Mimi Ezust wrote, among other things:

>'Way back in the good old days, before phonographs, radio, mp3, movies,
>and bingo, there was parlor music.  You had sheet-music, and you gathered
>around and played music on whatever instrument you had....
>
>I also once found myself in charge of a chambermusic class (for a whole
>semester!) with two celli, a bunch of recorders and a french horn, a few
>beginning fiddle players and a pianist who only knew the right hand.  I
>managed to write several derangements for them to play.  Corelli was
>probably spinning in his grave, but we had fun, and we learned something.

Then of course, there's plenty of music from before Corelli's (and Bach's)
time that generally made NO specification of instruments, other than some
"suggestions".  Dance music collections such as Susato's "Danserye" allowed
bands to play the music with whatever was on hand.  Perhaps that's why so
much Renaissance or early Baroque music can be recorded over and over,
using different combinations of blown, plucked, bowed, and hammered
instruments.  Praetorius with recorders on top and sackbuts on the bottom?
Sure, why not? Not to mention all those instrumental sonatas and canzonas
of Gabrieli, which can be found in either glorious settings for modern
brass or more subtle and gentle readings on old violins and gambas with
organ.  So why not Gabrieli with a couple of accordions? I'm sure it's
been done!

Besides, so much of that older music is notated fairly simply, with the
expectation that the musicians would embellish and improvise upon it as
they played.  For many folks, that could provide lots more fun in music
making than fussy attention to 19th century orchestral details of the nth
degree.

Bill H.