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Too many people think that the music of the Middle Ages was just Gregorian chant, and long, depressing, tedious ballads. But that's not true. The Middle Ages rocked!
There was lively dance music, songs sung to dancelike melodies, slow sad airs, reverent spiritual music, and lots of lovely lyrics. Often one or more of these genres spilled over into each other. There was a vast wealth of instruments - far more than we use today, as many of the musicians designed and made their own.
It has also been speculated that there was a great deal more individual variations in the voices, because there were no recordings, no concert halls - and thus no ubiquitous role models that young and upcoming singers could emulate. So much of the music was so very complex, however, that most scholars agree that the singers of the Middle Ages must have been fabulous.
There is no way for sure that anyone can be sure that they're reproducing and interpreting the music on the old and crumbling manuscripts the same way some minstrel did 700 years ago. But we're doing our best!
And the music of the Middle Ages is a window to the past - one way to understand how our long-ago ancestors felt, thought, lived. This is what I hope to bring you through this site.
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| A wistful lyric sung by a young man facing death by execution. | |
Credits: Words and Music by Mary Devlin. Steve Lo Bue, guest vocalist/autoharp; Mary Devlin, harp; Rick Yamashiro, flute |
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| A lament of unrequited love by medieval trouvère Conon de Bethune. |
CD: ROBIN LOVES ME
Label: Winged Horse Music
Credits: Mary Devlin, harp and voice |
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| An instrumental dance from the 14th century. |
CD: BETWEEN MARCH AND APRIL
Credits: Mary Devlin, gittern; Shira Kammen, vielle |
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