Chi la Gagliarda is a piece we gave to one of our candidates for a new director. The group got a tease of it, so I thought I’d throw it up for Madrigal Monday. This recording is not great, but I think they’re Italian so the pronunciation is good! 
Archive for June, 2011
Madrigal Monday, June 27th, 2011
Posted in Madrigal Monday on June 28, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Madrigal Monday, June 20th 2011
Posted in Madrigal Monday on June 20, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Ultimi Mei Sospiri by Philippe Verdelot
sung by The King’s Singers
Composer information (from wikipedia):
Philippe Verdelot (1480 to 1485 – c. 1530 to 1532?) was a French composer of the Renaissance, who spent most of his life in Italy. He is commonly considered to be the father of the Italian madrigal, and certainly was one of its earliest and most prolific composers.
Verdelot’s style balances homophonic with imitative textures, rarely using word-painting, which was largely a later development (though a few interesting foreshadowings can be found). Most of his madrigals are for five or six voices.
Verdelot’s madrigals were hugely popular, as can be inferred from their frequency of reprinting and their wide dissemination throughout Europe in the 16th century. He also composed motets and masses.
Italian Text
Ultimi miei sospiri che mi lasciate fredd’e senza vita. Contate i miei martiri. Ai chi mori mi vedde et non m’aita, et dite, o beltà infinita, dal tuo fedel ne caccia empio martire. Et se questo gli e grato, gitene rat’ in ciel a miglior stato, ma se pietà gli por g’il vostro dire, tornat’ a me, ch’io non voro morire.
English Translation (from CPDL)
My last sighs leave me cold without life. Count my martyrdoms to the one who sees me and does not help me. And speak, O infinite beauty, that your faithful one may be spared pitiless suffering and if this is pleasing to her, go swiftly to heaven to a better state, but if your words arouse her pity, return to me because I do not want to die.
Renaissance Festival Resource- Costuming
Posted in Ren Resources on June 15, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
First and foremost, to our members… If you can’t sew, don’t worry. We will do our best to help you create, borrow and/or buy to pieces to get a costume that fits your budget. Before you embark, if you would like to read some of our current costuming standards, you can do so below.
The BASICS
Generally speaking men will wear a shirt, doublet, pants, tights, hat and shoes.
Generally speaking ladies will either wear an Italian Renaissance gown, or an Elizabethan gown and a head covering. Italian Renaissance gowns usually consist of a chemise, an underskirt, an overdress. Elizabethan gowns will consist of a chemise, corset, farthingale, bumroll, underskirt, overskirt and bodice. All ladies must also have a head-covering.
Some biggie No-no’s!
The Elizabethans had something called Sumptuary Laws. The one we strictly enforce is “no purple unless you are the monarch”, and so only Caroline, who plays Queen Elizabeth I at festival is allowed to wear purple. Please do not include purple, (violet, lavender, or any other shade or tint of purple) in your costume.
No LACE, unless it is Needlelace (or can pass for it), and you shouldn’t have lots of it. No pure lace skirts. No lace around all your edges, cuffs, etc. etc. Lace was too expensive to make and was used as an embellishment only.
Polyester is not a good idea. Some fabrics that are synthetic look natural (this is why you’re bringing in swatches) so they’re acceptable looking. But they don’t breathe very well. In Elizabethan times they were going through a mini-ice-age, and on top of that when Henry VIII got fat, everyone padded up and bulked their clothing to emulate him so fashions were heavy, puffy things. Combine those with fabrics that don’t breathe and Michigan weather in August and you’re going to have a tough time of it.
No printed pattern fabrics. All patterns should be woven or embroidered.
Some Simple, Easy to follow DOs.
Do wear a hat! Head coverings are required. You should have a hat of some kind. A simple fabric flat cap is acceptable, and any Elizabethan tall hats or riding hats are as well. A French hood with a veil has recently become an acceptable choice of headgear at Michigan Renaissance festival, so ladies are welcome to go that route as well. Your headcovering should be waterproof, or you should have a waterproof option available to you if it is not. Hats should be approved by your costumer (for 2011 that would be Jody or Sara).
DO wear a chemise under your gown, ladies. That’s a nice, lightweight shirt (well, technically LONG shirt, but I cut mine short due to heat concerns) in white or off-white. It can be a partlet. It can have a ruff. It should be long sleeved. Cotton is fine.
DO wear pants, men! Or at least make THAT part of your anatomy is appropriately covered by the top part of your costume (or a codpiece if you MUST wear tights).
DO make or buy removable sleeves. It’s 90 freakin’ degrees out there some days, 45 on others. Sleeves should be an on/off item.
You will want a cloak. Wool or some other waterproof, natural material. You can spray it with scotch guard, tent-guard, whatever, to make it more waterproof. It wouldn’t hurt to have a heavy cloak and a light one (sometimes it is hot and rainy, sometimes it is cold and rainy).
