The Lord of the Dance (1/4)

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

Hamlet, Act I, scene 5
W.Shakespeare

To prepare for our latest excursion, I recommend reviewing a few perplexing mysteries. It vexes me that with almost a thousand years of human history available to us for exploration, and the benefits of scientific observation, there are still mysteries that resist explanation to any substantial extent.
In 1872 the brigantine Mary Celeste was boarded while under sail, and found to be sailing unmanned towards the straits of Gibraltar. The ship's lifeboat had apparently been launched but the ship's company were never found.
In 1809, on the night of November 25th, in the town of Perleberg, British diplomatic officer Benjamin Bathurst disappeared from the White Swan Inn after a pause to change horses.
In the fifteenth century, an opportunistic grave-robber who hoped to avail himself of the gold supposedly manufactured by alchemist Nicholas Flamel opened the alchemist's grave in Paris, but was shocked to discover that the grave contained neither projection powder for the manufacture of gold, gold, nor body!
In the twelfth century, two incongruous green-skinned children wandered into the village of Woolpit in England from the forest behind the wolf pit which gave the village its name. The boy grew sick and died, but the girl grew stronger and in time her skin colour became a normal human pink.
The German town of Hameln seems not to have been the only one that received a visit from a mysterious rat-catcher, though thanks to the Brothers Grimm it is probably the most well-known instance.
The town of Brandenburg lost all its children to a musician who enchanted the children and led them to some hidden place inside the Marienberg.
On July 15th, 1237, the children of the town of Erfurt were entranced, and followed a mysterious piper, dancing as far as Arnstadt where they collapsed, exhausted. When news of their whereabouts reached their parents in Erfurt their parents sent wagons to bring them home.
How do you fancy being a mendicant friar for a week or so? it'll probably mean going hungry a bit, but hopefully we will have a chance to see at first hand, who conjured the children away, and how they did it.

I have selected Thursday, the 22nd of June, 1284, a couple of days before the recorded date when the children of Hameln danced away from the town, as our starting point. That way we should be able to see the ratcatcher in action, and I hope, confirm that he is one and the same as the so-called "pied piper".
Perhaps because it is a river port on the Weser, the town certainly seems to be infested with rats as we arrive. Passing the dungpits outside the town walls the vermin are very much in evidence, not even bothering to conceal themselves from the men who cart the night soil. Once inside the town the rats are even more in evidence: every shady alley has its skitterings, small dark shapes disappear from the tops of barrels, and appear from under crates of fruit. And any article of food left untended for a moment soon receives the attention of the rodents. Did you see that monster carrying away the fishhead? I'm sure its tail was six inches long at least! ugh!
Since we arrived events have been fairly unremarkable, allowing for the constant presence of these disgusting rats, and their confounded fleas. One of the women trading in the marketplace convinced me that if I eat enough garlic the fleas will be less troublesome, so I have been adding a clove or two crushed, to my opportunistic meals.
With a bellyful of barley pottage at about two hours after Compline, having passed most of the day in asking alms and preaching, I am contentedly watching the sun set beside the Weser, and it is then that I hear the raucous sound of a shawm somewhere across town. You're welcome to remain here, but I'm off to see if I can find the source of the commotion.
Contrary to my expectations, the player (should I dignify his performance by calling him a musician? it seems to be more enthusiasm than skill right now) is not leading the rats, but herding them, from behind! As extraordinary as it seems, the rats seem to be running from the sound of the shawm as the player leaps and bounds from street to street!

