Praetorius: Dances from Terpsichore

Michael Praetorius (Composer), Pierre Certon (Composer), Adriaen Valerius (Composer), Orazio Vecchi (Composer), Ensemble Bourrasque (Performer), Westra Aros Pijpare (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Ensemble Bourrasque, Westra Aros Pijpare
• Composer: Michael Praetorius, Pierre Certon, Adriaen Valerius, Orazio Vecchi
• Audio CD (December 1, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B00000FY7N
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,517 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Renaissance Rocks!, July 14, 2002

By 

S. Guy "Sulliam" (Charlottesville, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Praetorius: Dances from Terpsichore (Audio CD)

This selection of music from Praetorius' Terpsichore (a small selection from over 300 individual pieces) is very enjoyable. It spans several different styles from few instruments to the whole kit and kaboodle, and voice. You can tell they had fun in those days. I keep this one in my car and listen to it over and over from start to finish, never needing to skip a track. If you are interested in Renaissance music, this is your ticket; and the price is right.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good fun, variety, and versatility., April 8, 2004

By 

John Austin "[e-mail]" (Kangaroo Ground, Australia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Praetorius: Dances from Terpsichore (Audio CD)

What we call Renaissance Dance Music has enjoyed increasing popularity in recent decades. No self-respecting record catalogue can afford to be without it. Naxos offers this 57-minute CD, comprising 28 items from Michael Praetorius's collection "Terpsichore" of 1612. Nowhere in the published collection was instrumentation specified, hence modern groups such as this have fun "setting" each piece for the combinations of period instruments they play. Sometimes some fancy percussion is added to help point the dance rhythms.

Good fun, variety, and versatility are to be heard in the work of this fine Swedish ensemble, marred slightly by a narrow recording spectrum that lacks high and low frequencies. A reproduction of "The Peasant Dance" by Pieter Breugel the Elder adorns the front cover.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lively melodies, infectious fun, December 6, 2000

By 

Mark Kolakowski (Fair Haven, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Praetorius: Dances from Terpsichore (Audio CD)

If "early" or "renaissance" music appeals to you, Praetorius' Dances from Terpsichore should be a keystone of your collection. The melodies are lively, the gaiety is palpable. The performances on this disc are indeed spirited, with a nice balance between foot-pounding numbers and more stately melodies. Some selections include vocals (mainly in old French), which are entrancing. Even if this period of music isn't quite your favorite, this super-cheap disc definitely is worth a try; you may even change your tastes as a result of hearing it. By the way, Mr. Hurwitz' review has one error: the main performers are Swedish, not Dutch, and they are joined by a Swiss group on several tracks.