Tag: Music

Posted on

GNEW and Pennsic- The Great Morley Boogaloo

It’s been since 2009 since I have headlined a concert or really felt like myself as a performer. Over the years, I have been backing myself down to do more ensemble playing. I continued to do solo performances but nothing really too large. I did also step down for the second time as Consorts Bard this past year and that opportunity gave me multiple solo experiences and opportunities. However, at the suggestion of Richard Heyworth, it was time to get my big girl britches back on and really get up and do what makes me happy and feeling competent as a performer.

With some rabbit holes dove into, we found this book of Canzonettes ( a short, lively, and cheerful song. The word comes from Italian as a “little song,” derived from canzone) for 2 voices. This was composed by Thomas Morley. Where this was not quite solo work, it still gave me the opportunity to perform each piece and also play with friends. I decided I was going to learn the -entire- book. This was 12 pieces of vocal music which ran about 30 minutes solid of music with no breaks taken. That… is a lot. I, again, have not done that much solid singing since 2009 when I gave my senior recital at school for my undergraduate degree. The largest challenge I was facing was not the difficulty of the music, but the physical changes to my instrument that started in 2022. Let me talk a little more about this.

The human voice is not a solitary instrument. It is effected by it’s housing. Weight loss can change the shape and amount of soft tissue surrounding the throat, mouth, and vocal tract. This can alter how sound resonates. Your voice isn’t produced only by the vocal cords. It is produced by the throat, mouth, tongue, and nasal passages act as a resonating chamber. Changes in surrounding tissue can subtly change the sound. Significant changes in body composition can potentially affect the tissues supporting the vocal folds, which may influence pitch or vocal quality. Weight loss can affect breathing mechanics and respiratory support, which can make the voice sound different or change how easily you project. If the weight loss is substantial or occurs rapidly, changes in nutrition or hormones can sometimes affect the vocal folds and muscle strength.

This then becomes a very sensitive subject for me because my voice has been a lot of my identity. Neither here nor there, I moved forward with this project. I reached out to a few friends of mine to see if they would be interested in singing/playing some of these pieces and was greeted with excited responses of yes.

As I pursued this project, I also decided to see if there was something more to the canzonettes. Sure as the sun shines there was some good gossip behind the canzonettes. If you, gentle reader, are interested, click this link below:

Mor(ley) or Less a Canzonette

Preparing for the concert was a bit more of a trial. I could control my own singing but how was I to know if my volunteers would be ready and in action. One performer was in North Eastern MA, one in South Western NH, another in Western MA and one in Michigan.

What I had planned was not what in the end happened. We got to GNEW and one of my performers, the night before the concert, advised they could no longer be there. So, that left me with a 9am emergency rehearsal with one vocalist and one instrumentalist. The other vocalist was only slotted for Pennsic. No one seemed to notice that this was a change and I am quite thankful for that. This was a dry run for Pennsic.

Now, we get to Pennsic. Friday afternoon, the sun. HOT. We managed to get set up and I think I am smart enough to not schedule any rehearsal time. Friday was just about getting into headspace for a weekend of Arts and Sciences into the concert. However, this is not before serving as our rapier champion.

I think it’s really important to be versed in something else outside of your art so that you have something for your head to retreat to when the brain weasels are bad. For me, this is fencing. This was the start to my Saturday. Above is an image of our amazing Excellencies and my most excellent partner in crime, Corso, Baroness’ champion of fence after both of us won our exhibition bout. Neither of us won the tournament, but I had received feedback from many of the landed that I was a fun looking fight, chivalrous and though appearing somewhat demure they could see the mischief in me.

From there went back to rehearsals. I met with my vocalist from Western MA, Cecelie. An hour put in plus the occasional chatting and I was feeling better about our performance.

Opening Ceremonies are always so fun and full of pomp.

That evening I made my pilgrimage to the B blocks to perform at Caoilfhionn’s Bardic Circle. I had been performing at this the last several years. I never will miss this Bardic. Her grace has made this a safe and welcoming performance space. I feel safe bringing everything from period pieces to trad to things I have composed myself. Each time, something new. My little cheater night to really sing and make sure I am keeping my instrument healthy and safe. It’s rough with all the talking and dust that happens at Pennsic.

Sunday was now once again shifted for focus. I decided to display my concert

(Videos of Morley Concert from GNEW)

from GNEW and the paper I wrote (posted above). I typically don’t display my work. I have been very disheartened by people who simply don’t stop by because I don’t have something pretty to touch or taste. I decided this was going to be different. I sat with my display mostly from 12-5, however during that time I was also able to provide a consultation to a newer scadian. Their work was also music related and I lit up when I was able to see what they were working on. I am ashamed to say I didn’t get their contact info outside of their email that they already provided but they are working on some -great- stuff. Their work was reassembling and piecing together the Casulana Madrigals. Where, if you look at my paper above, you will get an idea of why this was an area of interest based on my works of Cazonettes.

