Bransle (Guillaume Morlaye)

Bransle

Composer: Guillaume Morlaye (fl. ca 1510 - 1558)

Guillaume de Morlaye (fl. ca 1510 - 1558) was a French Renaissance era lutenist, composer for lute and renaissance guitar, and music publisher. He was a pupil of Albert de Rippe and lived and worked in Paris.

This song was included in Morlaye's "Le Second Livre de guiterne" which contains renaissance guitar instrumental music, including various dance music and Morlaye's guitar settings of chansons. the word "guiterne" means gittern, a relatively small gut-strung, round-backed instrument that first appears in literature and pictorial representation during the 13th century in Western Europe (Iberian Peninsula, Italy, France, England). It was also called the guiterna in Spain, guiterne or guiterre in France, the chitarra in Italy and Quintern in Germany.

Bransles are the simplest of the known renaissance dances, and a bransle is usually the first dance that is taught of any of the known medieval or renaissance dances. This piece is selected as one of RCM (The Royal Conservatory of Music) level 2 repertoire.