Posts Tagged ‘Music’

14
Dec

A happy third Sunday in Advent

   Posted by: Dorothea Preis    in Medieval Miscellany

Clare_College_-_Old_Court_-_geograph.org.uk_-_712555To help all our readers to get into the spirit of the season, here is a link to a rendition of the medieval carol ‘Gaudete’, performed by the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge.

(Photograph of the Old Court of Clare College, Cambridge:  © Copyright Scriniary and licensed for reuse under thisCreative Commons Licence)

 

Tags: ,

11
Dec

Loyaulté me lie

   Posted by: Dorothea Preis    in News

It is interesting to see what impact the discovery of Richard’s remains had on the arts.  Those who attended the Australasian Convention will remember vividly Graham Keitch’s beautiful ‘In memoriam Ricardus Rex‘.  However, he is not the only musician to be inspired by what happened in Leicester.

Some time ago, I had the pleasure to listen to a few songs about Richard III by a group called The Legendary Ten Seconds.  These songs are part of their new album ‘Loyaulté me lie’, which can now be purchased in mp3 format.

The American branch of the Richard III Society wrote this for the sleeve notes:

In this brilliant collection of songs, the Legendary Ten Seconds reveal the unquenched fighting spirit of the House of York and the steadfast loyalty of Good King Richard. They also bring to life the haunting sadness of death itself. This album is indeed worthy of King Richard III’s motto.

The Richard III Society, American Branch. R3.org (November 2013)

Proceeds from the sale of the music will be donated to a scoliosis charity.

You can download the album from both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk or from iTunes.

While these are compositions by modern musicians, the York Waits have recorded a new album ‘The White Rose And The Red: Music From The Age Of Richard III‘ with music from Richard’s lifetime.  As one of their members explains:  “We know that the Duke of Gloucester, or Richard III as he became, was a cultivated man who employed musicians. “

You can order their new CD via their website.

Tags: ,

28
Aug

OVER AND OVER AGAIN

   Posted by: Dorothea Preis    in News

Whatever happened to the Princes in the Tower?   This new song by Robin Pizer entitled ‘Over and Over Again’ includes some theories and some likely suspects.  It is a folksy tune and the lyrics are concerned with who, if anyone killed the princes.

This is Robin’s second song on the topic of Richard III.  Shortly after the confirmation that the remains found in Leicester were indeed those of King Richard III earlier this year, he had published this ‘King Richard III Song’, based on the historical account of King Richards death and the finding of bones in Greyfriars Leicester.

We surely all feel like singing along to the refrain “And all the people sing Long Live the King!”

Tags: ,

22
Aug

On 22 August …

   Posted by: Dorothea Preis    in News, Society News

While we commemorate Richard’s death at the Battle of Bosworth, today we are also waiting for the the completion of the Society Website to be launched later today (UK time).  Highlights include:

• The Wars of the Roses section which can be found under Richard’s World, a critical section which provides context for the life and times of King Richard;

• Further articles about Richard himself including a new contribution on his burial written specially for the site by John Ashdown-Hill. This will be complimented by an examination of his death from a member of the ‘Looking for Richard’ project when the research from the Greyfriars is completed;

• Revised bibliographies covering both King Richard and the Wars of the Roses and with links to book reviews that have been published in The Ricardian;

• A revised and extensive list of links to other sites which are complementary to our own;

• In response to requests for more online articles we are publishing all the articles, and a selection of the book reviews, from The Ricardian covering the years 2004 through to 2008. We hope to publish online earlier articles but the scanning and proofing is a slow process and we need more resource to complete this task;

• Similarly we are publishing back-copies of The Ricardian Bulletin from 2003 to 2011 though sadly, for technical reasons, we do have some missing issues;

• The Barton Librarians have been updating their catalogues and revised editions are now becoming available but in the interim the existing catalogues are available online.

• An online gallery, a section which initially showcases music, pictures, sculptures, and videos, which will be enhanced in the future.

Some musical notes in commemoration of Richard:  Graham Keitch’s beautiful ‘In Memoriam Ricardus Rex’, which those who attended the Australasian Convention will remember vividly, has also been posted on YouTube and you can listen to it here again.

This is not the only tribute to Richard on YouTube.  You might want also like to watch this moving tribute to our king.