The day rolled around and it was time to prepare with my other vocalist. Well, life happens. They had lost their voice so it was time to reconfigure the concert. Thank goodness that Richard, my recorder player, who also played with me at the GNEW concert not only was on site at Pennsic, but he was camping within my camp group. Coach is putting you back in buddy to pinch hit! (Is that how that sports terminology works?)

Later, with little time to rehearse, we did sort of a cheater rehearsal. That night I was slated to play for Runnymede dinner. What better way to practice than on an instrument you are not using for the concert. Whatever. It was an excuse to play. That night Richard, Cecelie and I played through the Morley concert on recorder just to keep the music in our bones. It also made for lovely background music as well outside of the other books we typically play out of. The day was long and I needed preserve my voice since I had another busy day with the concert being the next day, Monday.

Monday…. the big day arrived. What a better way to start the morning than serve as a scorer for the A and S War Point. I was honored to have been asked to do so. I was able to review two very different but exciting performance pieces of which I learned a lot from. One, a Sackbut/Slide Trumpet presentation and the other a vocal piece from the Minnesingers. I gifted each with a small trinket dish because competing and the amount of work that goes into a performance piece is close to my heart and I wanted to celebrate each of the folks I scored.

Then, that night… 6:00 pm rolled around and it was time. This concert felt easier than the concert at GNEW. This is why we have rehearsals right……RIGHT?!?!?!

I have most of the concert here, but part of it was lost due to technical errors with recording… which is ok. We have -all- the pieces from GNEW.

Outside of court on Tuesday, where I had made 3 medallions for folks who are close to me, Wednesday was my last day of productivity for me and my music soul.

Wednesday was my Laurel, Sabine’s Birthday. We had talking about just getting together and playing and it just so happened that Wednesday worked out for me. I also invited Richard along because he could also use an outlet away from his 4 year old for a few hours. We ended up playing for about 2 hours and it was just so good!

From there, I headed to my dear friend Emeline’s vigil where I sang for her and played recorder as background music. It filled my cup to be able to give the gift that she requested.

Later that evening, Sabine was hosting a more official jam session but I think the rain scared everyone away. Bird the Bard, who is also Sabine’s student, showed up and we got to rock out on gemshorns! This was only like my second time seriously getting to pick one up and play and it was such a joy. It is close to recorder on the fingerings that I was able to hold my own and jam out to cantigas. Another several hours of playing. My soul was just so full.

Thursday was my last day of fencing. I decided ahead of time that I was going to be fencing in the Cadet tournament. Where I am not officially a cadet, I still met the parameters of the tournament. I just needed someone to sponsor me. Cedric had offered to do so on one condition. I was to write the letter myself and it had to be an “interesting” letter, so I had a task set before me. Here is what I concocted Cadet Sponsor Letter.

I didn’t know there was anything special about the letters until I was pulled aside and told that my letter won the favorite letter of two gentles running the tournament. This meant I got to pick my first fight….. of 94 fencers. I went with whoever seemed eager because honestly, I knew maybe 10 of the 94 and my goal was to fight as many new folks as possible. I didn’t win the tournament, but winning the “Bardic” portion of the fencing tournament, I will take as a win. I left shortly after I lost my last life because the humidity was taking it’s toll on me but I’m still proud with how I did.

I will upload my pennsic concert when I get around to it, which should be shortly, but I wanted to get this up now before I lose my thoughts.

Posted on

Just a little ditty

This weekend I attended Otter’s Welcome, which, if you have never been is a great event for new comers and recruitment into the SCA. As a chatelaine I do my best to support whatever demo’s are within a reasonable drive of me that looks like it could use more help. Early on site, I was approached and asked if I would be willing to sing for the I Sebastiani commedia troupe.

They asked me to sing something upbeat and happy. This, as many of you know, is not quite my repertoire but I think I had something up my sleeve. After digging through my book of songs (Bard Book) I came across a few, including 1 in Italian. Though, knowing what I knew about the show (which was the title), I chose to sing “I Care not for these ladies”. It wasn’t fresh in my brain because the last time I sang it was in October so I opted to use my book as part of my performance. I also want to state that I think it should be normalized that a performer can use their book and effectively as long as they are not buried in it.

Here is a link to the performance. You should watch the whole performance, not just me.

