Medieval Baebes, Salva Nos (1997): Meanings and Origins of Songs
Website design By BotEap.comMedieval Baebes are the first name on the lips of all music lovers who appreciate an exuberant and intoxicating medieval atmosphere. They have been featured prominently on the soundtrack of almost every party I have organized. I am passionate about medieval music, and most of my friends can tell you how I cornered them after a few drinks to tell them the true origins of this or that medieval Baebes song. So I decided it was time to dedicate some of this geek enthusiasm to the page, get it out of my system, and save my friends from my ranting and raving.
Website design By BotEap.comMy next series of articles will explore the discography of Mediaeval Baebes, briefly discussing the origins and history of the music they have drawn on to create their classic recordings. I hope you enjoy it.
Website design By BotEap.comFor starters, let’s take a look at their first album, Salva Nos, released in 1997.
Website design By BotEap.com1. Hail Virgo Virginum
Website design By BotEap.comThis is an early medieval Gregorian chant praying to the Virgin Mary. The Baebe have approached it from a conservative and historically accurate angle.
Website design By BotEap.com2. Now spray the spray
Website design By BotEap.comThis is an English song, circa 1300, and an early example of the chanson d’aventure. La chanson d’aventure features a male storyteller who wanders the countryside and ends up listening to or interrupting a private moment. In this case, the singer hears a maiden cursing her lover who has despised her.
Website design By BotEap.com3. Ah! If my monk
Website design By BotEap.comAlthough this song supposedly originated in France, in the 16th century or earlier, my Canadian readers will be delighted to learn that our first written version comes from 19th century Quebec. It is a fun and funny song about a dancing monk. The word “monk” means both “monk” and “spinning top”.
Website design By BotEap.com4. Adam Lay Ibounden
Website design By BotEap.comThe lyrics for this song are in 15th century English, with music by medieval founder Baebe Katharine Blake. The result is ominous, powerful, and beautiful. Blake did a beautiful job with the stage. However, I want to take a moment to acknowledge how beautiful and important the lyrics are. The first two stanzas describe Adam, the first man, destined for a thousand winters as punishment for taking the forbidden apple in the Garden of Eden. In the third and fourth stanzas, however, the poet praises the sin of mankind and the expulsion from the garden as events without which Mary would never have become Queen of Heaven, therefore, “Blessed is the time when the apple was taken! ” This is a powerful message that is still very relevant today. When we learn to make peace with our origins, we will be better equipped to move on.
Website design By BotEap.com5. Foweles in the estuary
Website design By BotEap.comThis is another beautiful Katharine Blake original setting. The handwriting is simple, anonymous, and heartbreaking, and originated in late 13th-century England. It survives in a single manuscript where it is buried under a large number of legal writings. Interestingly, the manuscript has music with the text, but for some reason the Baebes chose to use original music for this recording.
Website design By BotEap.com6. So Treiben Wir Den Winter Aus
Website design By BotEap.comThis is an instrumental version of a 16th century German folk song about how to drive winter. Although the lyrics are omitted, one might consider it notoriously pagan, considering the songs that follow.
Website design By BotEap.com7. The Coventry tale
Website design By BotEap.comThis is a well-known song, and certainly the darkest of all Christmas carols. The Baebes did a lovely job of staying true to the 16th century transcription while the melody and rhythm sounded natural. The result is just perfect.
Website design By BotEap.com8. Gaudete
Website design By BotEap.comThis recording is a triumph. The text along with the music for the chorus comes from a 16th century Scandinavian manuscript and the verses were established by the medieval Baebe Ruth Galloway. I love this synthesis of vital creativity with reverence for the past.
Website design By BotEap.com9. Lullaby for adults
Website design By BotEap.comThis is a haunting and deeply sad solo song created by Katharine Blake. The text is Old English, but I have not been able to find any information about its origins. If you know anything, leave a comment.
Website design By BotEap.com10. Come, come
Website design By BotEap.comAnother beloved Christmas carol (or rather Advent carol), more commonly called by the name “O Ven, O Ven, Emmanuel”, but sung in the original Latin. The true origins of this song are shrouded in mystery.
Website design By BotEap.com11. Save Us
Website design By BotEap.com“Save us, star of the sea and queen of the sky!” This is an Anglo-Norman devotional song from the mid-13th century. The Baebe have added instrumentation to emphasize the beat and move the song forward.
Website design By BotEap.com12. Verbum Expensive
Website design By BotEap.comThis is another Christmas song that appears in a 14th century Florentine manuscript. Once again, the Baebes have added simple instrumentation to enhance the rhythmic interest.
Website design By BotEap.com13. Here is my heart
Website design By BotEap.comAnother hauntingly beautiful composition by Katharine Blake. The lyrics are a 12th-century English poem, with a single stanza, portraying Christ suffering on the cross.
Website design By BotEap.com14. Binnorie O Binnorie
Website design By BotEap.comIt is a Scottish ballad of which twenty-four versions survive and which dates back to the 17th century. It tells the often-told story of the “cruel sister.” One sister chokes the other to marry the sister’s man, and their bones meet and become a harp, singing the truth about the murder. It’s interesting that the Baebes chose to record it as an instrumental piece. For those who know him, the words float behind the music, like the subtle voice of a murdered girl singing her truth after death.
Website design By BotEap.com15. This Ay Nicht
Website design By BotEap.comThis song in English is properly called Lyke-Wake Dirge and is about the journey of the soul after death. It was first written in the 17th century, but is believed to be much older. It is chilling and powerful and has been worked on and reworked by countless poets and musicians throughout the centuries.
Website design By BotEap.com16. Miri is
Website design By BotEap.comThis is a 13th century English song about sadness that comes with cold weather when summer ends. An interesting option to finish an album that consists mainly of songs for the winter season.