Gloriana!

Some things never change: for a really good show, Londoners will always be ready to camp out on the streets overnight making sure they get a good view point. Despite the snow and the damp of the streets, little huddles of hopeful sightseers have set up braziers and the vendors of hot pies, roast chestnuts and soup have all been doing a brisk trade. And it's not mere chance that the coronation is to take place on Sunday, January 15th, 1599. The date was selected by Doctor John Dee as the date for which the astrological configuration would be most positive.
As I have been informed by various London natives, the first stage in ascending to the throne was for the princess to occupy the Tower of London, going by river from Hatfield in the state barge on Friday. And when I think about it, it makes sense. Since it was built the Tower has been the castle of the rulers of London.

Yesterday the crowds were treated to their first close view of their queen-to-be; along the planned route of the Royal Progress to Westminster the Guilds of the City of London presented a series of pageants: at Fenchurch the princess was welcomed on behalf of the City. At Fenchurch Street were three ceremonial arches, and above the greatest of them, figures representing Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Queen Elizabeth's late mother. And surmounting them all, a figure representing Queen Elizabeth herself. At the top end of Cheapside, the queen graciously received from the city a purse of a thousand gold marks, giving a short speech of thanks.
And what was I doing with all this merriment going on? well, for once I had a chance to peddle broadside ballads myself, the bestseller of the hour being this:

References

The coronation of Queen Elizabeth in detail.
Snapshots of the divers pageants that greeted the princess
                   

The    written content of this work is licensed under a Creative    Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.       

The Moth and The Flame

Eventually getting me into the workshop of Dr.John Dee was a major triumph for the laboratory team. Getting me back again in the same shape was a significant achievement for me as well!
For reasons I still don't understand, departure took three attempts and when I did finally go, I found myself in some ill-defined green-lit fog of a space. Through the green fog I could make out perhaps eighteen feet away from me two men, one in late middle-age, and the other younger. The older one ordered me to state my name and given the circumstances I wasn't about to identify myself, so blurted out "Podhoffinog". Armed with this information, the older man spoke an incantation in a language I had never heard before, including the name I gave, and I found myself back in the laboratory with a shocking headache.
After that attempt there was a debriefing at which I agreed to be sent to alternative coordinates in the village of Shene in Surrey, to the west of London. The assignment started with more of a bump than usual, and perhaps I should have taken the hint; in the event, it proved more difficult than ever before to inveigle myself into the household of my subject. It didn't occur to me until some time after my return and debrief that Dr.Dee's protective wards must have been both effectual, and powerful.
My first opportunity in the village came in the misfortune of Willy Barlowe, no longer able to work with the village wheelwright as a result of a severe scald from the steam chest. The job is ideal for me since it involves working with wood and occasional visits to the smithy for tires to be fitted, and while Master Garrett, the wheelwright, and his apprentice do most of the work, I act as the extra pair of hands, helping to carry the baulks of elm for the nave (hub) of a new wheel, sweeping the floor, and after poor Willy's example, I approach the steam chest with a good measure of caution when refilling the cauldron or stoking the fire.
To watch Master Garrett work, holding a spoke on the shaving horse, shaping each part with a razor-edged drawknife to match its sisters perfectly, or mortising the nave to receive the spokes is delightful but I can't spend as much time as I would like watching; Master Garrett expects work from his employees and his tongue is as sharp as his spokeshave! The good part is that he whistles habitually as he works, and this little delight is one of the songs I learned while working around him:

References

Check out this site for some pictures of a modern wheelwrighting workshop.
                    

The    written content of this work is licensed under a Creative    Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.      

Beltane Fire

When I last visited the Reverend Alleyn, I got the vaguest hint of a suspicion that there was more to the picture than I was seeing, and since my curiosity got the better of me I have gone back for a second look. I couldn't shake the feeling that Doctor Alleyn was perhaps unduly concerned with ensuring the security of his job as the vicar of the village of Bray in Berkshire, England, rather than the spiritual welfare of his charges. I admit that I should not have made a trip like this on my own, and in hindsight, I realize it was a mistake. There was nobody to back me up, to see what I saw, or failed to see.