Posted on

I Care Not for These Ladies

Audio- I Care Not For These Ladies

Title: I Care Not for These Ladies
Composer: Thomas Campion (1567–1620)
Date: Early 17th Century (published 1601)
Type of Work: English lute song (ayre)
Source: A Booke of Ayres (1601)

I Care Not for These Ladies is a lute song composed by Thomas Campion, a prolific English composer, poet, and physician active during the late Elizabethan and early Jacobean periods. The piece appears in A Booke of Ayres, published in 1601—a collection co-authored with lutenist Philip Rosseter, representing the English art song tradition known as the ayre. An ayre (also spelled air, ayir, or ayre) is a type of solo song with instrumental accompaniment that was popular in England during the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods—roughly from the late 1500s to the early 1600s. (Boyd, Elizabethan Music and the Ayre, p. 42) Ayres typically had a clear melody, were strophic, expressive but not overly complex and finally were often were dealing with themes of love, nature, melancholy, or pastoral life. These songs were typically written for solo voice and lute accompaniment and were enjoyed in both courtly and domestic settings. (Greer, “Campion, Thomas,” Grove Music Online).


Campion’s work stood out for its graceful lyrical economy and integration of poetry and music. His ayres often featured simple, clear textures and a refined sense of word-setting.

“I Care Not for These Ladies” exemplifies Campion’s lyrical wit and poetic satire. It rejects the superficial charms of courtly women in favor of a more rustic and sensual ideal, in a tone both humorous and sharply critical of affectation. This theme of rejecting artificiality was common in Renaissance poetry, especially in contrast to the elaborate conventions of Petrarchan love. The poem is written in a light, playful tone, contrasting the courtly lady—requiring wealth, formal wooing, and luxury—with the “wanton country maid,” who offers affection without financial demands. Campion’s choice of plain diction reflects his poetic philosophy as stated in his treatise Observations in the Art of English Poesie (1602), where he argued against excessive ornamentation in favor of “a certain plainnesse and flowing measure.”

I care not for these ladies,
That must be wooed and prayed:
Give me kind Amaryllis,
The wanton country maid.
Nature art disdaineth,
Her beauty is her own.
Her when we court and kiss,
She cries, “Forsooth, let go!”
But when we come where comfort is,
She never will say no.

If I love Amaryllis,
She gives me fruit and flowers:
But if we love these ladies,
We must give golden showers.
Give them gold, that sell love,
Give me the nut-brown lass,
Who, when we court and kiss,
She cries, “Forsooth, let go!”
But when we come where comfort is,
She never will say no.

These ladies must have pillows,
And beds by strangers wrought;
Give me a bower of willows,
Of moss and leaves unbought,
And fresh Amaryllis,
With milk and honey fed;
Who, when we court and kiss,
She cries, “Forsooth, let go!”
But when we come where comfort is,
She never will say no.

This poem is a satirical rejection of courtly love conventions, favoring a more natural, earthy relationship over the artificial rituals of noble romance. The speaker dismisses the elaborate performances of upper-class women—those who “must be wooed and prayed”—in favor of a more direct and sensual bond with a rural maiden named Amaryllis.

Courtly Women represent artificiality, chastity performed as power, and romantic delay. Where as Amaryllis represents a pastoral, mythological name common in Renaissance poetry, symbolizing a more natural and sexual freedom.

“Nature art disdaineth” implies that true beauty comes from nature, not cosmetic or social artifice.

This stanza opens with a rejection of courtly ladies, who require elaborate rituals of wooing and begging. The speaker prefers Amaryllis, a common pastoral name symbolizing rustic, natural love. “Wanton country maid” conveys sexual openness but also innocence in contrast to the jaded court. The closing lines play with mock modesty: she resists at first (“let go!”) but ultimately consents (“never will say no”), a humorous portrayal of flirtation and desire common in Renaissance literature.

The “nut-brown lass” further invokes natural beauty—sun-kissed, not pale and powdered. The repetition of the refrain serves to reinforce the speaker’s preference for sincerity and physical closeness over ornament and pretense.

Court ladies require fancy “pillows” and beds “by strangers wrought” (i.e., expensive, manufactured luxuries). In contrast, the speaker desires a bower of willows—a simple natural shelter symbolizing freedom, intimacy, and peace.

“Milk and honey” alludes to pastoral abundance, drawing on biblical imagery (e.g., the Promised Land) and classical ideals of Arcadian pleasure. Again, the stanza ends with the comic mock-virginal protest followed by consent, emphasizing both Amaryllis’s modesty and her availability.

Amaryllis gives “fruit and flowers”—symbols of fertility, nature, and affection freely given. In contrast, the ladies of the court expect “golden showers”—interpreted in the 17th-century context as gifts of wealth, referencing materialism and even transactional love.The phrase “Give them gold, that sell love” is sharp: the speaker equates court ladies with prostitutes, or at least as women whose affection must be purchased.

