Punk Mediaeval

In music there has always been the tension between the score and the interpretation. Did the composer want his music to be played strictly by the score or did he want the musicians who came after him to interpret his score with their own sensibilities. This is a very complex question. For instance, with the creation of the phonograph record and later the compact disc, a musical performance becomes frozen in time and in many ways this is unnatural. When it comes to blues and jazz there can be no such thing as definitive performance; it goes against the nature of the music. When it comes to Western classical music a definitive performance is also problematic. But when it comes to early music, Renaissance music and mediaeval music the performer is truly at sea. Why?

The written score with markings for keys, tempo, rhythm, etc is a comparably new development. Many mediaevil scores do not even specify the instruments to be used. Also, this music wasn't written for the concert hall; it was written for the church, the court, social gatherings and dances. The classical music concert and even the conductor are really not more than 200 years old..

Concerts and recordings of early music is really quite new and didn't get started until the 1950s. Noah Greenberg's New York Pro Musica's recording of the “Play of Daniel” was an early hit. David Munrow's brief career in the sixties and seventies, he released over 50 albums and died at 24, did very much to advance the cause of early music.One of my favorite groups from that period was Thomas Binley's Early Music Quartet; their two recordings of the Camino de Santiago are wonderful recordings if you can find them. This is music informed by scholarship. Add in the movement to play this music on original instruments and you come as close as you can to hearing the music as it might have been played hundreds of years ago.

There is another way; update the music and interpret it with modern sensibilities. Here are four groups who do just that with with varying degrees of scholarship and interpretation.

Baltimore Consort:

The Baltimore Consort has just entered into it's 26^th season. This group approaches the repertoire in the style of a folk chamber ensemble. They are especially devoted to the dance music and popular music of England, Scotland and France. This is music that was very much a part of people's lives; played and sung for individual entertainment and dances. Their recording “A Trip to Kilburn” presents music from Playford's Tunes and their Ballads. John Playford (1623-1686) was the premier publisher of English dances and ballads. Here's is what the New Yorker has to say, “Few early music players have more fun than the Baltimore Consort, who through their performance, take the position that echoes of renaissance secular music are still to be found in modern folk practice”. In Custer LaRue, they also benefit from having one of the sweetest voices to be heard anywhere.

Ensemble Galilei:

The Ensemble Galilei are five women who do early music and Celtic music. The have released eight recordings with a considerable breadth of repertoire. “Come Gentle Night” features the music of Shakespeare's world; “From the Isles to the Courts” has music from Spain to England, “A Winter's Night” features carols from all over Europe and is subtitled “Christmas in the Great Hall”, in their newest recording “Alta” trademark repertoire choices abound- a mediaeval set of dances is followed by an Irish march and there is a wonderful tribute to the music of Turlough O'Carolan. The Washington Post said of them “Virtuoso technique, an instinctive feeling for the idiom, and the courage to improvise”.

Joglaresa:

With Joglaesa we become much more adventurous. I recently heard a recording of theirs on WTJU-FM, one of best radio stations in the country for music lovers and available on line, on the way home and I decided I must have this recording. They are a five person ensemble and they are joined from time to time by a dozen other musicians. The approach the repertoire with a sense of pageantry and drama. They play with heart. But, they don't forget the scholarship. Their use of Arabic tunings and the vocal stylings of Africa, Spain and the Middle East points to the broad influences that exist in the music. I would love to see them live. They have two Cds; one is ”Mediaeval Songs of Mary Magdalen” the other is “Ballads of Love and Betrayal”.

Mediaeval Baebes:

Now we are taking rock and roll early music. The Mediaeval Baebes have established themselves as the most provactive ensemble in early music today. It helps that they are all very beautiful. The music certainly uses modern sensibilities and production values. But, in many ways they tap into the original intent of the music. Again, this music was not created to be listened to by a reserved, respectful concert audience. It was vital music that spoke to the spiritual and earthly desires of it's listeners. There is also an aspect of feminism and the powerful woman in their performance and choice of material. To see how far they have taken it, they performed on the Lilith Fair tour and they have a music video for song “Temptasyon”

Our next article will be devoted exclusively to Rootsworld and CDRoots which is absolutely the best place to purchase and learn about “world music”. Their motto is “listening to the planet” We will give a little history and plenty of examples of the depth and breadth of music you can purchase through them.