Those who lived during the Medieval era made their music a very important part of their lives. Music was one of the biggest forms of entertainment in the days long before TV and video games. Music was performed by everyone- from traveling musicians, Minstrels, and Troubadours, to everyday commoners. As Christianity spread throughout the Medieval period, so did popular hymns and secular songs. Musical instruments found during the Medieval times are the starting point of today's instruments. At Castles readers can learn about the history and facts of medieval and renaissance instruments. At About readers can utilize a large list of links related to Medieval instruments, including sound bites and pictures.
There were three main categories that medieval musical instruments fell under. These were the stringed, wind and percussion instruments. For more information on these and more, visit History and Literature of Music. For a huge list and guide to medieval and renaissance instruments, go to Music Iastate, which offers links and real-life pictures to instruments. For more history and pictures of instruments of the Medieval and Renaissance times, visit Wikipedia and Horncollector.
Medieval and renaissance instruments of the past numbered in the dozens. These included the bladderpipe, cornamus, dulcians, harp, harpsichord, gemshorn, hirtenschalmei, hurdy-gurdy, kortholt, lizard, lute, mute, cornett, viol, zinkand and the crumhorn, which can all be found at Iastate. From here, readers can link to a full page of information on each of these instruments, as well as view a picture of each. Each page gives additional resources, as well.
For additional information on other instruments, view the following:
There were many famous Renaissance musicians and composers in medieval times that are still known today. For a list of Renaissance musicians, visit Internet Public Library. The top 8 composers of the time are categorized at Classical Music, and for more links and a listing of early music sites, click on Angelfire. For more information and fun facts about Medieval and Renaissance Instruments, visit Fun Trivia. To listen to sound bites of various medieval instruments, go to Learn Listening Online. For a tutorial on building your own Medieval instrument, visit The Noyse Merchants. Those who would like to browse handmade replicas of various instruments from this era will enjoy the website of Medievil Instruments.