Note: This flirtatious treatment of consent should be approached critically by modern performers—acknowledging the cultural context while avoiding romanticization of ambiguous consent.

Campion’s song reflects the Elizabethan and early Stuart shift from the Petrarchan model (idealizing women and love from afar) to a more ironic, earthly view of love. The use of a pastoral figure (Amaryllis) is typical of the time: country life was idealized as simpler, more honest, and more passionate. The poem is in dialogue with other poets of the age, like Christopher Marlowe (“Come live with me and be my love”) and Sir Walter Raleigh, who similarly contrast court and country values.

Sources and References:

  • Bullen, A. H., editor. Lyrics from the Song-Books of the Elizabethan Age. John C. Nimmo, 1887.
  • Campion, Thomas and Philip Rosseter. A Booke of Ayres, 1601. (Facsimiles and editions available through Early English Books Online and modern publishers)
  • Fellowes, Edmund H. English Lute Songs (Stainer & Bell)
  • Fortune, Nigel. “Campion, Thomas.” Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press.
    http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com (Access may require institutional login.)
  • Greer, David. Thomas Campion: Poems, Songs, and Masques (Oxford University Press)
  • Thomas, Raymond C. “The Function of Song in the Poetry of Thomas Campion.” Studies in Philology, vol. 55, no. 4, 1958, pp. 673–688. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4172933.
  • Sabol, Andrew, editor. The Songs and Masques of Thomas Campion. Harvard University Press, 1973.
  • Spring, Matthew. The Lute in Britain: A History of the Instrument and Its Music. Oxford University Press, 2001.
  • Tillyard, E. M. W. The Elizabethan World Picture. Chatto and Windus, 1943.
  • Thomas, Raymond C. “The Function of Song in the Poetry of Thomas Campion.” Studies in Philology, vol. 55, no. 4, 1958, pp. 673–688. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4172933.
  • Waller, Gary. English Poetry of the Sixteenth Century. Longman, 1986.
  • Woudhuysen, H. R., editor. The Penguin Book of Renaissance Verse 1509–1659. Penguin Books, 1992.

Posted on

Stonemarche, Our Hearth, Our home, our Stead

I was asked several years ago to compose and athem for Stonemarche. I have had very little faith in my own compositions. The kingdom is filled with very many talented composers and who am I to try to be amongst them? It was brought up again that we needed an anthem and I finally got the gumption to write one. It’s not perfect and it’s a little quirky but so is our Barony.

Below is the recording of it’s first performance and the lyrics are below.

In the snow capped mountains
From far away lands
Dwelled the folks in 3 towers
Who wear white and green bands

We fence and loose arrows
We sing and we dance
See the gifts that we offer
Our love’s not a chance

We’ve a motto in Stonemarche,
There’s no famine we said,
In Stonemarche, Stonemarche
Our home, our hearth, our stead
We’ve a motto in Stonemarche,
There’s no famine we said,
In Stonemarche, Stonemarche
Our home, our hearth, our stead

Rolling lands rich with sheep
Cross the grass covered hills
A gift from lochleven
We tend to their wills

Cross the grass spanning lands
And as they wander and roam
Our children do gather
And bring them all home

We’ve a motto in Stonemarche,
There’s no famine we said,
In Stonemarche, Stonemarche
Our home, our hearth, our stead
We’ve a motto in Stonemarche,
There’s no famine we said,
In Stonemarche, Stonemarche
Our home, our hearth, our stead

If you come from the outside
If you dwell in our tillage
All around us are welcome
Inside our family’s village

Paint us up a bright chorus
Join our Bards in their song
We fight and we dance
No activity’s wrong

We’ve a motto in Stonemarche,
There’s no famine we said,
In Stonemarche, Stonemarche
Our home, our hearth, our stead
We’ve a motto in Stonemarche,
There’s no famine we said,
In Stonemarche, Stonemarche
Our home, our hearth, our stead

We’ve a motto in Stonemarche,
There’s no famine we said,
In Stonemarche, Stonemarche
Our home, our hearth, our stead
We’ve a motto in Stonemarche,
There’s no famine we said,
In Stonemarche, Stonemarche
Our home, our hearth, our stead

Posted on

Minstrel’s Memory

I wrote this… I wrote all of this. Putting out songs of my own are terrifying. It took me until now to finally feel comfortable enough to publish this. This isn’t the best recording but that’s ok. Folks came in late, a spider was taken off me while performing BUT! people sang along. That is why I felt like posting this. I hope this song becomes an anthem for the Bards. This is about who sings for us when we are gone. Think a-la Hamilton, “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Their Stories”. Be brave. Sing your songs unashamedly.