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

The Lord of the Dance (1/4)

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

Hamlet, Act I, scene 5 W.Shakespeare

To prepare for our latest excursion, I recommend reviewing a few perplexing mysteries. It vexes me that with almost a thousand years of human history available to us for exploration, and the benefits of scientific observation, there are still mysteries that resist explanation to any substantial extent. In 1872 the brigantine Mary Celeste was boarded while under sail, and found to be sailing unmanned towards the straits of Gibraltar. The ship's lifeboat had apparently been launched but the ship's company were never found. In 1809, on the night of November 25th, in the town of Perleberg, British diplomatic officer Benjamin Bathurst disappeared from the White Swan Inn after a pause to change horses. In the fifteenth century, an opportunistic grave-robber who hoped to avail himself of the gold supposedly manufactured by alchemist Nicholas Flamel opened the alchemist's grave in Paris, but was shocked to discover that the grave contained neither projection powder for the manufacture of gold, gold, nor body! In the twelfth century, two incongruous green-skinned children wandered into the village of Woolpit in England from the forest behind the wolf pit which gave the village its name. The boy grew sick and died, but the girl grew stronger and in time her skin colour became a normal human pink. The German town of Hameln seems not to have been the only one that received a visit from a mysterious rat-catcher, though thanks to the Brothers Grimm it is probably the most well-known instance. The town of Brandenburg lost all its children to a musician who enchanted the children and led them to some hidden place inside the Marienberg. On July 15th, 1237, the children of the town of Erfurt were entranced, and followed a mysterious piper, dancing as far as Arnstadt where they collapsed, exhausted. When news of their whereabouts reached their parents in Erfurt their parents sent wagons to bring them home. How do you fancy being a mendicant friar for a week or so? it'll probably mean going hungry a bit, but hopefully we will have a chance to see at first hand, who conjured the children away, and how they did it.

I have selected Thursday, the 22nd of June, 1284, a couple of days before the recorded date when the children of Hameln danced away from the town, as our starting point. That way we should be able to see the ratcatcher in action, and I hope, confirm that he is one and the same as the so-called "pied piper". Perhaps because it is a river port on the Weser, the town certainly seems to be infested with rats as we arrive. Passing the dungpits outside the town walls the vermin are very much in evidence, not even bothering to conceal themselves from the men who cart the night soil. Once inside the town the rats are even more in evidence: every shady alley has its skitterings, small dark shapes disappear from the tops of barrels, and appear from under crates of fruit. And any article of food left untended for a moment soon receives the attention of the rodents. Did you see that monster carrying away the fishhead? I'm sure its tail was six inches long at least! ugh! Since we arrived events have been fairly unremarkable, allowing for the constant presence of these disgusting rats, and their confounded fleas. One of the women trading in the marketplace convinced me that if I eat enough garlic the fleas will be less troublesome, so I have been adding a clove or two crushed, to my opportunistic meals. With a bellyful of barley pottage at about two hours after Compline, having passed most of the day in asking alms and preaching, I am contentedly watching the sun set beside the Weser, and it is then that I hear the raucous sound of a shawm somewhere across town. You're welcome to remain here, but I'm off to see if I can find the source of the commotion. Contrary to my expectations, the player (should I dignify his performance by calling him a musician? it seems to be more enthusiasm than skill right now) is not leading the rats, but herding them, from behind! As extraordinary as it seems, the rats seem to be running from the sound of the shawm as the player leaps and bounds from street to street!

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Love that dares not speak its name

