The Gruffydd Collection of Christmas Carols is now available here. It contains many of the carols the Gruffydd consort has used in their decade of Medieval Christmas concerts.
Category Archives: Arrangements
Innocenzio Alberti
Innocenzio Alberti did not publish much music. His Pavanne and Galliard set in the Lumley manuscript, British Library R. App. 74, f. 41 rev, are the only known instrumental pieces. His madrigals appear in three of his own books and at least one collection.
I was not able to find any transcription of the Pavanne and Galliard online. They are included in the Musica Britannica volume XLIV Elizabethan Consort Music I by Paul Doe.
My setting is based on the manuscript images and compared to the Doe version.
“John Lumley’s collection was one of the largest of the Elizabethan libraries. It comprised the collection of Lumley’s father-in-law, Henry Fitzalan (b. 1512, d. 1580), 19th Earl of Arundel, Chamberlain to Henry VIII and Edward VI and Lord High Stuart to Mary I. Arundel’s collection was composed mainly of manuscripts acquired during the dissolution of monasteries. It was augmented significantly by the library of Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury. Cranmer’s manuscripts (c. 100 volumes), which were confiscated by the Crown after the accession of the Catholic Queen Mary Tudor, granted to the Earl, and housed in his residence at Nonsuch. These books typically bear the archbishop’s signature, ‘Thomas Cantuarensis’, written in black ink on their front pages.
In 1557, after the death of Arundel’s only son, Lumley moved to Nonsuch Palace. At that point Lumley’s own collection merged with that of his father-in-law’s and the names of both collectors were added into the volumes. At least 70 books and manuscripts also bear the name of Humphrey Lloyd (d. 1568), a physician whom Arundel brought from Oxford following his brief appointment as the Chancellor of the University. Lloyd advised Lumley on the composition of his library and married his sister. His manuscripts passed to Lumley after his death.” The British Library Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts (bl.uk)
Mon Dieu, la belle entrée Du grand roy des François
Mon Dieu, la belle entrée
Sung to the tune of: Mon Dieu, la belle entrée du grand Roy des François
Mon Dieu, la belle entrée of the Ansteorran King,
The nobles rise to bow while the people stand and sing.
The Queen in all her glory, inspiring chivalry,
Joins in our story of nobility.
The grandeur of the court is a marvel to behold.
The ladies crowned with jewels, and the Knights all chained in Gold.
Counselors in their red hats lined with ermine like their gown,
Wear chains of office that show great renown.
The honored artisans, with their laurel wreath displayed,
Enhance the realm’s beauty, as do Masters with the blade.
But the King that leads us all is the symbol of our fame,
So let us call our kingdom’s glorious name.
Mon Dieu, la belle entrée of the Ansteorran King,
The nobles rise to bow and the people stand to sing.
The Queen in all her glory, inspiring chivalry,
Joins in our story of nobility.
The written music can be found here.
A good recording is at https://open.spotify.com/track/0DglgyOp4bBSGeCYVyHdcO?si=kJS1vd9aQgK2jGhn0lSzDw
Who made thee, Hob
There is a song I’d like to perform with 2 singers and 4 instrumentalists, “Who made thee, Hob, forsake thy plow?” by William Byrd. My setting is here.
Medieval Christmas 2018
This is the plan for the Medieval Christmas 2018, which I’m calling Christmas Through the Centuries.
11th Century: Ut Queant Laxis
12th Century: Orientis Partibus
13th Century: Rosa das Rosas
14th Century: In Dulci Jubilo , and Adam Lay Ybounden
15th Century: What Tidings Bringest Thou , and Ther is no Rose of Swych Vertu
16th Century: Gaudete, and Psallite Unigenito
A Spotify playlist including these songs can be found at: https://open.spotify.com/user/c9zywtmekfv23q12mchvnllxy/playlist/5vXJcw3k2v9uV0JsaWLY6z?si=L3Y_tcKmQ7KNWTgSjU0wCA
Rosa das Rosas
There are many good recordings of the cantiga Rosa das Rosas (CSM 10). For example, Kings & Beggars has a good one. Emilio Villalba has a great video.
The non-mensural notation setting is available, as are the Cantigas de Santa Maria manuscripts. I couldn’t find any modern setting that I really liked, so I did my own.
Archbishop Parker’s Psalter
In 1567, Archbishop of Canterbury Matthew Parker published a translation of the Psalms in verse. You can read more about it at http://www0.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/The_Whole_Psalter_Translated_(1567) . Thomas Tallis wrote a collection of 9 tunes using the meters found in Parker’s verse, so that any psalm in the collection may be sung to one or more of the melodies.
I reset Tune 8 with Psalm 67 to better fit a modern choir.
The third tune was used by Ralph Vaughn Williams in his “Fantasy of a theme by Thomas Tallis”. Tallis used Psalm 2 as his example for that melody, but Psalm 23 would work with it also.
Loud Band
I’m planning the first rehearsal of a loud band with shawm and sackbuts (otherwise known as trombone). We’ll start with this piece by Susato.
The second piece will be Cantigas de Santa Maria #1
The third piece is Una Sanosa Porfia by Juan del Encina
Medieval Christmas 2017
The final Medieval Christmas 2017 Program is ready. This document will be the handout. This year we will present a mixture of 11th to 16th century music.
The songs will be:
Arthur’s Men
My brother wrote a song called Arthur’s Men , which I set for voice and harp.