More Information/Ideas
FOOTWEAR:
Ladies you can wear Mary Janes (with good insoles and rubber soles), leather slippers (watch out on rain days), or leather boots. There is HUMAN EATING MUD at festival and wood chips of pokey pain so I don’t suggest open toed shoes or sandals.
Men, you should either wear boots or black or brown leather shoes that aren’t tennis shoes or obviously modern dress shoes.
Boots are good choices for men or women. You can buy boots out at festival, or online. I have Son of Sandlar boots and they get me through rain days, but I swear by a Mary Jane style shoe made by Born for when it is dry outside.
LADIES UNDERPINNINGS:
Normally you would want a corset to make your silhouette very Elizabethan. However, if you are singing, you will also want to breathe. You can compromise by getting a relatively flexible or loose fitting corset, or merely wearing an enforced bodice.
If you’re going for an a courtly Elizabethan look you will want a farthingale (hoop skirt) and a bum roll as well.
If you are going for an Italian Renaissance ladies look you can skip the hoop and bumroll.
RESOURCES:
THIS WEBSITE IS AMAZING!!!
http://www.elizabethancostume.net/
It’s INCREDIBLE. I’ve learned a lot of that stuff over the years, but it teaches it all to ya in one fell swoop. Sure there’ s a lot, but read it, it’s worth it in the long run.
COSTUMES TO BUY!
Basic rule: Please get approval before you buy. Email Sara and/or Jody a link, and we will let you know if your costume choice is acceptable.
Etsy has some handmade costumes that are lovely and wearable, though not generally the most affordable. This is great, for example, though out of most of our budgets.
The Tudor Shoppe is another good costume shop.
Pendragon has a few costumes that are appropriate for the Arbor Consort.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
The Arbor Consort’s By-Laws
Posted in Uncategorized on June 10, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The Arbor Consort
By-Laws
Article I
Name and Principal Offices
Section 1
The name of the corporation shall be: The Arbor Consort, Inc.
Section 2
The principal office of The Arbor Consort shall be at such location as the
Board of Directors may determine from time to time.
Article II
Purposes
Section 1
The purposes for which The Arbor Consort is formed are: to promote renaissance
madrigal music to the general public; to provide educational opportunities for
professionals and amateurs in the advancement of musical performance of
renaissance choral music; and to promote an appreciation of the history and
culture of renaissance Europe through performance of the music of the period.
Section 2
No money or other goods received by the corporation shall be distributed to
its members, trustees, directors or other individuals or businesses except in
payment of reasonable compensation for services rendered in the furtherance of
stated purposes.
Section 3
The Arbor Consort is not formed for pecuniary or financial gain, and no part
of the assets, income or profit of The Arbor Consort is attributable to, or
inures to the benefit of its trustees or officers. No substantial portion of
the activities shall be the carrying on of propaganda. or otherwise attempting
to influence legislation, and The Arbor Consort shall not participate in, or
intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any
political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.
Section 4
Upon dissolution and termination of the corporation any remaining assets
after all debts and other obligations have been satisfied shall not be
distributed pro rata to the members, bit instead shall be transferred to a
charitable or other organization qualified under section 501 (c) (3) of the
Internal Revenue Code, or as it may be amended.
Article III
The Board of Directors
Section 1
Membership in the The Arbor Consort Board of Directors shall be available
without regard to race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, or national
origin.
Section 2
The business, property, and affairs of The Arbor Consort shall be managed by
the Board of Directors.
Section 3
Any individual who subscribes to the stated purposes of The Arbor Consort may
be nominated for the Board of Directors. The individual may nominate
themselves or be nominated by a member of The Arbor Consort.
Section 4
Members of the Board of Directors shall serve for a term of one year, but may
be elected for consecutive terms without limitation.
Section 5
The number of the Directors of The Arbor Consort shall be established by the
directors then serving and shall be an odd number between 5 and 11,
inclusive. A quorum of the Board of Directors shall consist of one-half of
the number of Directors then serving. The Officers of The Arbor Consort shall
act as an Executive Committee, which shall have power to conduct all business
of The Arbor Consort between meetings of the Board of Directors.
Section 6
Members of the Board of Directors shall be elected by a simple majority of
the membership of The Arbor Consort by a secret ballot from a slate of
candidates assembled from those nominated by the nominating committee and
nominations from the floor at the annual membership meeting. Votes shall be
counted and verified by 2 current members of The Arbor Consort who are not
candidates in the election. At least 7 days notice of the annual membership
meeting shall be given to the general membership. Members of the Board of
Directors may be elected by a simple majority of the existing Board when
needed to fill a vacant spot, or for other purposes, for a term to last until
the next annual membership meeting.
Section 7
The Board of Directors shall meet at such times and places as the Board shall
determine, not less than one time per year.
Section 8
Meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by any member of the
Executive Committee.
Section 9
Twenty-four hour notice shall be required for meetings, except that the
Executive Committee may waive the notice requirement in case of emergencies.
Section 10
Members of the Board of Directors may vote by proxy and may participate by
telephone or e-mail.