I chose the persona of a travelling tinker, somebody whose unexpected appearance in the village would be unlikely to be questioned, somebody who could engage more or less anybody in conversation. During the first couple of days I mended kettles and cauldrons for David Boteler's wife who complained that her husband, the blacksmith, was too busy to mend his own family's pots (the shoemaker's children go unshod?), and Peter Cooper, the village reeve, whose wife Marjory proved to be something of a gossip. It was Marjory who showed me the first step on the trail that would lead me to the Beltane Hearth on the night of Saint Walpurga's feast.

To be honest, I had never heard of Saint Walpurga before, but of course, the Reverend Alleyn was good enough to enlighten me when I visited to offer my services. Born in Wessex, in the 8th century, she later helped to establish at least one German convent and is credited with powers of healing and fertility. While the Reverend has a couple of pots that need my attention, he regrets that he is unable to recompense me for my labours, which is fine by me, since I am happy to accept payment in the form of his intercession for my unsavoury soul.

It is one thing to know that the old religions persisted for a long time alongside the new, but it is quite another to see them, self-evident. It was the last day of April, the evening of my third day in the village, camped on the edge of a small coppice, when Peter Cooper, and another villager whom I didn't recognize, brought a couple of cartloads of kindling wood and faggots and stacked them in the meadow. As dusk turned to night I heard voices, as well as the bleating of sheep and squealing pigs, and kicked out my campfire moments before the leaders of the procession entered the meadow, carrying blazing torches as they drove the animals forward.

I'm not one hundred percent sure what happened after that, I think there may have been more than firewood in that fire, but I do remember the animals being driven towards the fire. The noise will stay with me for a long time. And figures, dancing naked. It's difficult to be certain, I'd drunk a pint and a half of cider earlier.

The sparks drifting from the fire put me in mind of fairies, but I didn't see any tiny flying people. And I was slightly relieved to note as I was packing the next morning, that there was no evidence of any of the animals having been eaten during the festivities.

However, I do have a memory of an old woman, squatting naked in the firelight, and something else... something very masculine! I don't think I'll ever be able to watch children dancing around a maypole again without thinking very adult thoughts!

I'm ashamed to say that I didn't make the connection until I got back here, but thinking about the old woman tripped another memory; a crude carving, high up on the roof beams of St. Michael's church, a female figure, in that same posture. It seems the figure is well-known to historical anthropologists as Sheila-na-gig.

The next morning I packed up and left as the dawn chorus started to settle down. I'm not used to drinking much and was still feeling the effects slightly, but I did manage to note that the fire in the meadow had been raked down and the grass showed plenty of bruising from a multitude of feet, so I know that at least some part of what I saw the night before really happened.

Another thing I found out after getting back here is that Beltane night is one of the two times in the year when, according to ancient Celtic belief, the boundaries between the physical world and the spiritual world are at their most easily passed. It was an interesting experience, and I have at least come back with an appropriate song from the time, but I have more questions than answers at this point.

X:51 % number
T:Now is the month of May
C:Thomas Morley
R:Air - madrigal
O:The TUMS busking book % origin.
M:2/2 % meter
L:1/4 % length of shortest note
Q: % tempo
K:C % key
V:1 % voice 1
z2 z G |: GGAA | B2 BG | B>A B ^c | d2 d A/B/ |
w:1.Now is the month of May-ing, when mer-ry lads are play-ing.
w:2.The Spring clad all in glad-ness, doth laugh at win-ter's sad-ness. Fa la
w:3.Fie! then why sit we mus-ing, youth's sweet de-light re-fus-ing?
ccBA | A^FD d/c/ | BcAA | [1 G2 z G :| [2 G2 z B
w:-------------- Now - Each
w:la la la la la la la, Fa la la, Fa la la la. 2.The la. 2.And
w:-------------- Fie - 3.Say
|:Add^c | d2 z A | ccBB | A2 z d/c/ |
w:with his bon-ny lass, up-on the green-y grass.
w:to the bag-pipes' sound, the nymphs tread out their ground. Fa la
w:dain-ty Nymphs and speak, shall we play bar-ley break?
BG d2 | D/E/^F/G/A/B/ c | B>c BA |[1 G2 z B:|
w:-------------- 1.Each
w:la la la, fa la la la la la la, fa la la la. 2.And la
w:-------------- 3.Say
[2 G2 z |]
V:2
z2 z D |: EGG^F | G2 GG | G>^F GG | ^F2 F =F/ F/ |
E>^F GG | ^F D/ E/ F F/ F/ | GGG ^F | G2 z D :| G2 z D |:
FA A>G | ^F2 z =F | EEEE | E2 A/ G/ ^F |
D G2 D/ E/ | ^F/ G/ A z E/ F/ | GGG ^F | G2 z D :| G2 z |]
V:3
K:C treble-8 % take out the treble-8 for compatibility with abc 1.6 standard
z2 z B |: cccc | d2 dd | d>d dG | d2 d d/ d/ |
Acde | A3 d/ d/ | d e d>c | B2 z B :| B2 z G |:
Afee | d2 z F | GABB | ^c =c/ B/ AA |
G>A BB | A A/ G/ ^F E | DG d>c | B2 z G :| B2 z |]

