medieval.org
© 2003 KOCH International Classics 3-7522-2 HI
In memory of Ethan James
1946-2003
1. Ar em al freg
temps vengut [9:51]
Azalais de Porcairagues (born c. 1140)
melody: Marcabru; instrumental T. Chandler
2. Ja de chantar
non degra aver talan [6:26]
Castelloza (born c. 1200)
melody: adapted from Arnaut Daniel, arr. J. Todd McBride
3. Instrumental
Cantiga [3:28]
arr. S. Kammen · CSM 49
4. Vos qe·m
semblatz dels corals amadors [6:44]
La Contesa de Proensa, Garsenda de Forcalquier (born c. 1170) and
Gui de Cavaillon
melody: S. Kammen
5. Ab joi et ab
joven m'apais [6:03]
La Contessa de Dia (born c. 1140)
melody: Bernart de Ventadorn In consirers; arr. J. Todd
McBride
6. Estampie Sweet
Thing [2:31]
adapted from anon. trouvere melody L'on dit qu'amours est dolce
chose
J. Todd McBride
7. Volez-vous que
je vous chant [3:05]
anonymous 13th century trouvere
arr. J. Todd McBride
8. In time of
daffodils [5:32]
e.e. cummings
melody: Peire Vidal Quant hom est en altrui poder;
instrumental T. Chandler
9. May my heart
always be open [1:57]
e.e. cummings
melody: Gace Brule Au renovel de la douçour d'este
arr. J. Todd McBride and S. Kammen
10. Motet (Instrumental) [1:57]
anonymous, 13th century, Montpellier MS
11. Being to timelessness as it's to time [3:41]
e.e. cummings
melody: Gace Brule Au renovel de la douçour d'este
arr. J. Todd McBride and S. Kammen
12. Two Arabic Muwashshat [14:39]
Da hikub an fuman · Dam un masfuhun
al-A'ma at-Tutili (d.1126)
melodies: T. Chandler
Joyce Todd McBride, voice, harp, percussion
Shira Kammen, voice, vielle, harp
Ethan James, hurdy-gurdy
Tom Chandler, oud
Tobias Roberson, percussion
Recorded October 29-Nov. , 2001 at Bayvíew Studios, Richmond,
California
Producer: Kit Higgínson
Engineer: Robert Berensen
Editor: Eliot Bates
"...for the heliotrope moves to the extent that it is free to move, and
in its rotation, if we could hear the sound of the air buffetted by its
movement, we should be aware that it is a hymn to its king, such as it
is in the power of a plant to sing."
— Proclus
This recording, entitled "In Time of Daffodils", brings together
diverse songs in the rich, varied tradition of the 12th and 13th
century troubadours of what is now known as Southern France. It begins
with songs in the Langue D'Oc by four of the known trobairitz
(women troubadours).
The performance of this repertory presents interesting challenges to
modern musicians
1) the poems do not have accompanying melodies,
2) the poems were recorded some 100 years after their composition, well
after the oral tradition that fostered them was over, and
3) the language is not understood by most modern audiences.
In response to the first two points, we have chosen, adapted, or
composed melodies for these poems, and created arrangements that
interact with the texts. Thus the performance is a process of
invention, both on the part of the performer, and the original author.
We are not aiming to reproduce these songs as historical artifacts, but
rather to "revive" them; we are collaborating with the poems to create
something new. The third point, that the language is remote, led me to
the idea of setting modern poetry to medieval melodies. I chose three
poems of e.e. cummings that resonate with the themes often explored by
the troubadours, and found melodies that fit the texts, both in
character and syllable count. As sung poems, listeners can experience
the text and melody in the way a medieval listener might experience
sung poetry in her native tongue.
Ar em al freg temps vengut evokes the images of winter: "Now we
are come to the cold time, when there's snow and ice and sludge, and
the little birds are mute..." to mirror the poetess's sadness. Azalais
thus plays with the more common pairing of Spring with Love to set the
scene of her song. The song shifts its tone at the last strophe when it
becomes a lament, with a reference to a local landmark, a Roman ruin.
Ja de chantar non degra aver talan is one of four songs of the
trobairitz Na Castelloza. This song describes the singer's reluctance
to sing and at the same time her need to sing, since that is all she
has left. In one stanza she describes how she stole her lover's glove,
but then returned before he knew, so as not to incur the wrath of his
mistress. Castelloza's songs evoke a theme of powerlessness in the face
of "fin amors" that she nevertheless surmounts through the act of song
itself. She could be described as the Billie Holiday of medieval song. Ab
joi et ab joven m'apais by the Contessa de Dia, is quite
contrasting in tone. Here, the poetess speaks of joy in her choice of
lovers, and her confidence is apparent. Vos quem semblatz dels
corals amadors is a tenso, a song composed with two (or sometimes
more) voices. This short dialogue, between the Contessa de Proensa and
Gui de Cavaillon, is an argument about appearances. The Contessa wants
more boldness from her lover, especially in the form of courtly words
(i.e. poetry!) while he responds that it is only her high status that
makes him pause. He exhorts her to take note of his service, even if
his verbal skills are lacking.
—Joyce Todd McBride
In the culture of Moorish Spain, called Al-Andalus (711-1492c.e.),
poetry was held in extremely high regard. Poems adorned the walls of
palaces and poets frequently were elevated to high political position
and kept at the various courts around the Iberian peninsula. As with
the troubadours, much of Andalusian poetry was meant to be sung, even
though in most cases prior to the 15th century, none of the music
remains, only the poetry. The muwashsha (pl. muwashshat)
was Al-Andalus' great contribution to Arabic classical poetry, and many
muwashshat are still sung today, handed down in the traditions
of Andalusian music of North Africa.
The poet al-A'ma at-Tutili (d.1126), translated literally as "the blind
poet of Tudela" lived during the time of political fragmentation in
Al-Andalus known as the Taifa era. The Caliphate of Cordoba had
disintegrated, leaving many cities to carve out their own political
powers, leaving poets like al-A'ma t-Tutili to spend his life as a
traveling poet, seeking the kind of royal patronage that had waned with
the demise of the caliphate. But poetry and the arts were still held in
high esteem, and his muwashshat were famous throughout the
Islamic world of his time for their rich melancholy.
Of the two pieces presented here, D'amun Masfuhun has a couplet
in Spanish at the end, indicating which well-known melody would have
accompanied the poem, but this melody is lost to us. We have recreated
the music using the Andalusian mode of Maya, roughly analogous
to a modern C major scale, but the tonic resting on the third. The
short prelude, or tushiyya, is adapted from D'Erlander's
transcriptions of Andalusian modes, and the rhythms are an adaptation
of al-basit, in 6/8, and al-qa'im wa'nisf in 8/4.
Frequently, modern interpretations of Andalusian poems/songs are much
more melismatic than those presented here, which are condensed due to
the length of the poems themselves. We have also presented both songs
as a mini-suite, with no break, another tradition noted in the
historical references to Andalusian musical culture.
—Tom Chandler