When poets write about the idyllic life of shepherds, sleeping till noon, and making love in the meadows, I am forced to conclude that they have little or no practical experience of sheep herding; of getting up before sunrise to set out fresh water, of carting hay, of long nights spent in a freezing hut listening for the bleat of a ewe giving birth. Such rosy dreams as they described were probably experienced, if at all, in the grounds of the home of whichever noble family they were guests. Making love on manicured grass, watching herds of sheep in the distance, tended by peasants. And relatively untroubled by the carnivorous insects repulsed by a carefully prepared pomander. Pennyroyal and fennel to help deter fleas and cedarwood and willow herb to discourage gnats. Shakespeare had his "Dark Lady", and I have my Beloved. Like Scribbling Bill, I shall keep her anonymous to spare her blushes, but I wonder if she knows that she is the sun that lights my days, and the moon that comforts my darkest nights? If I have to spend time away from her as I search out the musical jewels buried in time, it is always to her that I return. To you, my beloved, I dedicate this song, originally written by Dr.Campian of London (after the classical poet, Catullus' example).
X:29
T:My Sweetest Lesbia % title
C:Thomas Campion %(or Campian)
O:A Booke of Ayres for Voyce and Lute % origin.
M:3/4 % meter
L:1/8 % length of shortest note
Q:90 % tempo
V:V clef=treble name="Voice" sname="Vc."
V:P1 clef=treble name="Piano" sname="Pno."
V:P2 V:P3 clef=bass V:P4 clef=bass
%%staves V {(P1 P2) (P3 P4)}
K:G % key
[V:V]
z6 | z6 | G G A B2 A |\
w:My sweet-est Les-bia,
w:If all would live their
w:When time-ly death my
[V:P1]
GGA B2 c | d>c B2 A/G/G/^F/ | GBA G>GF |\
[V:P2]
B,2 F D2 G | D2 DG/=F/ EA, | B,2 D B,2 A, |\
[V:P3]
g2 d g2 e | f2 g2 cd | g2 f g2 d |\
[V:P4]
z6 | z6 | z6 |\
%
[V:V] c c c B A2 | d d c B2 A |\
w:let us live and love. And, though the sa-ger
w:lives in love like me, Then blood-y swords and
w:life and for-tune ends, Let not my hearse be
[V:P1]
[EC]2 [AC][GB,] [^FA,]2 | B/c/de/f/ g>gf |\
[V:P2]
Z | z2 c B2 A |\
[V:P3]
c2 =fg d2 | gba g2 d' |\
[V:P4]
z6 | z6 |\
%
[V:V]
c2 c B>c d | A2 z A A G | F2 D |\
w:sort our deeds re--prove, Let us not weigh them.
w:ar-mour should not be. No drum nor trum-pet
w:vexed with mourn-ing* friends. But let all lov-ers,
[V:P1]
e2 c B>AB | A2 z c/B/ AG | F2 z |\
[V:P2]
z E/=F/G/A/ D3 | z ^F2 z z B,/^C/ | D2 z |\
[V:P3]
c'c/d/e/=f/ g2 G | d2 d'a/g/ fe | d2 z |\
[V:P4]
z6 | z6 | z3 |\
%
[V:V]
d2 c B2 A | G2 B2 A G | F2 G |\
w:Heaven's great lamps do dive in-to their west, and
w:peace-ful sleeps should move, un-less a-larm came
w:rich in tri-umph, come and with sweet pas-times
[V:P1]
A>G E/F/ [GB,]2 [FA,] | [EG,]2 DG ^FG | F z/ D/B/c/ |\
[V:P2]
F/E/DC z2 z | z2 B,2 DB,/C/ | A, z3 |\
[V:P3]
d'/=c'/ba g2 d | e>=f g2 de | d2 e |\
[V:P4]
z6 | z6 | z3 |\
%
[V:V]
A2 d2 c A | B2 z | B B c d2 B |\
w:straight a-gain re-vive. But soon as once set
w:from the camp of Love. But fools do live, and
w:grace my hap-py tomb. And, Les-bia, close thou
[V:P1]
d>c B2 A/G/G/^F/ | [GB,]2 z | G2 A B>A G |\
[V:P2]
D2 DG/=F/ EA, | z3 | B,DE D2 B, |\
[V:P3]
f2 g2 cd | g2 G | g2 c g2 G |\
[V:P4]
z6 | z3 | z6 |\
%
[V:V]
c2 e2 c d | B2 z | G B c d2 B |\
w:is our lit-tle light, then must we sleep one
w:waste their lit-tle light, and seek with pain their
w:up my lit-tle light, and crown with love my
[V:P1]
GA/B/ c3 d | B z/ D/d/c/ | B>A G d2 B |\
[V:P2]
E2 EGAF | G z2 | D2 E F2 G |\
[V:P3]
c2 c'2 ad' | g2 z | g2 e d2 g |\
[V:P4]
z6 | z3 | z6 |\
%
[V:V]
d2 A2 c B | A2 c4 B2 A2 A2 | G8 |]
w:ev-er-dur-ing night, ev-er-dur-ing night.
w:ev-er-dur-ing night, ev-er-dur-ing night.
w:ev-er-dur-ing night, ev-er-dur-ing night.
[V:P1]
A2 d2 AG | F2 c4 B2 A2 A2 | G8 |]
[V:P2]
F3 DED | A,2 [GE]2 F2 G2 GF/E/ F2 | D8 |]
[V:P3]
d4 cG | d2 c2 d4 d4 | [dG]8 |]
[V:P4]
z6 | z4 d'abc' d'3 c' | b8 |]
%

