Renaissance music had on the music of today.

Hear how the instruments of the seventeenth century sounded.

Explore the difference between courtly music and folk music.

Explore song as a news medium and propaganda tool.

Learn how instruments were made.

And we will conclude with a short country dance.

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Here is a selection of musical instruments that would have been used during the Baroque era:

• The Cornetto

  was one of the greatest virtuoso instruments of the 16th and early 17th centuries. It is classed as a brass instrument because of the mouthpiece, which is like that of the trumpet. However, unlike the trumpet, the cornetto (or cornet) has no valves. Notes are made by altering the shape of the lips around the mouthpiece.

• The Recorder

  has been a popular instrument from medieval times up to the present day. Blowing through the mouthpiece and covering the holes create the sound and the different notes. There are many different sizes of recorder that each make different pitched sounds; the smallest being only a few centimeters long, and the longest being as tall as a person!

• The Lute

  is a stringed instrument. It is played much like a guitar, however it has more strings (as many as fifteen). It was most popular during the Stuart times, and originates from Arabic countries, but European versions of this instrument appeared from the 13th century.

• The Violin

  is part of the string family and was a very popular instrument in the 17th century. It has four strings, which can be plucked or bowed. Placing the fingers on the strings on the neck of the violin makes different notes.

• The Viol

  was a predecessor of the violin but was still a popular instrument. As with the violin, it is a stringed instrument, and played in the same way. It was larger than the violin and had six strings instead of four.

• The Harpsichord

  is also a member of the string family. It is an early form of piano and a very popular instrument.

• The Flute

  is a member of the wind family. It is played by blowing across the hole in the mouthpiece, and covering the holes on the fingerboard with your fingers to create different notes. The 17th century version had a stronger, lower range than earlier flutes, and had the ability to play louder and softer to provide a better tone to perform the new solo music being composed during the 1600's.

• The Trumpet

  in the 17th century was very different to modern day trumpets. The most notable difference is that there are no valves, slides or pistons on the 17th century version (known as the natural trumpet). It had a restricted range, limited to the high notes due to the lack of valves and was difficult to play as it placed high demands on the player's lips.

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Curriculum links:

• MUSIC: Explore song as a news medium and propaganda tool. Discover why the Renaissance is one of the most exciting periods of musical history, and learn about rhythm and the different instruments used during this period.

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Click here to see how this may fit in with your school's curriculum

Workshops Gunpowder Plot introduction Apothecary Armour & Weaponry Calligraphy Dance Music Surgery

Forms & letters Booking form Costume hire What costumes look like Letter to parents Monitoring form

General information How to book us Workshop overview Teachers' guide & school curriculum Preparing for a school visit