by Carolin C. Young | King David and some Musicians, artist unknown, c. 1500–1510. One of three oil on wood panels. Musée National du Moyen Âge-Musée de Cluny, Paris. © Rmn-Grand Palais, photograph by Jean-Gilles Berizzi.
Those seeking a lyrical repose from the bustle of the Parisian art world should head to France’s National Museum of the Renaissance at the Château d’Écouen for an exhibition devoted to music of the sixteenth century. Featuring historic instruments, treatises, paintings, drawings, and objects, the show elucidates the crucial roles of both sacred and profane music in this period. It is the first to focus on this time period, but it is only the latest in a growing number of exhibitions to examine the links between music and art.
A Renaissance Air: Music in the Sixteenth Century • National Museum of the Renaissance, Château d’Écouen, France • to January 6, 2014 • musee-renaissance.fr
