By Patrick D. McCoy

It's no mystery that the Renaissance inspired great works of art, especially in the music realm. As a part of their holiday programming, The Folger Consort used the historical prominence of this period to create a meaningful theme for their annual Christmas concert. "A Renaissance Christmas" was both a vocal and instrumental feast elegantly capturing the musical influences of Italy and Flanders circa 1500. There was wonderful alternation between vocal and instrumental selections throughout the performance.

Opening the program was the "Noë, Noë" by Antione Busnois, which served a short introduction to the program. Unlike the music of later musical periods, the music of the Renaissance leaves no room for anything less than accuracy, especially at entrances. The almost transparent musical texture provided the perfect parallel to the story of Christmas as presented in these songs.

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Source: http://www.washingtonlife.com/