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Journey's End. (at LAST!)

(Wednesday, March 15th, 1600)

After spending Tuesday in the village of Hingham, Will Kemp set out on the final stage of his journey to Norwich this morning. With five boisterous young men running alongside, we make it through Barford Bridge, until we are within sight of the city. And within sight, and hearing of the astonishing crowds that have turned out, even on a working day, to welcome Master Kemp. I think Will is wise to take the advice offered by George Sprat to take his gelding and ride to lodgings which have been offered a stone's throw from St.Giles's gate; to try to dance through the crush would be almost impossible, not to mention physically dangerous! In the evening, talking to drinkers in the White Lion tavern I learn that Will has been advised by Master Roger Wiler, Mayor of the city, to delay dancing into the city until Saturday (March 25th) by which time many nobles, and other wealthy patrons will have had time to visit the city to witness the spectacle (and of course, spend their money!). In the meantime, Will and his company are offered the hospitality of the city. For myself, I manage to turn a small profit on three dozen pairs of fine woolen stockings that I bought before leaving London; enough to cover my travelling expenses and the remaining costs of my stay here in Norwich if I live frugally. And I have, besides, some letters entrusted for delivery which I hope will gain me a few more pennies. (Saturday, March 25th, 1600) The weather has improved noticeably since Will began his astonishing dance, and this morning, by ten O'clock, having returned to St.Giles's gate to resume his progress the air is mild and the sky has cleared after an early shower. And this time, to combat the press of the crowds Mayor Wiler has appointed Wifflers to make room for Kemp to dance forward. At St.Stephen's gate, Thomas Gilbert recites a short poem of his own composition to welcome Master Kemp to the city:

W With hart, and hand, among the rest, E Especially you welcome are : L Long looked for, as welcome guest, C Come now at last you be from farre. O Of many within the Citty sure, M Many good wishes you haue had. E Each one did pray you might indure, W VVith courage good the match you made. I Intend they did with gladsome hearts, L Like your well vvillers, you to meete : K Know you also they'l doe their parts, E Eyther in field or house to greete M More you then any with you came, P Procur'd thereto with trump and fame.

And before I leave for my own time once more, I am able to buy a printed copy for a farthing, perhaps from one of the same ballad-sellers who will later give Will such grief by publishing sorry slanders, suggesting quite unfairly that he cheated on his wager in various ways. We were just past the market place (and believe me, even in the twenty-first century, that's something to see!) when Will had the misfortune to land on the hem of a young woman's petticoat. Naturally, she jumped, trying to get out of his way, and something broke, leaving her blushing crimson in bodice and shift while a gang of boys (why do cities always have these ruffians?) made off with her fallen skirts. By St.John's churchyard Will leapt over the churchyard wall, apparently thinking to take a shortcut to the Mayor's house, but it seems at that point, his overseer, George Sprat lost sight of him, which I suppose gave rise to many of the slanders against poor Will. At this point, let me thank you, my patient friend, for your patience in going with us through frost, mud and pressing crowds, and refer you once more to Will Kemp's own account of his dance, where in closing, he offers some advice concerning good management of business.

