Coming back from a wonderful Pennsic, we will take a digression from Elizabethan music this week to focus on a new performance piece that originates from older source material. Feel free to watch or read the new song, “I Must Be Silent”, either before or after the discussion of its sources.
Author: Drake Oranwood
Drake Oranwood (Eric Schrager) is a singer, songwriter, producer, lutenist, and medieval enthusiast who brings modern sensibilities to original songs set long ago and far away.
Last fall, when I started filking ABBA for Wilhelm and Vienna, I reached out to Vincenzo da Brescia (aka Vince Conaway), whose mastery of the hammered dulcimer delights listeners at Pennsic as well as at Renaissance Faires all over the country and internationally. The Mamma Mia filk demanded hammered dulcimer at the Pennsic concert, I suggested, and to my delight he agreed.
Vincenzo and I will be collaborating again soon on a recording for the album in progress, but in the meantime, here is “Carpe Diem” in its full, accompanied, silly glory.
Just got home from Pennsic. For those of you who are on the road or unpacking, I thought I’d share this song from the concert on Monday (along with the song page).
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Public service announcement
Because it seems to carry different weight coming from a man…
Harassing women in the street is not okay at Pennsic or anywhere else. It’s on the rise this year and we are all as a community responsible for keeping everyone safe. Here is a link to a bystander intervention guide.
The Pennsic community is beautiful and amazing. Everyone deserves to enjoy it without unwelcome attention, and if you don’t understand that, you’re going to learn it or we are going to remove you from this community.
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Heading out to Pennsic
Our household will be departing for Pennsic this afternoon, and should be there by Saturday. If you are looking for me, here are some places you are likely to find me:
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An Expression of Gratitude
I would like to take a moment to thank Mesterno Tyzes ‘Zsof’ Sofia for her years of guidance, wisdom, love, and support. She has never for one moment acted out of anything other than my best interest as her apprentice, and our mutual decision to seek out a new path forward for me comes from the same place. I am eternally grateful, and am proud to know I will always be part of her extended SCA family.
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An Announcement
This announcement went out to the appropriate lists this morning, so I am pleased to share it here:
Greetings from Mesterno Tyzes ‘Zsof’ Sofia, Master Toki Skáldagörvir and Master Peregrine the Illuminator;
Peregrine and Toki happily announce (with Zsof’s blessing) that we claim Drake Oranwood as our joint student.
In consultation with the three of us, Drake has made this decision to transition from being Zsof’s apprentice to being our joint student. The decision is made in part to bring his peer relationships closer to his home in the East Kingdom, and to take advantage of our strengths.
· Peregrine brings his knowledge of music research and composition, helping Drake advance his existing research and songwriting skills.
· Toki will bring his approach of working with “the whole student” – art, performance, helping Drake continually be the person he wants to be, work-life-hobby balance, and guidance along paths to further success.
· Both Peregrine and Toki will bring their strengths in storytelling, performance, and other topics, as well as their willingness to listen.
If you have praise for Drake, please tell Drake, and us, and the world.
If you have constructive criticism for Drake, please tell Drake, and tell Toki and/or Peregrine. We look forward to the conversations.
After a couple of weeks focusing on the lute history and playing, we resume an exploration of John Dowland’s songs for lute and voice. While “Come again sweet love” was the second Dowland song Maistre Lucien introduced me to in our studies, it was the first song she assigned me to learn how to play on guitar. Thus, it was the starting point for my understanding of how to interpret lute tablature, and the (sometimes painful) process of playing lute music on guitar.
Nature of work: Song (or “air”) for one to four voices and lute, lyrics in English
Historic source: John Dowland, (The Firste Booke of Songes or Ayres, first published 1597, song 17)
This week’s entry focuses on the process and appropriateness of playing lute pieces on a modern guitar. As with last week’s exploration of the history of the instrument and the English lute repertoire, much of this material is incorporated into the class “My Guitar’s Persona Is a Lute”.
Let’s start with the choice use a guitar as a substitute for the lute, as opposed to acquiring an actual lute, or a mandolin, which is the lute’s direct descendant. Let’s start with an actual lute. There is nothing wrong whatsoever with playing lute music on a lute, and all things being equal, this is the most authentic choice. There are a few important considerations to make before purchasing a lute, however, if you do not already have one. For one thing, which lute, and which music? As discussed last week, the lute evolved considerably over the centuries, and went from a four courses (pairs of strings tuned identically or an octave a part) up to as many as 8 by the end of the Renaissance. Also, the style of play evolved from monophonic music played by plucking a plectrum on early lutes, to finger picking on Renaissance lutes. So it is important to identify what sort of music, and from which era, you wish to play, and that will determine what you are looking for.
This week and next will focus on the lute itself, its background and relevance, and how someone less familiar with the instrument might begin learning lute repertoire for playing in an SCA setting. Much of the research discussed here was incorporated into a class I introduced last Pennsic, “My Guitar’s Persona Is a Lute”.
Drake Oranwood 