Kalenda Maya
by Raimbaut de Vaqueiras (1207)
Raimbaut de Vaqueiras was a troubadour who spent much of his life in Italy. The lyrics for this song are in Provençal, a dialect that was prevalent in the Middle Ages in the areas of France and Italy, and became known as the language of the troubadours.
Performers:
Cello: Kristin Godwin and Jonas Roy
Percussion: Sam Ashworth, Amanda Delzer, Lisa Neher, Jonas Roy
Saxophone: Yukiko Ueno
Voice: Sam Ashworth, Amanda Delzer
Provençal:
Kalenda maya,
Ni fuelhs de faya
Ni chanz d'auzelh
ni flors de glaya
Non es quem playa
Pros domna guaya
Tro qu'un ysnelh
messatger aya
Del vostre belh cors quem retraya
Plazer novelh qu'Amors m'atraya
E jaya
Em traya
Vas vos domna veraya
E chaya
De playa
L'gelos ans quemn n'estraya.
English Translation:
The first of May,
Neither leaf of beech
Nor song of bird
nor flower of sword lily
Pleases me,
Lady noble and gay,
Until I recieve
a speedy messenger
From your fair self who will tell me
The new delight which love brings me
And joy;
And which draws me toward you,
True lady
And may he die
Of his wounds,
the jealous one, before I take my leave.
Amoroso
Anonymous
This Italian tune would be played to a ballo dance. Like most medieval music, the manuscript consists of a single melodic line. Drones, particularly on the first note of the scale and the fifth note of the scale of the piece, would be used to improvise harmony and accompaniment.
Performers:
Cello: Kristin Godwin and Jonas Roy
Percussion: Amanda Delzer, Kristin Godwin, Lisa Neher, Jonas Roy
Recorder: Sam Ashworth and Yukiko Ueno
Voice: Amanda Delzer
Sumer is icumen in
Anonymous (ca. 1250)
This is the earliest European manuscript to makes use of canon. In this piece, the lyrics "sing cucu" are repeated continously as a pes or roundellus, while the main lyrics of the song are sung as a rota (round) by two voices. The text is in Middle English.
Performers: Sam Ashworth, Amanda Delzer, Kristin Godwin, Jonas Roy, Yukiko Ueno
Middle English:
Sumer is icumen in,
Lhude sing cuccu.
Groweth sed and bloweth med,
And springth the wode nu.
Sing cuccu.
Awe bleteth after lomb,
Lhouth after clave cu;
Bulluc sterteth,
bucke vertheth,
Murie sing cuccu!
Cuccu, cuccu,
Wel singes thu cuccu,
Ne swik thu naver nu!
Sing cuccu nu, sing cuccu!
Sing cuccu nu, sing cuccu!
Modern English translation:
Summer has come in,
Loudly sing, cuckoo!
Grows the seed and blooms the meadow,
And the woods springs anew.
Sing, cuckoo!
The ewe bleats after her lamb,
The cow lows after her calf;
The bull jumps, the stag leaps,
Merrily sing, cuckoo!
Cuckoo, cuckoo,
Well sing you, cuckoo.
Nor stop now!
Sing cuckoo now, sing cuckoo!
Sing cuckoo now, sing cuckoo!
Source:
Bonds, Mark Evan. A History of Music in Western Culture, Second Edition. Prentice Hall, 2006.
Thank you also to Dr. Nora Beck, Music Department Chair, for her guidence in the selection of pieces.