Video taken by Jasmine Rochelle Goodspeed

I dreamt of a day when you sang a song
The song was spun for me
Instead of painting a warriors skills
Bardic tales were their decree

I hoped for the day when lauds and praise
For those who most enchant
Not the stories and words of those who berserked
Spoken out for those who can’t

Who will sing my song when I’m gone?
Who will tell my story?
Who’ll remember the days
And sing of the praise
Of the minstrel’s memory

If you would walk the streets at night
Or at a meal or ale
Hark! To those who weave the myths
Sing for them a jaunt wassail

Know you the tales of great Arthur
You have heard of Lancelot
Epic deeds rhymed in memory fair
But the bringers oft forgot

Chorus x2

The sun will rise and the moon will fall
As time will wane and pass
To the memory of those before
We all should raise a glass

To the bringers of the melody
When their bodies live no more
A chorus sung to bring their name
And conjure spirits to restore

Chorus 3x

Of the minstrel’s memory x3

Posted on

Singing in the newest Laurel

I have done several boasts this year. All of them have been hand crafted by me, but this time, I had been asked to do a different task. This time, my friend, Lisabetta, did not wish to be lauded as she entered court. She simply wanted to be sang in.

I was contacted about a week before the event via email by her grace, Marieke asking me if I would be willing to perform this task (No pun intended). She said that it wasn’t a specific piece, but Lisabetta would like it to be in Italian.

I had a couple pieces in my back pocket, super memorized, but nothing that really captured Lisabetta and what -she- would have wanted. So, I did a bit of thinking. Lisabetta is female artisan who has worked her entire life to be the incredible, warm and well versed in her art. Although her persona is not 16th century (or atleast, I don’t think) I feel like she would have loved the music of the 16th century and Isabelle D’Este, who was the reason why women in the 16th century were able to have a viable career. She loved madrigals and so I pulled out my book of Madrigals and picked out “O Occhi Manza Mia”.

I had been heralding all day in the cold so seeing if I still had a voice was a thing. Here is the translation.

O occhi, manza mia, cigli dorati,
o faccia d’una luna stralucente,
Tienemi mente,
gioia mia bella,
Guardam’un poc’a me, fami contiento.
O bocca come zuccaro impanato,
o canna che specchiare fai la gente,
Tienimi…
O cuore, manza mia, perfido cuore.
tu sei la gioia mia, lo mio amore!
Tienimi…

Oh my beloved’s eyes, set in gold-blond lashes,
oh face more luminous than the moon,
Keep me in mind,
my lovely treasure,Look upon me for a little while, and keep me happy.
Oh mouth like sugarloaf,
oh throat, that brings crowds in to suckle,
Keep me…
Oh heart, my beloved, most perfidious of hearts,
you are my treasure, you are my love!
Keep me…

Oh yeah… I also read the scroll.. because I could.

Composer: Orlando di Lasso

Language: Italian

First published: 1581 in Libro de villanelle, moresche et altre canzoni, no. 15

Posted on

51 Here I come

Pennsic 51 was not as full as I would have liked it to be, but maybe it was what I needed. This year was weird and between the weather and a less than full schedule, I don’t know how I managed to still have an over full schedule to not spend much time in camp.

Pennsic this year was hot but manageable. Much more manageable than GNEW by a good 10 degrees or so. Spouse creature and I took 2 days to drive down instead of 1 which seemed to be a solid plan. We got there at a good time when there was no rain, which was huge! He doesn’t mind setting up in the rain, but alores alons, I am a princess.

Before we got to site, the vehicle above was spotted. This brought me a silly amount of joy. It became more joyful when I realized I knew the humans -inside- the vehicle. We were messaging directly for about 30-45 mins. It started to get the hype up for Pennsic in a way that it was going to feel like HOME.

This year we chose to camp topside with our Barony, Stonemarche. I have to give a huge shoutout to camp moms Julienne and her Excellency Dierdre. Camp was perfectly laid out, spacious and felt again, like home.

These flag-a-dos were great and our footprint was laid out for us. That was super nice. However, as mentioned before, I am a princess and do not enjoy hear. Can you tell by my face?

The rest of the day was uneventful. This was also the first year that we would be cooking all of our own meals for the whole 8 days we were there. In years past, I had camped with a group that had fed us the whole week so the only thing I needed to worry about was my medications, snacks and breakfast. I am picky about brekky and don’t really do solid food. Also, to be fair, there were snacks, but I have a specific diet I try to keep to while I am away at events. It helps keep me hydrated as well as within my needs for protein… which are high. However, none of you came here to read about my dietary needs. You can here for the tea on Pennsic and TEA I shall bring… or coffee. Hmm. I could use some coffee right about now…. anyways!