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].

A Little Bird told me...

It's nice, if a little disorienting, to be able to leave a cold February morning for a balmy July evening in the city of London. Children are playing in the streets, dogs are barking (and playing with the children in some cases), one or two couples are strolling and the taverns are doing a brisk trade. So what, you ask, is the difference between a tavern and an inn? Simply put, inns offer accommodation while pubs and taverns offer only drinks and outdoor games.
Since we're in the vicinity of Fleet Street how about dropping in for a couple of drinks at the Red Lion and spend a while eavesdropping on conversations? I'm not a beer drinker myself, but I'm sure they'll have cider on tap.
The interior of the Red Lion is whitewashed, and sweet with the smell of clean sawdust on the floor, and not long after we settle ourselves in a comfortable corner, a ballad-seller starts making the rounds. I doubt he'll find much business in here though; on a warm evening like this most folks prefer the benches outside, or the shade behind the building where I think I hear the sound of a game of bowls in progress.
Here comes our cider; a generous stoneware jug and two sturdy pottery tankards with the sign of the Lion impressed into the clay.One of the songs the ballad-seller is offering is an appeal by a lover to a robin - a bird often identified with the English character, and particularly that of the cockney Londoner. I like the fancy of the song, and the name William Cornyshe rings a bell so I part with a farthing for one of the printed sheets and invite the ballad-seller to join us for a drink. The printing is fresh enough that it still leaves a slight black stain on my fingers.
The imprint on the sheet confirms that the year is 1504 and I half-remember something about Cornyshe being jailed that year.
Master Whitesmith, our ballad-seller knows the story. It seems that Master Cornyshe was accused (probably falsely) by a party or parties unnamed, to the King, of lewd and unseemly practices with some of the boys charged to his care as Master of the Children of the Royal Chapel. There is a rumour to the effect that Cornyshe wrote a poem intended to win him back to the King's favour, and that is the reason he is no longer in the ward of the Fleet Prison.
Moreover, Master Whitesmith tells us of his own experience of the Fleet Prison when fortune turned her face from him and he was imprisoned for his debt. Had it not been for the generosity of his brother, he might have been there still.
X:18                         % number
T:Ah Robin, gentle Robin     % title
C:William Cornyshe           % composer
O:Http://arenai.free.fr      % origin.
M:4/2                        % meter
N:The original meter for this piece was "imperfect time", or
N:Four beats in the bar.
L:1/4                        % length of shortest note
Q:                           % tempo
K:F                          % key
V:1 name="Descant" sname="D." % voice 1
V:2 name="1st Tenor" sname="T.1"
V:3 name="2nd Tenor" sname="T.2"
%==================2===============3=================4===============5
[V:1] B2 G2 A2 z2  | B2 A G A2 z2  | A>A d d c>c B B | c c A A G2 z2 |
w:Ah Robin, gen-tle Ro-bin. Tell me how thy le-man doth and thou shalt know of mine.
[V:2] Z4 |
[V:3] Z4 |
