The cheerfully sounding song about the Annunciation, Angelus ad Virginem or, in its English form, Gabriel, From Heven King Was To The Maide Sende, was a popular Medieval carol that is still popular today. The text of this song is a poetic version of Hail Mary, full of dramatic tension and theological profundity.

It appeared in an Dublin Troper (c. 1361, a music book for use at Mass) and was found in a Sequentiale (Vellum manuscript, 13th or 14th century), possibly connected with the Church of Addle, Yorks. This lyric also appears in the works of John Audelay, in a group of four Marian poems. Audelay may have been a priest; he spent the last years of his life at Haghmond, an Augustinian abbey, and wrote for the monks there.

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Sheet Music

MP3 Files

Soprano/ Alto

Tenor / Bass

Both Parts Together

- Dorian 80104Translations and notes

Sheet Music

MP3 Files
Descant / solo chorus
Alto and Soprano Parts
Tenor and Bass Parts

All Parts Together

Sheet Music

Soprano Part
Alto Part
Tenor Part
Bass Part

All four parts together

Sheet Music

MP3 Files

Soprano and Alto Parts

Tenor Part

Bass Part

All parts together

Full Lyrics:

Owt of your slepe aryse and wake,

For God mankynd nowe hath ytake,

Al of a maide without eny make;

Of al women she bereth the belle.

Refrain:

Nowel! Nowel! Nowel! Nowel! Nowel!

2.

And thirwe a maide faire and wys,

Now man is made of ful grete pris;

Now angelys knelen to mannys servys,

And at this tyme al this byfel.

Refrain

3.

Now man is bryghter than the sonne;

Now man in heven an hye shal wone;

Blssyd be God this game is begonne,

And his moder empresse of helle.

Refrain

4.

That ever was thralle, now ys he fre;

That ever was smalle, now grete is she;

Now shal God deme bothe the and me

Unto his blysse yf we do wel.

Refrain

5.

Now man may to heven wende;

Now heven and erthe to hym they bende;

He that was foo now is oure frende;

This is no nay that Y yowe telle.

Refrain

6.

Now blessyd brother, graunte us grace

A domesday to se thy face.

And in thy courte to have a place,

That we mow there synge ‘Nowel’.

Refrain

Translations: Singable | Literal

Sheet Music

MP3s:
Soprano/ Alto
Tenor /Bass

All Parts

Coventry Carol Sheet Music

MP3 Files:

Soprano

Alto

Tenor

Bass

All 3 parts together

Documentation:

William Studwell, The Christmas Carol Reader

The lyrics were written for the Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors in Coventry. (The pageant was a medieval-style mystery play based on biblical stores. At least in the beginning, the pageant was connected with the two guilds.) The lilting melody, probably also composed for the same production, appears to be from the same period [e.g., the fifteenth century]. No person has been associated with the authorship of the lyrics except that the oldest known text was written down by Robert Croo in 1534. Likewise, there has been no personal attribution of the compelling melody, whose oldest known printing dates from 1591.

Robert Joseph, The Christmas Book:



This lullaby comes to us from the world of fifteenth century English theater. In those days, various guilds (comparable to today’s unions or workingman’s associations) would perform “mystery plays” that re-enacted Christmas scenes from the Bible. They were written in English, instead of Latin, and instead of being done in churches, were performed publicly on bi-leveled “Pageant Wagons.” The lower level served as a curtained dressing chamber. This was a sort of street theater in which the topic matter of the play (for example, the building of the ark) would relate to the particular guild that performed it (shipbuilders).

’The Coventry Carol’ was included in the “Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors.” Although the composer is unknown, the text was written in 1534 by Robert Croo. In the play itself, the women of Bethlehem sing this lullaby just before Herod’s soldiers come on-stage to slaughter their children.

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The format for all of these is the same. I suggest downloading the sheetmusic and listening to the MP3 with all of the parts together first. then learn your part by choosing it’s specific mp3 to listen to the part on its own – when you are confident work on singing your part together with all the parts. for further information you are welcome to email me.

• Coventry Carol
• Edi Beo Thu Hevene Quene
• Nowel, owt of your slepe aryse
• Tempus Adest Floridium
• Ther is No Rose of Swych Vertu
• Gabriel from Heven King

Festival Sketch,
by Jennie

Well, I am back, slowly getting into the swing of things again and resting up from a full easter. I really am looking forward to the new site, anything will be better than the dust and hills and such – I’m still exhausted!

I had a particularly enjoyable time looking at illumination sources at a collegiate. I was supposed to be painting but instead got involved in a lovely discussion on pigments, blending and the evolution of painting techniques. as you all know I m very interested in the history of oil painting and am researching it whole heartedly. I was particularly excited to learn that a current oil painting technique had it’s start in 15th century french illumination. I believed that grisaille evolved from flemish technique and verdaccio but it actually evolved from the illumination technique by the same name. after it was adopted as an oil painting practice it took glazing skills from Flemish technique and verdaccio to produce a well rounded paining technique. I will be researching it a bit more after I have translated the oil painting resources I do have. I will also play with the illumination technique during scribes guild as I have been told in no uncertain terms that I must attend!

I also got back into one of my old habits. When I was a kid and dreamed of being an artist, I was told that many artists sharpened their hands and eyes and characterization by sitting somewhere busy and drawing passers-by. candid portraits of people who don’t know you’re there, they don’t pose, they don’t stay still and you need to be on the ball to capture the essence of their face before you lose it all together. I used to sit in food courts and just draw faces for hours on end.

It took me a while to slide back into the mindset, but once I did I couldn’t stop. I bought a new sketchbook, leather bound (for a revoltingly cheap price) and took it everywhere, drawing. at least until my pencil broke. I intend to take this book to events and try to capture looks and faces that inspire me.

Technorati Tags: art, artist, portrait, sca

Tempus adest floridum – this became Good King Wenceslas, I have both the latin and the english lyrics.

• Sheet Music with English lyrics Here, Latin Here

Coventry carol – Because it’s still one of my favorites, it has blood and guts like any good carol.

• Sheet music and words here

Gaudete – Yes! it’s a carol! also a great piece that everyone knows – extra points for the actions

• Sheet Music with lyrics here

In Dulci Jubilo – cos it’s just so pretty.

• Sheet music and words here

And maybe, just maybe we might get a blend of dancing and singing with Branle l’Official – The dance tune by Arbeau that became Ding dong merrily on high.

• Sheet Music and Lyrics here

I will be printing out some sheet music for the night but here are the sheets all ready to get a jump on. I will be putting up the MP3s tomorrow, I just need to upload them and link to them.

Meanwhile dendrochronology, a technique whereby wood can be dated to within about 30 years based on an analysis of the grain, suggested that the panel on which the image was painted came from a tree felled between 1560 and 1592. Mary was beheaded at Fotheringhay in 1587, and Dr Cooper thinks that the work comes from the early part of the 32-year span indicated by the dendrochronology, which means it was probably painted while she was alive.

Further evidence was gleaned from paint analysis, which showed that the lettering of the inscription was done in lead-tin yellow, a pigment not used after the 16th century. A conservator worked for a year to gently remove the overpainting and return the work to its original state. It is a particularly exciting discovery given the existence of just one other portrait known to have been made in her lifetime. That shows her in mourning, probably after the death of her first father-in-law, Henri II of France. Known as the Deuil Blanc portrait, it belongs to the Royal Collection.

This is very exciting, it amazes me that a later applied varnish can foil so many people for so long. I am looking for an example of this painting so stay tuned. if it was painted during her lifetime it would be a very kewl discovery indeed.

Technorati Tags: art, art news, painting, Portrait