And suddenly it’s April!
Im writing from a very rainy Yorkshire where April has come in with some very persistent showers. Things are starting to look green again - Yorkshire is a very green place, it comes with all the rain! so hopefully spring is on the way.
This newsletter looks back to the Online Festival and forward to the September Festival, and then has a bit of fun with manuscripts….
Online Festival
It was lovely to see so many of you at the Online Festival a week or so ago. Speaking for myself it was great to see and hear some of the performances from last September. The vocal workshop seemed to go really well, and I am thinking it might be fun to have another one in August, in the run-up to the festival. Richard is up for it, and we think it would be good to have a look at another Ludus Danielis chorus - for those attending the festival it would be a chance to familiarise oneself with the repertoire before perhaps attending Richard’s workshop, and for anyone else it would be a good sing at least! Let me know if you are interested in this.
I do, however, have an apology to make. We had decided not to record the whole festival as it is actually a lot of work to edit down the masses of footage and the quality via Zoom is not always the best - particularly replaying videos which are of themselves better quality unmediated through Zoom. So I was intending to put the featured videos together into a playlist alongside recordings of the workshop and the visit with the Dodds. But… we forgot to press record at the relevant times. That’s the advantage of simply recording the lot I guess. So, in short, I will be putting the video playlist together for all ticketholders to access but alas no workshop or visit. Many apologies for this.
September Festival - Box Office Is Now Open!
The Box Office for Ludus: MMitD 2024 opens at 12 noon (UK time) tomorrow, Thursday 4th April.
This means you will be able to book for the Festival. There are quite full instructions on the booking page but as usual if you have any questions please get in touch.
The booking page is https://buytickets.at/medievalmusicinthedales/1157645
Just a few quick points to note:
If you would like to be a Steward at MMitD 2024 - which means you get a Free Festival Pass in return for around 20 hours work over the course of the event don’t book online. Fill in the form here and I’ll be in touch
If you are a Castle Stage Performer or an Exhibitor (in the Instrument Makers Exhibition) at MMitD 2024 you will receive an email with a discount code to use when you book. You still need to get a Festival Pass if you want to attend any daytime concerts, chamber concerts, or workshops, but there is a substantial discount available for you. If you don’t want to attend any of these but just want to hang out and enjoy the Castle Stage action, talks, and other entertainments in the Great Chamber during the day, you don’t need to get any Pass.
If you are a Friend of MMitD you should already have received your discount code - get in touch if you have not received it or can’t track down the relevant email!
There are two bursaries available for a Free Festival Pass. These are for those who simply can’t afford to attend the Festival otherwise, with preference for those who are pursuing a career in medieval music-making. Please get in touch if you fit the bill. I’m sorry there are not more available; we hope to increase this option in the future.
Finally, evening concerts, the Study Day, camping and 1-2-1 tuition are not included in the Festival Pass. You need to book and pay for these separately. If you just want to attend an evening concert, or take a tuition session, or attend the Study Day you don’t need a Festival Pass.
A bit late for April Fools Day, but….
If you follow MMitD on Facebook, you’ll have noticed this bit of fun that I posted on 31 March, not realising that it would have been perfect to leave it just one more day! I spotted this image (from Walters Ms. W.759, the Beaupre Antiphonary) shared by the brilliant Medieval Advisor and was struck by the image of the man very plainly dancing to the music of the other three present. I showed it to Paul and he instantly said ‘that’s the best evidence I’ve seen for the air gittern!” Ha ha, right?
We then went on to decide that it was either air gittern or medieval body-popping!
So anyway, that made me remember having ages ago saved this picture (left) because it seemed to cry out for a caption. Here we have King David tuning his harp - a familiar subject - while one of his musicians seizes the opportunity for a bit of shawm practice (or perhaps trumpet?) Either way, as a harpist, it makes me want to scream! Meanwhile, the guy in the middle is perhaps singing, but if not, what do you think he’s saying to David?
(Bellowing) “He says that’s a D, my lord!!!”
Any other ideas?
And if you have any medieval music pictures that cry out for a caption, I’d love to see them!
Image comes from British Library Add. MS 62925, the Rutland Psalter
For example, this image from Bib. Nat. fr. 112 (depicting Tristan murdered by the jealous King Mark as he plays for Isolde) is a classic of the caption genre which is often seen on social media.
My personal favourite (again as a harp player) is
“Tough crowd!”
But I also like this one, originally in Italian as
“Se non ti piaceva la music, bastava dirlo!”
”If you didn’t like the music, just say so!
Any other ideas?
Anyway, that’s enough foolishness for now! Happy April everyone, and if you are planning to be with us at Bolton Castle in September, get booking - some workshops and tuition opportunites fill up fast.
Cheers for now
Gill
Gill Page
Director, Medieval Music in the Dales
email