%==================6===============7=================8===============9
[V:1] Z4 |
[V:2] G2 _E2 D2 z2 | G2 F _E D2 z2 | D D D D F F G G | A A D D G2 z2 |
w:Ah Ro-bin, gen-tle Ro-bin. Tell me how thy le-man doth and thou shalt know of mine.
[V:3] B2 G2 A2 z2  | B2 A G A2 z2  | A>A d d c>c B B | c c A A G2 z2 |
w:Ah Ro-bin, gen-tle Ro-bin. Tell me how thy le-man doth and thou shalt know of mine.
%=================10===============11================12================13
[V:1] d2 g2 f2 z2  | d2 d g f2 z2   | F>F B B A A d d | f e d c =B2 z G |
w:Ah Ro-bin, gen-tle Ro-bin. Tell me how thy le-man doth and thou shalt know of mine. My
[V:2] B2 G2 A2 z2  | B2 A G A2 z2   | A>A d d c>c B B | c c A A G2 z2   |
w:Ah Ro-bin, gen-tle Ro-bin. Tell me how thy le-man doth and thou shalt know of mine.
[V:3] G2 _E2 D2 z2 | G2 F _E D2 z2  | D D D D F F G G | A A D D G2 z2   |
w:Ah Ro-bin, gen-tle Ro-bin. Tell me how thy le-man doth and thou shalt know of mine.
%====================14===============15====================16
[V:1] d>d c B f>e d c | _e d d c d2 z2 | F>F B B A A/ A/ d d |
w:La-dy is un-kind y-wis, A-lack why is she so? lov'th a-no-ther bet-ter than me and
[V:2] G2 _E2 D2 z2    | G2 F _E D2 z2  | D D D D F F G G     |
w:Ah Ro-bin, gen-tle Ro-bin. Tell me how thy le-man doth and
[V:3] B2 G2 A2 z2     | B2 A G A2 z2   | A>A d d c>c B B     |
w:Ah Ro-bin, gen-tle Ro-bin. Tell me how thy le-man doth and
%===================17=============18==============19================20
[V:1] F E D C =B2 z2 | d2 g2 f2 z2  |d2 d g f2 z    | F>F B B A A d d |
w:yet she will say no. Ah, Ro-bin, gen-tle Ro-bin, tell me how thy le-man doth and
[V:2] A A D D G2 z2  | B2 G2 A2 z2  | B2 A G A2 z2  | A>A d d c>c B B |
w:thou shalt know of mine. Ah, Ro-bin, gen-tle Ro-bin. Tell me how thy le-man doth and
[V:3] c c A A G2 z2  | G2 _E2 D2 z2 | G2 F _E D2 z2 | D D D D F F G G |
w:thou shalt know of mine. Ah, Ro-bin, gen-tle Ro-bin. Tell me how thy le-man doth and
%====================21================22==============23
[V:1] F E D C =B2 z G | d>d c B d>d G G | d>d d c d z G |
w:thou shalt know of mine. I can-not think such dou-ble-ness for I find wo-men true, in
[V:2] c c A A G2 z2   | G2 _E2 D2 z2    | G2 F _E D2 z2 |
w:thou shalt know of mine. Ah, Ro-bin, gen-tle Ro-bin,
[V:3] A A D D G2 z2   | B2 G2 A2 z2     | B2 A G A2 z2  |
w:thou shalt know of mine. Ah, Ro-bin, gen-tle Ro-bin,
%====================24===============25=============26
[V:1] d>d B B A>A d d | f e d c =B2 z2 | d2 g2 f2 z2  |
w:faith my la-dy lov'th me well; she will change for no new. Ah, Ro-bin,
[V:2] D D D D F F G G | A A D D G2 z2  | B2 G2 A2 z2  |
w:Tell me how thy le-man doth and thou shalt know of mine. Ah, Ro-bin,
[V:3] A>A d d c>c B B | c c A A G2 z2  | G2 _E2 D2 z2 |
w:Tell me how thy le-man doth and thou shalt know of mine. Ah, Ro-bin,
%==================27================28=============|]
[V:1] d2 d g f2 z2  | F>F B B A A d d | f e d c =B4 |]
w:gen-tle Ro-bin, Tell me how thy le-man doth and thou shalt know of mine.
[V:2] B2 A G A2 z2  | A>A d d c>c B B | c c A A G4  |]
w:gen-tle Ro-bin, Tell me how thy le-man doth and thou shalt know of mine.
[V:3] G2 F _E D2 z2 | D D D D F F G G | A A D D G4  |]
w:gen-tle Ro-bin, Tell me how thy le-man doth and thou shalt know of mine.
Click on the gramophone to listen to a recording.














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].