Voluntary (music) facts for kids
A voluntary is a special piece of music. It's usually played on a organ. You'll often hear it during a church service.
The word "voluntary" is also a name for this type of music. English composers from the late Renaissance and Baroque periods often used this title. These pieces were "free" in style. This means they didn't have to follow strict rules like a sonata form or a fugue. They were meant to sound like they were being made up on the spot, or improvised. The word "voluntary" itself means "free" or "not forced."
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Who Wrote Voluntaries?
Many famous composers wrote voluntaries. These include Orlando Gibbons, John Blow, and Henry Purcell. Sometimes, they used other names for similar pieces. For example, they might call them a fancy. This word is an English version of the Italian word fantasia.
What About Fugues?
Some composers even called their voluntaries fugues. However, these "fugues" weren't always true fugues. A real fugue has a very specific structure. These pieces might start like a fugue, with different parts copying each other. But then, they would become much freer in style.
Different Kinds of Voluntaries
There were a few different types of voluntaries. Each type had its own special features.
What are Double Voluntaries?
Some voluntaries were called double voluntaries. These pieces were written for organs that had two manuals. A manual is like a keyboard on an organ. In a double voluntary, the music would switch between a loud manual and a soft one. This created a cool contrast in sound.
What are Trumpet Voluntaries?
Another popular type was the trumpet voluntary. These pieces featured a main tune played on a special organ stop. This stop made the organ sound like a trumpet or a cornet. The player would usually play this tune with their right hand.
Two very famous trumpet voluntaries are often played at weddings. One is by Henry Purcell. The other is by Jeremiah Clarke. For a long time, people thought Clarke's piece was also by Purcell! In the 18th century, the composer John Stanley wrote many popular trumpet voluntaries.