Saturday was my OMGWTFBBQSAUCE rehearsal day. I had 3 rehearsals and a performance today. Sleeping in is not a thing on the ‘getti. I learned this the same way I learn everything… sheer brute force and stubborness. Which… didn’t help. I was up-ish with the sun and spent a lazy morning in camp, drinking coffee out of “Mine-ick”. The cousin of Yorik. Rehearsals started at about 12:30 with my Laurel, Sabine. She is always warm and willing to work with my less than focused brain. We played through duets, trios. It was nice to just -play- with no judgement. My recorder site reading is rusty as I focus more on voice. We picked some pieces which we were going to play for incidental music for the Runnymeade dinner the next day and then off to my next rehearsal I went.

Just down the block, off I went to meet with my Apprentice “Niece” Adelissa. She plays a plethora of strung instruments and so I had asked her if she was willing to accompany me for one of my solo pieces that I was choosing to do. She’s is very good and a fast study. So we worked through that and then off to my final rehearsal with Amalie. She is another classically trained opera vocalist who I have been -dying- to make music with. If you have not heard her sing, you absolutely should. It was like we had always sang together. We blended well, our timbre’s were well suited for one another and we seemed to make good choices around breathing spots in a way that would not effect the music.

From that rehearsal it was time to look cute. Off to Opening ceremonies! I love the pomp that it brings. It really helps make the event for me. However, not much time to stick around as I was heading off to perform at the EK/MID Bardic Showcase.

This year the showcase was centered on stories. I don’t often tell stories because when I do I become a very different persona. Solveig the singer is very demure, well behaved and serious. Solveig the story tell is well? A goblin. I don’t know what does it to me, but telling stories, I want to get down on the ground, play with levels… tempos… emotions. Also, these days, when I tell stories, I tend to dress in more masculine presenting clothing. I can’t tell you why, it’s just what triggers in my brain. My Apprentice “Nephew” Phillipe is also a fantastic story teller. However, he was helping me “Run” this from the background perspective and wasn’t up for telling a story this year.

Thus ends my public post for Saturday.

Sunday was filled with a mix of items. My first group rehearsal for the KWP: The Reckoning By Master Lorcan, I was once again playing in the pit. No new faces this year until the slightly later edition of Phillipe. However, I was also serving as the vocal coach for the 3 performers who were in varying stages of vocal performance. I worked with them for about an hour to 90 mins and by the end of our time together, it appeared to me that they were confident enough to bring that piece to life. oh! and lots of rain

From there I hauled tush to a few tents over where I was teaching my Bardic 101 class. This class is so important for newer folks and I wish I had a class like this when I started. When I started in the SCA 14+ years ago, I didn’t really have a path or anyone I could super talk to about Bardic. I found some folks a few years later, but this class would have been a great guided tour and I am glad to keep offering it. I had 12 people attend this class and a few contact me after for more information. That is always a thrill.

Later in the evening I would be orchestrating and performing in the Runnymeade Dinner. This is a gathering of all the landed Baronages of the East Kingdom. I was originally asked to bring “High Italian Aria” like feeling to their Excellencies. I had also recruited Amalie to sing a solo and a Duet with me. She sang “It was a lover and his lass”. As a duet, we did Machaut’s “Je Ne Cuit Pas”. This piece is in Occitan french so additional pronunciation research had to be done. And I finally finished with I’vo’ Bene. by Firenze The below picture captures 3 generations so to speak. My Laurel, Sabine, Myself and my student, Drustan.

This was also a chance for him to be exposed more and people could see him performing more. Covid killed a lot of folks desires to perform and be seen in public. He is working through this. So, he brought his guitar and a goose quill and he did a lovely job of playing for 20 minutes just as background music.

I had recruited about 8-9 performers to play and there was a lot of quick thinking as 1 of my musicians who I was counting on bowed out and the other did not show due to illness. So, re-organization needed to happen and quickly. I tried to make sure everyone had a chance to be seen/heard but of course, things never go according to plan. I think I should have made sure i had more reasonable backup plans besides “You go here now”.

We had only been asked to play until about 8 or so. From there, the instrumentalists packed up and made a quick stop at Bhakail’s boardgame and music night. I premiered my new song for the first time this week and I think it went well. We had stormed into camp like a flock of geese singing “Well Actually” by Her Excellency Emma Macalmone and then hailed Bhakail with a mighty “WAUGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”.