Kemp's Jigg

arranged by Frank Nordberg

X: 1
T: Kemp's Jig
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Dmaj
f>g fe | d>e dc | BA Bc | d4 |
f/e/f/g/ fe |d/c/d/e/ dc | BA B/A/B/c/ | d4 |
~fa ~fa |fa/g/~f2 | eg eg |ed/=c/ B^c |
dA FA |dA/G/ FA |BA Bc | d4 |
fa f/g/a | fa/g/ f/e/d |eg e/=f/g | ed/=c/ B^c |
dA F/>G/ A | d/A/B/A/ F/>G/ A | BA B/A/B/c/ | d4 |]

And with Mr.Dowland's jaunty "Kemp's Jigg" I bid you adieu, at least for now.

References

For a map of Norwich

Kemp's Jig on Google Maps

To convert the code above to sheet music, or listen to the tunes, copy the code for a single song, then paste it here and [submit].

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Presenting Arms

(Friday, March 13th, 1600)

In order not to be conspicuous, I can't carry a personal wristwatch in this century. But I can get away with a pendant watch on a necklace. Whoever was occupying the room next to mine at the Bell Inn for the last couple of days was suffering with a very bad chest infection; coughing and wheezing all night and most of the day when I was there. And the inn staff were often bringing hot soup and strong-smelling home remedies to the room. While I haven't been able to get much sleep, I've managed. But I feel worse for the poor soul in the next room. According to my pendant watch at about four thirty this morning one of the inn staff woke me banging on his door, and it turned out that he had finally succumbed to his illness.

After that, I couldn't really sleep - too much coming and going; a priest administering a final blessing, the constable of the town making certain that no mischief had been done, and two men from the almshouses to collect the body.

One of the good things about an inn is that it never sleeps. For the next couple of hours I sat in the snug nursing a mug of mulled cider before breakfasting on oatmeal with cream and a drop of honey. And for once, Master Kemp didn't leave me behind. Although I should admit I was still brushing down Leto and had to make haste to saddle her.

By mid-morning we had reached the village of Rockland where Master Kemp intends to rest awhile, generously standing a round of drinks for all in the party. But forasmuch as he would like to speak to the innkeeper, Master Garner would not see us until he had put off his workaday clothes for his armour! When he finally honored us with his presence he made Master Kemp such a welcome as I don't think I have seen anywhere else, nor do I expect to, as Will himself later remembered it: "Going down on his knees he blessed the hour that any of the Queens well-wishers or friends would vouchsafe to come within his house." (Personally, I think he was a little overawed firstly by Will's reputation which had preceded him by some days, and secondly by a visit from a gentleman from London, no less. Someone who had entertained Her Majesty!)

Yet again, someone who has heard tell of Kemp's epic journey chooses to keep company with him in his dance, but like so many before him, Trojan that he is, Master Garner lays down in the way, red-faced and puffing before we have gone two furlongs from the village.
And once more, the road, such as it is, is so muddy, wet and sticky, that I am obliged to dismount for fear of Leto losing her footing.

X:209
T:The Queen's Delight
M:6/8
C:
S:Bacon (MDT)
N:
A:Bucknell
O:English
R:Jig
%P:A/2(AB$^3$)$^6$(AC$^3$)$^2$
P:A.(AB3)6(AC3)2
K:G
Q:C3=100
P:A
|: d2 g dcB | cBc ABc  | d2 G d2 c | BcA G3  :|
P:B
cBc  cBc | ABc def  | gfg  eag  | gfe def |
g2 g gfe | dec ABc  | d2 G d2 c | BcA G3  ||
P:C
cBc  cBc | ABc d2 e |
M:3/8
L:1/8
f3 |
M:6/8
g2 f g3 | (2ea g3 | g2 f e3 |
M:3/8
L:1/8
def |
M:6/8
g2 g gfe | dec ABc  | d2 G d2 c | BcA G3  ||
%abc

Kemp's Jig on Google Maps

To convert the code above to sheet music, or listen to the tunes, copy the code for a single song, then paste it here and [submit].

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.