Is Greensleeves Baroque or Renaissance?
We're playing an arrangement of it and my band teacher keeps referring to it as a Renaissance piece. I did some research, and it was supposedly written in the 1580's, which is where some lines start to blur between Renaissance and Baroque. Does anyone have better insight?
Comments
More than likely Greensleeves may have first been written down in 1580 but that was probably not when it was conceived. The melody was probably conceived and performed well before then, and it was only recorded in 1580. Before then, very little music was actually notated. Plenty of melodies were just passed on by mouth and ear. So yes, Renaissance fit the billing much better.
If it were to be Baroque, it would be much more complex, and there would be more than just a simple melody.
Are you playing Holst's 2nd Suite in F? That's a wonderful piece of music. The Greensleeves melody is so beautiful when it sneaks in behind the faster woodwind parts in that 4th movement.
You're completely right for targeting the year 1580- This was the first time when any reference was made to it in literature. It is likely, though, that the melody existed long before its first mention, and would consequently be considered a Renaissance melody rather than Baroque. It might even be possible that the melody had existed for centuries but had never been written down (which happens frequently), so that it extends all the way back to the Middle Ages, but Renaissance is probably your best bet.
Hope this helps!
I'd call it Renaissance. It really doesn't show any characteristics of Baroque (not even early Baroque). A piece isn't automatically part of the following era just because it falls on the cusp of two musical eras.
Greensleeves is definitely a renaissance piece.
Definitely Renaissance - and I'd put the start of the Baroque era much later as well - possibly as late as about 1685.