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!

Hamlet, Hamlet!

Hamlet

Although this was not my own production, I was granted a chance to perform with the gifted cast. A few days ago, my Laurel, Sabine, had reached out to me asking if I would be willing to be a part of the live intermission music for Hamlet. This was a live reading so I thought it would also be really cool to be a part of a live performance in any way I could.

I was trying to wrap my head around a way to make this work. Sure, I have some ok recording equipment which make for OK sound equipment when recording. I also don’t really have any period instruments that I play well enough to accompany myself. However, it hit me that I didn’t -need- one. I have a keyboard in my house and music!

This would probably be the only chance I will have in the foreseeable future to be able to play piano and sing without it being too jarring.

Among that challenge, there is the looming of the novel virus COVID-19, which, has put a damper on my performance muse. I won’t even really sing seriously in front of my fiancé.  It’s amazing what isolation will do to your singing spirit.

From there, a small bit of rehearsal and details to iron out.

Day of, everything that could go wrong on the musical side of technology went wrong. After multiple reboots, some sound engineering (Thanks to my fiancé for helping listen for balance checks) and then leveling the volume of the keyboard versus my voice, it was time to go.

Right before I was going to sing, the power supply blew and a quick changing of sockets fixed everything.

Was this my best performance? No. Did I get to be a part of an amazing production? Absolutely.

Thank you again, Sabine for coordinating this and to my fellow performers who made a magical day.

If you have not watched this, please enjoy!

Etherial Court

I was approached by one of the coordinators to do a bardic piece of Ethereal court # 2. I was honored and floored.

I was only given 2 weeks leeway to get it recorded. Would my new mic be in? Would I have time around my new child to get this completed? Oh! Oh! Let’s add one more layer. It needs instruments.

Oh! A theme! Let’s make sure this is 100% period. 

I did some digging for my theme, which was mother’s and essential workers. What better than to use the Cantigas de Santa Maria. 

I have never performed any of the Cantigas prior to this. This involved me digging, finding correct pronunciation, performance style and accompaniment. The pronunciation of early Spanish is different from the modern Castilian I learned back in middle/high school. I Also, I haven’t done any musical mixing since 20XX…. long time ago. NEW FUN PROJECT!!!!

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Cantiga 357: Como tórç’ o dém’ os nembros do hóme per séus pecados

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1iDCVizeMsbw1I21yn7RaPe6iEhcUziGf

Vocalist: Solveig Bjarnardottir

Cellist: Kennereic Aubrey

Recorder: Bird the Bard

Translation:

A woman named Doña Sancha suffered an illness that twisted her face and clouded her eyes. Her mouth was so contorted that she could not eat.

She went to the Church of Santa Maria do Porto and prayed to the Virgin to cure her.

She placed candles in front of the altar and remained there for nine days.

After she had completed her novenas, the Virgin released her from her affliction.

She healed her face and made her features more beautiful than they had ever been before.

All the people there deemed the miracle the best one of all.

Website for lyrics, IPA translation and mensural notation:

http://www.cantigasdesantamaria.com/csm/357

You can also watch the beautiful video at 18:23 or watch the whole inspirational court

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khi88DE8W0c&ab_channel=SCAEastKingdom