As dark o’clock rolled in we then hit VDK Bardic which is hosted by her Grace Caoilfhionn. Which, she, herself also has quite a beautiful voice. If you haven’t listened to the “Sing for the East” CD, she sings with Drake on “We are the East”. Anyways, I rolled in with the Bard Yard and once again, showed off my new song. This is important to me as I am super anxious about sharing my own work. I always feel like it’s never as good as anyone else’s. I know we cannot compare as all music is it’s own creation, but I want this piece in particular to be an anthem for “The Bards”. I can never tell if anything is well received or not, especially when the audience is small. So, I stuck around for a little bit, chatted with friends and again, back to N33 I went!.

Monday was my first instrumental Reckoning rehearsal, followed by running the annual Pennsic EKCOP meeting but nothing too flavorful for the day.

Tuesday was rehearsal, court and retaining and hitting up Silver Oak Bardic. I brought minstrels memory and a story as this was a group of select Bards who were performing for their own love and they were all skilled “Hand Picked” performers.

Wednesday was the same, but replace Silveroak bardic with the Holy Kingdom of Acre Bardic. Acre is a parallel game to ours. I have made many friends in their game and they are a lovely group of people so I try to make it to their Bardics.

Thursday was a big day for me. I would be teaching my intro to 16th century vocal technique and pedagogy. I am passionate about the voice and showing folks that there is more to singing than just opening your mouth. It is an Olympic sport with lots of research. I was only able to touch on a few key factors from key players into the 16th century for performance, who was singing and what ornaments were being used, but I was pleased that I had 6 participants come to my class, Thursday morning at 10:00 am ACROSS the battlefield.

Later that morning I had the joy of giving a private voice lesson from my camp. I had donated an hour of singing for voice lessons to a young human who had a passion for singing. It had been about 10 years since I worked with someone her age and it was really nice. Her enthusiasm and willingness to grow was so fresh and great to see. Her guardian was also a big support in her growth and I really enjoyed both of them. I do hope they continue to pursue voice with kiddo.

Friday Fri-yay! Just the reckoning on the schedule. A few pictures below, stolen from the beautiful Emeline (Phillipe’s Spouse and good friend of mine as well). Our performance was a performance. I don’t have much to say about it because it’s a pit performance. We weren’t meant to be the shining stars. The Stage actors and Actresses were and they did a phenomenal job.

Like I said… not much to report this year. It wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t amazing either. Hoping next year changes that.

Posted on

2024-The GNEW Edition

In the 14+ years I have been playing in the SCA, I have yet to miss a GNEW.

This year was emotionally tough to get motivated for. Had I not had prior commitments, I had thought about skipping. It has nothing to do with the event itself as it is a wonderful event. It had nothing to do with the offerings or the people. It was simply “It’s hot, I’m tired and I don’t wanna”.

The weather until the day before had predicted rain. LOTS of rain. If you are not from New England, a lesson you should know is that, “If you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes”.

So, I waited. The weather cleared for the entire weekend and that was grand.

Wolfgang, Child and I arrived on site about 3 hours later than I had planned, which worked out with the weather (heat).

We set up camp, but I was already full of anxiety. There were some things in my personal life plaguing me, but I won’t get into them here, plus the anxiety of teaching a new class, running an ensemble with very litter external direction from the coordinators and a performing a boast which I had written for a dear friend.

Thursday evening, we sat in camp and wandered about to see friends. Much of my memories for the evening was a blur, but I suspect it was due to my busy day ahead of me on Friday.

Friday am came too quickly and it was rehearsal time. 9:00 am is not my favorite, but it’s when we were all available. The rehearsal was for playing in the Deed of Arms. If you read my blog last year, we did the same thing.

This year we played an assortment of Duets and Trios from the Rosenbeck books (1 and 2) and some other gems I grabbed off the internet. All of the pieces we played would have been heard in the 14th century (So, 13th and 14th century pieces).

I am grateful for Ameline (Center) and Richard (Right) for their willingness to play and be flexible… and meeting me at 9am for rehearsal.

After we finished up, I was off to teach my brand new class, “16th Century Vocal Technique and Pedagogy”.

The class was attending by a few people, but their varying levels of background gave me a good sense of what was working and if anything had areas of opportunity for growth. I focus on a very niche topic and I am always concerned that there will be no interest in it. I am excited to present this class at Pennsic. This will be 1 of 2 class offerings that I will be bringing to Pennsic.

From there, I hid back in my tent until it was just time to change for the Deed. Part of the Deed was not only playing 14th century music, but also dressing. Apparently, my performers and I chose an unofficial uniform. GREEN FOR DAYS!

The Deed itself was wonderful to watch and each of my instrumentalists were a delight. Not pictured is our wonderful bagpipe player.

The rest of the evening was spent socializing and prepping for the next day.

