Description
Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of Baroque music with the exclusive sheet music collection “Ioannes de Gruytters …voor den Beyart, 1746”. This carefully curated work offers music lovers and creators the opportunity to rediscover and experience the rich sound world of the 18th century. Hermann Rieth has set himself the task of making the music of the Antwerp organist and carillon master Ioannes de Gruytters accessible. Thanks to his work, you can now hold a piece of music history in your hands.
Perfect for quiet bagpipes
This collection consists of 14 two-part movements specially arranged for the quiet bagpipes Hümmelchen and Dudey. The first three suites are arranged in such a way that they are perfectly suited to the soprano part of these bagpipes, while instruments such as Dulcian or Cornamuse are recommended for the bass part. These arrangements open up a new dimension of musicality for these historical instruments.
Versatility and adaptability
Not only suitable for bagpipes, this booklet offers arrangements that can also be played on a variety of other instruments such as gemshorns, cornamuses, recorders or even strings. The simple harmonies and brevity of the pieces make it possible to bring them to life in various musical formations and even fanfare-like versions with brass instruments are conceivable.
Insights and backgrounds
In addition to the musical arrangements, this edition contains valuable information about Ioannes de Gruytter, playing techniques and further reading. These additional materials offer a deep insight into the musical world of the 18th century and the significance of de Gruytter’s music.
A special thanks
In his foreword, Hermann Rieth thanks the musicians who contributed to the creation of this edition: Rolf Janssen, for his inspiration; Friedhelm Capelle, for his advice on the transcription and editing; and Jan Degryse, for the correspondence to Belgium. Your contribution enables musicians worldwide to reinterpret these historical pieces.
Table of contents
- Foreword
- Suite 1: Contains pieces such as Marche, Contredanze, Suitte, Menuet, and Giga.
- Suite 2: Offers a selection of Marche d’hartop, Conterdans, Menuet and more.
- Suite 3: Includes La marche du Roi, Conterdans, Menuet, La Ferlande and other arrangements.
The sheet music collection “Ioannes de Gruytters …voor den Beyart, 1746” is an invitation to explore the rich musical tradition of the Renaissance and Baroque. Whether you are an experienced musician or a curious music lover, this booklet offers you a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the fascinating world of historical music. Have fun making music!
Foreword
Hümmelchen and Dudey are quiet Renaissance bagpipes that were played in Central Europe until the Baroque period. It was not yet customary to assign music to specific instruments in manuscripts and prints. Rather, music, often handed down orally, was adapted for available instruments, i.e. transposed, varied and arranged. Improvisation played a major role in this. We can take up this tradition for our music-making today.
The small bagpipes (like other old instruments) have a fairly small range (a ninth) and limited chromaticism. A closer look at these instruments shows that these limitations are not necessarily a disadvantage and that they can be used to produce a wide variety of music.
Joannes de Gruytters was organist and carillonneur at Antwerp Cathedral. In 1746, he recorded his repertoire for Beyaerte – a carillon that is attached to the outside of the tower and can be played from the inside with keys. These are melodies of his time, including some of his own compositions, to which he added a bass line and thus arranged them for his instrument. This music is a weave of oral tradition, tradition, composition and improvisation. The manuscript from 1746 is like a snapshot of a constantly progressing process. This edition is an attempt to continue the culture of creating music for available instruments.
Some of these pieces are suitable for playing on the bagpipes. The pieces have been transposed for this booklet and slightly altered in a few places. This was done on the one hand to take account of the limitations in terms of range and chromaticism, and on the other to correct probable notational errors in the manuscript. For each deviation from the source, the musical text of the original is given as a footnote. The numbers before the titles and the titles were taken from the manuscript.
The pieces have been combined into three small suites for practical music-making. They are set up so that the upper voice can be taken over by the Dudey with the soprano chanter. Dulcian or Cornamuse would be well suited for the bass part. Then some movements are notated in such a way that the lower part can be played with the alto chanter of the Dudey. The upper part could then be played by soprano gemshorn or recorder. Everything in this booklet is of course also suitable for other instrumentations, e.g. gemshorns, cornamuses, recorders or strings. Given the brevity of the pieces and their simple harmonies, a fanfare-like version with brass instruments is also conceivable (see page 25).
The appendix contains information on the composer, the playing style and references.
My special thanks go to three musicians who played a major part in the creation of this edition:
Rolf Janssen – it was through him that I became aware of this music.
Friedhelm Capelle for advice on transfer and editing.
Jan Degryse for correspondence to Belgium
Have fun making music
Hermann Rieth in October 2013
Author:in
Hermann Rieth
Hermann Rieth is a versatile artist who works with both music and crafts. Even as a child, he received recorder lessons from his mother, and this passion accompanied him during his studies of mathematics and physics for the higher teaching profession as well as during his training as a hand weaver.
As an art teacher, Hermann Rieth continued his love of music and enjoyed making music with his pupils. But his interest in musical instruments went beyond the recorder. When he got to know the Hümmelchen and Dudeys, his enthusiasm for them intensified. He learned to play the bagpipes, took part in courses and played a lot. Together with a friend, he finally organized the Schwäbisch Hall Sackpfeifertage.
Through these experiences, Hermann Rieth developed a great interest in early music. He studied old prints and manuscripts and built up an extensive collection of pieces for Hümmelchen and Dudey.
