My Lords and Ladies - album now available - 16th century rocks

With twelve tracks finished I decided to draw a line and call this project finished. There are many more 'Lords and Ladies' but I have other ideas that I'd like to explore.

The music is played directly from the old sheet music, maintaining the renaissance feel of the music, with additional rhythms and guitar improvisation for a modern rock sound. I'm very proud of the result.

"that's certainly different... Well done." - my Mum.


It's available for listening and, if you'd like to keep it forever, for purchase, in two places so far - Bandcamp and CD Baby.

https://canzon-cataclysmico.bandcamp.com/releases

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/canzoncataclysmico

Recent work, Lord Rendal

This traditional ballad didn't really fit with the rest of the tunes that I've been recording. It is said to date back to the 17th century as 'testament of the poisoned man' or similar (and in Italian I think). But that had a very different tune.

The version I came across and really liked was by a Victorian gentleman, Granville Bantock. But I went with it anyway. Hey, they're my rules. And did what I felt was right. An opportunity to play a slow melody flugelhorn solo as the intro and finish, and get a bit raucous in the middle.

That doesn't really fit with the sentiment of the song, which is a conversation between Lord Rendal (or Randal sometimes) and his mother. He's feeling pretty ill and it turns out that he's been poisoned by his sweetheart. His mother seems more concerned about what things he's leaving to members of his family.

I'm pleased with what I've done nonetheless.


That makes 12 tracks now, and I'm going to start uploading them for purchase at Bandcamp and other sites, and preparing myself for the sound of tumbleweed.

Latest work, Lord Willoughby His Welcome Home by John Dowland / William Byrd

I've just finished this after some late nights and I'm really happy with it.


I upgraded my guitar halfway through working on this. The new one is set up beautifully so there are fewer intonation problems on this recording and I'm learning how to achieve a nicer recorded guitar sound.

Once again the music / chord changes lend themselves really well to a rock style, while still retaining the renaissance feel.

The sheet music I've used is from My Ladye Nevells Booke of Virginal Music (1591) (number 33). That's obviously written for keyboard but as is often the case with harpsichord or virginal music it's not too much trouble to pick out four or five parts.

I'm a little confused though because that collection of virginal music is credited to William Byrd. (It's also rather quaintly spelled 'Lord Willobies Welcome Home'[sic]) I can't see a credit to John Dowland on that arrangement, but I'm sure that Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home is a John Dowland tune.

I've found these notes on the collection of music but it doesn't mention other composers' names, only crediting William Byrd.

So I'm fairly sure that I should credit this to John Dowland, arr. William Byrd. (And rearranged by me.)   If anyone can confirm or clarify,  please do let me know.

About

Here's a quick run-down of how this project arrived at where it is today.



Some friends from the brass band / brass quartet world and I started to take an interest in the music of the sixteenth-century. There are some commercial arrangements for brass  of some great tunes from the period, such as Pass Time with Good Company, Earl of Oxford's March, King's Hunting Jig. It was easy to find sheet music for much more along the same lines (original manuscripts and more usefully, readable transcriptions) and create the four parts that we needed.

That worked out pretty well, we ended up with some OK recordings but never performed in public. I felt the need to be doing something a little different with the music.

I think Blackmore's Night's Locked Within The Crystal Ball was my epiphany. It turns out to be based on Stella Splendens (took me a long while to make that connection). They really make it rock and add their own lyrics.

There are more projects along the same lines - I absolutely love The Bones of All Men by Phillip Pickett & Richard Thompson. It's a little less 'rock' but still adds a modern feel to the music. There's Apocalypse Orchestra, nice and heavy but maybe a little doomy for me. And numerous bands such as Eluvitie and Saltatis Mortis who are successfully combining ancient and modern instruments and the feel of the old music with modern rock.

At around the same time, I had an accident which put me out of action brass-wise. (A pavement-face interface which led to some dental work and surgery on my top lip.) That door closing led to some new doors opening - I learned recorder from scratch and bought an electric guitar for the first time since my teens.

I'm gradually getting better at recording this music. It's taken a lot of trial and error to find the most suitable microphones and A/D / USB interface (currently SM57 and a Roland QuadCapture) and I've moved to Logic Pro from Garage Band.

The quality of my recordings isn't perfect and my performances still leave room for improvement, but it really isn't about those things. It's about the concept - finding out what can be made by blending the new and the old.

As I write this I've completed around eight tracks. These include a Status Quo-inspired Lady Hudson's Puffe and a flugelhorn performance of Early of Salisbury's Pavane that I'm really proud of. (Back in action brass-wise, with limited stamina and range.) I'm loving the possibilities!

I'm planning to use this blog to write about the things I learn on the way, some of the great music I find, my development with new instruments (drums and percussion!) and anything else that occurs to me.