Tags: , ,

25
May

MUSIC FOR A KING

   Posted by: Dorothea Preis    in News

Niclas von Popplau reports after his visit to Richard III in spring of 1484 that the king employed a choir which performed ‘the loveliest music I have ever heard in all my life’*, so we can guess that Richard appreciated good music.

Therefore I am sure he would also appreciate the music which is now written in his memory. Here are two examples.

Graham Keitch wrote a beautiful choral piece ‘In memoriam Ricardus Rex’.  Listen to it here.  And a little hint for all who attend the Australasian Convention in July, it might very well feature there as well.

The Richard III has hosted an orchestoral piece by Robert Draper.  You can find out more about this and of course listen to it on the website of the Richard III Society here.

Enjoy!

*Livia Visser-Fuchs, ‘He hardly touched his food, but talked with me all the time:  What Niclas von Popplau really wrote about Richard III’, The Ricardian, Vol.XI, No.145 (June 1999), p.526

Tags: , ,

5
Apr

MUSIC FOR A KING

   Posted by: Dorothea Preis    in News

Again something for those of us who can be in Leicester this month.  Should your feet be tired after having spent the day  battling for the crown, you an afternoon with medieval music might just be the perfect end to a Ricardian day. Historical entertainment company Blast From The Past are bringing a concert of medieval music in honour of Richard III under the heading ‘Music for a King’.

More information here (you have to scroll down a bit).

Tags: , ,

15
Dec

MUSIC TO MAKE THE WAIT EASIER

   Posted by: Dorothea Preis    in Greyfriars Dig, News

We all often feel that music can make a boring or unpleasant task easier.  An impression that the University of Leicester shares.  To make the wait for the results of tests being carried out on the male remains found during the Greyfriars dig easier, a concert of medieval music “which will tell the story of King Richard III’s life” has been announced.

The idea is to bring together a collection of music from the times and places Richard would have known.   The music is to be performed by a recorder trio, TritonE, led by Janet Forbes.  She has been researching the kind of music which would have been around in England during Richard’s youth, but also music he would have encountered during his time in Burgundy.

Here he might have heard music from the Glogauer Liederbuch, a collection of 3-part instrumental arrangements of popular songs.  These are not songs which would have been used in a liturgical, ceremonial, or political context, but rather is full of tunes to be played for fun by anyone.   The book has been regarded as the first documented intersection of music and the market. [Wallmark]

In addition to songs from the Glogauer Liederbuch there will also be other music from the Franco-Flemish area.  As Janet Forbes said:  “We are trying to pick music from places he visited and pieces written about things he was doing.”

The concert is organized by the archaeological team behind the Leicester dig.  Prof Lin Foxhall, Head of the School of Archaeology & Ancient History at the University of Leicester, said that the concert would offer another perspective of Richard and his times through the sounds he would have heard.  We know that Richard appreciated good music, because his visitor Nicholas von Popplau listened at his court to “the sweetest music he had ever heard”. [Visser-Fuchs]

The concert will take place on 11 January from 18h30 to 19h30.  Tickets are £5 for the general public, however, for most of us in New South Wales the airfare would have to be added to this, making it perhaps a tad pricey to attend.  For our readers, who are in the Leicester area, this should be a great way to spend the time waiting for the results, expected for early next year.

For all of us who cannot attend the concert but may appreciate some music to make the wait easier, here is a song from the Glogauer Liederbuch on YouTube.  It is called ‘Die Katzenpfote’ (The Cat’s Paw).

References:

‘Concert to tell story of King Richard III’s life through medieval music’, University of Leicester Press Office (14 Dec 2012).  URL:  http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/press-releases/2012/december/concert-to-tell-story-of-king-richard-iii2019s-life-through-medieval-music Date accessed:  15 Dec 2012

Dr Livia Visser-Fuchs, ‘Richard III’s personal interests’, Richard III Society.  URL: http://www.richardiii.net Date accessed:  9 Aug 2010

Zach Wallmark, ‚Glogauer Liederbuch‘, The Taruskin Challenge (22 Nov 2009).  URL:  http://taruskinchallenge.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/glogauer-liederbuch/ Date accessed:  15 Dec 2012

Tags: , , ,