The estampie, a medieval dance, is one of the earliest surviving forms of instrumental music. In the manuscript for this estampie, a single melodic line is notated and, as usual, no instrument is specified. In our recording, the melody is played on a rebec (a bowed string instrument) and a pipe (a tubular wind instrument). Since medieval minstrels probably improvised modest accompaniments to dance tunes, the performers have added a drone-two simultaneous, repeated notes at the interval of a fifth, played on a psaltery (a plucked or struck string instrument). The estampie is in triple meter and has a strong, fast beat. T F
The estampie, a medieval dance, is one of the earliest surviving forms of instrumental…
The estampie, a medieval dance, is one of the earliest surviving forms of instrumental music. In the manuscript for this estampie, a single melodic line is notated and, as usual,...
