A Village in Motion / Cantiga
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Cantiga Productions
2011
[53:00]
1. Amoroso [3:56]
2. Cantiga 281 [4:59]
CSM 281
3. Branle de Champagne [3:11]
4. Chanconeta Tedesca [4:14]
5. Wood's Lament [4:37]
6. Hey Ducky [3:46]
7. Sedi Donka [4:02]
8. Hole In The Wall [2:31]
9. Cantiga 100 [4:23]
CSM 100
10. Kemp’s Jig [2:22]
11. Branle de la Torche [3:57]
12. Staines Morris [3:42]
13. Mannschaft Pavanne [3:15]
14. Mouse Dance [4:28]
© 2011 Cantiga Productions
Album Notes
When I first met fiddler Malcolm Smith and harper Martha Gay at the
1979 Texas Renaissance Festival I had no idea that we were about to
embark on an ongoing adventure and road trip that would take us to
Renaissance Festivals across the country, a journey that is still going
strong after more than three decades.
Our first recording, Cantiga, with cellist Peter Gorisch, was released
in 1986. When Peter moved to Nashville, he gave Max Dyer a copy hoping
to recruit him as a replacement. Max fell in love with the sound of the
group and especially Peter’s cello—and, learning that it
was for sale, wasted no time in buying it. This very special instrument
has been played by Max on every subsequent Cantiga recording. Following
Malcolm’s death in 1996, a number of wonderful musicians have
traveled and performed with us – including fiddlers Mark Caudill,
Michelle Levy and Thomas Nuendel, as well as Chilean
multi-instrumentalist Charry Garcia. Two of the finest, Alex Korolov
(viola da gamba and lute) and Sick (violin), are featured on this
project.
The court of 13th century King Alfonso el Sabio (Alfonso The Wise) in
Santiago de Compostela was a haven for scholars and artists from many
cultures. Our band’s name Cantiga (song) was borrowed from
Alfonso’s 13th century manuscript Cantigas de Santa Maria. This
book tells of the adventures of the Virgin Mary, with each story set to
music and beautifully illustrated. It draws from fables and songs of
the region, with contributions from Christians, Moors, Jews, Celts and
Visigoths alike. The illustrations show musicians from various cultures
clad in ethnic garb, having a good time jamming together, creating new
music in the mysterious moment. We have drawn inspiration from these
tunes, using them as a springboard for our own improvisation.
Cantiga’s music has the spontaneous quality and wild spirit of
music played outdoors, in cold and heat, wind, rain, and snow. Like
roses planted in different soils the music grows and blossoms
differently in each performance. We never play a tune the same way
twice, and our improvisational approach has developed over the years,
side by side with our fellow performers on the renfaire circuit. This
collection contains recent additions to our repertoire as well as two
of our perennially favorite cantigas.
As this recording project began coming to fruition in the winter of
2010-11, we turned our thoughts to choosing a title. Martha Gay, our
harper, had recently returned from a 500-mile trek through parts of
France and Spain on the Camino de Santiago—an ancient pilgrim
road leading to Santiago de Compostela, the resting place of St.
James’ bones as well as the origin of the Cantigas de Santa
Maria. On foot, Martha towed her harp through the high mountain passes
so that she could play the cantigas in the ancient churches and
villages along the way. Encountering fellow pilgrims from many lands,
she followed in the footsteps of those much earlier musicians who also
shared the cantigas on the Camino.
As I pondered Martha’s pilgrimage and the amazing journeys
we’ve all taken for over 30 years, I understood with my heart
what my mind has known for some time: that our mobile village of
raggle-taggle travelers has everything that I could hope for in a
community—good friends, good music, good food, fun, and help when
needed. I realized that I needed to look no further to title this
album. A Village in Motion is where we truly live. And as the Buddha
said: “It is more important to travel well than to arrive.”
Two weeks after deciding on the name, I opened a fortune cookie. It
read, “Happiness is a highway, not a destination.”
Bob Bielefeld