The next AM, the true reason I was excited to be at GNEW were my friends, Tessa, was about to be elevated to the Order of the Pelican, Cedric to the Order of Defense and Matt to the Order of the Pelican.

Tessa is my deputy for Harper’s retreat 2024 (COME! IT WILL BE A GREAT TIME). I had been told about her elevation and was asked to boast/herald her in. Who was I to refuse this great honor to celebrate my friend. She and I were doing a site walk and had stayed behind to do some follow-up discussion from the site-walk. I had a stroke of genius… or perhaps just a stroke, but I figured out how I was going to get what she wanted for a boast (Mind you, she has no peer, no ICOP…just friends desperately trying to not ruin the secret).

“Hey Tessa… I’ve got a friend down in Atlantia who’s going to be elevated to Laurel in September. They’ve got a 14th century Italian Persona and they -love music/performing arts. Any idea what they might like for a boast?”

“Solveig, you should do it based on Chaucer from “”A knights tale””. His speeches are *chefs kiss*”.

There… that is what I was going to do. I watched all of the speeches and settled on his 2nd speech. Separate post coming with the boast and information.

After she was taken to Vigil (and I had shot a little archery with Wolfgang) I went to go visit my friend, Tessa. (I did not visit the other two as Cedric lives 2 miles from me and had a mile long list of visitors and Matt also had a mile long list of visitors.) I went in by myself (though, I typically take Wolfgang in with me, I wanted this to be a private moment between us.

I’m not a peer, but I always try to bring some words of wisdom and support to candidates I am talking to. I never rehearse anything and only speak from the heart. It is, however, my goal to make them cry. Cry from being touched, from feels… whatever.

Anyways, I walked in. I shared with Tessa that information. I shared with her that I did the wordsmithing on her scroll (But would not share it at that time) and also that I was who was going to be boasting her in. I gently reminded her of our last Harper’s walkthrough. I explained I wanted to share her boast with her now as she would likely be too wrapped up in emotions to be able to hear the boast (Despite my crystal clear diction and projection ^_~). As I started to read it to her, her face lit up.

“You bitch!” said in the most loving way possible.

We laughed for the last few minutes and I left her with a hug.

From there I ran off to go to practice read through the scrolls at court. Audrye runs a tight and well oiled machine and I am always thankful to work under her. I read scrolls and found out I got to spend some delightful time sitting with Wolfgang and Erik (We share a Peer…actually all 3 of us do but anyways).

It was time for the Silver Wheels to be called up. I knew 5/6 of the recipients. I…. made a medallion for each of them. I care for them all and they have all touched me in different ways that this was just something small I wanted to do for them. I suspect many may be passed down or given away, but I wanted them to feel cared for in the moment.

I had not realized that there was only 1 recipient that I didn’t know. I wish I had so I could have gifted her one as well. The schtick of this court became “Is there a medallion?” “Yes, your majesty” *Hustles up to the front of court* “Is there a legacy?” “Nope…. I made it” and some form of variation for each of the 5 I made.

Finally, it was time for the boast. An adult beverage consumed before hand to “Take the edge off” and then here we go!

This was my first truly “Heroic” style boast. I was trying to channel Paul Bettany but still make it my own.

I could not do a better set of timing because I had a parade of folks behind me, but I still tried to do my best. I feel like I at least nailed the timing for the finish.

I heard some snickers, I saw folks reacting in pictures. I watched the video that Arlyanna van Wyck had taken (Thank you as always, Arlyanna for all your hard work and the gift you give to the kingdom with your videography. You capture so many memories).

It wasn’t perfect, but it was perfect for the moment. I, as a performer, am mostly content with it, but the fact that it did make my friend’s day, is all that mattered.

My heart is full and I feel somewhat revitalized. I am still taking the rest of the summer easy as I have responsibilities at Pennsic and Harper’s and in October, my royals step up and I work more for my Largesse coordination.

Please check out the boast video and the scroll words when you get the chance.

The bard go flop now.

-thud-

Posted on

Allll by mysellllfffff

Sometimes you just need to sing. Living in the southern edge of NH means I don’t have a ton of folx I can be like SING WITH ME. Especially the night before an event. So, I decided to make some music with myself-ish.

Last year, I was honored to be able to participate in a concern hosted by my friend, Colette. We sang a mix of pieces, but I fell in love with a piece by Machaut which we performed. The version of the piece we sang was a duet. This could be done with 2 voices, voice and instrument, 2 instruments. We performed with 2 instruments.

Colette had sent everyone learning tracks (Being the amazingly kind human that they are). I still had access to these tracks so I grabbed the one for the bottom part so I could sing with it. It is Colette la Trouvere singing the bottom.

This was the result of boredom.

I hope you enjoy!