Section 11
Minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors shall be available for
inspection upon request.
Section 12
The duties of the Board of Directors shall be: a) to transact necessary
business; b) to create standing committees and define their responsibilities;
c) to appoint an auditor or an auditing committee to audit the treasurer’s
accounts; d) to prepare and submit an annual budget; f) to take such other
actions as may be necessary to carry out the purposes and conduct the
business of The Arbor Consort.
Section 13
Directors shall receive no compensation for their work on the Board.
Directors who are employed by The Arbor Consort may be paid for services
rendered in a professional or other capacity. Directors may be reimbursed for
travel expenses or other costs incurred by reason of the performance of their
duties.
Article IV
Nominations and Nominating Committee
Section 1
Nominations for the Board of Directors shall be presented by the Nominating
Committee at the annual membership meeting, or by motion from any member at
said meeting. The nominating committee shall present a slate of candidates of
members-in-good-standing deemed adequate by the serving Board of Directors
which may contain more candidates than the number of Directors to be chosen.
Nominations from the floor during the annual meeting shall be treated as
write-in candidates. Should a vacancy arise between annual membership
meetings, or if the serving Board determines that additional Directors are
needed, the Nominating Committee shall nominate qualified individuals by
written or oral presentation to the Board of Directors.
Section 2
The Nominating Committee shall consist of one or more members of the
Executive Committee and additional Directors as needed.
Section 3
The duties of the Nominating Committee shall be to identify persons willing
and qualified to serve as Directors of The Arbor Consort, and to nominate and
present a list of such persons to the membership or to the Directors as
required for election.
Section 4
The Committee may also receive the petition of not less than one-third of the
Directors of The Arbor Consort for the removal or recall of a Director. Upon
receipt of such a petition the Committee shall inform the Board of Directors
and such Director of the contents of the petition, and shell discuss and vote
upon all matters contained in the petition.
Article V
Standing and Special Committees
Section 1
The Board of Directors may create such standing committees as it may deem
necessary to promote the purposes and work of The Arbor Consort. The
Directors shall define the responsibilities for each such committee and shall
appoint persons to serve.
Section 2
The chair of each such Committee shall be a Director, other members may or
may not be Directors.
Section 3
The chair of each such Committee shall report to the Board of Directors on
the progress of the work assigned to the Committee. No Committee shall
undertake any work or take any action in excess of the authority granted to
it by the Board of Directors.
Section 4
Special Committees designed to carry out specific objectives or to report on
special projects or problems may be appointed by a majority vote of the Board
of Directors.
Article VI
Officers
Section 1
The Officers and Executive Committee of The Arbor Consort shall consist of
the President. Vice-President, Secretary. and Treasurer, and they shall be
appointed by a majority vote of the Board of Directors to hold office for a
period of one year. Officers may serve successive terms.
Section 2
The President shall see that all orders and resolutions of the Board of
Directors are carried into effect, and, in the absence of an executive
director, shall have general powers of supervision and management over the
day-to-day operations of The Arbor Consort.
Section 3
The Vice-President shall assist the President and shall perform the duties of
the President in the absence or disability of that officer to act.
Section 4
The Secretary shall record the minutes of all meetings of the Board of
Directors and shall perform such other duties as may be delegated to that
office from time to time by the Board of Directors.
Section 5
The Treasurer shall be responsible for a full and accurate account of receipts
and expenditures. The Treasurer shall present a financial statement when
requested by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shell be responsible for
the maintenance of such books of account and records as conform to the
requirements of State and Federal laws.
Section 6
By affirmative vote of a majority of the Board of Directors people may be
appointed, contracted, or employed by The Arbor Consort to serve in such
capacities as is deemed appropriate. A member of the Board of Directors may be
appointed, contracted, or employed in this manner. Financial compensation in
such amount as the Board determines is consistent with his or her duties and
with the financial condition of The Arbor Consort may be offered.
Article VII
Terms of Office
Section 1
Members of the Board of Directors shell serve until the next annual membership
meeting. Members may be elected to successive terms.
Section 2
Any member of the Board of Directors, or person contracted, appointed, or
employed by the Board of Directors may resign by written or oral notice. The
resignation is effective upon its receipt by The Arbor Consort or a subsequent
time as set forth in the letter of resignation.
Section 3
Any member of the Board of Directors may be removed by a majority vote of the
Board.
Section 4
Appointments to fill unexpired terms of Directors or Officers shall be made by
a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
Article VIII
Annual Membership Meeting
Section 1
There shall be a meeting of all members of The Arbor Consort in June of each
year, at a time and place to be determined by the Board of Directors.
Section 2
Any person who has participated in the activities of The Arbor Consort within
the previous year, or who is participating in such activities at the time of
the meeting, shall be a member.
Section 3
The Officers and the Board of Directors shall present to the membership a full
accounting of the activities of The Arbor Consort during the previous year,
and of all plans being made for future activities, at the annual membership
meeting.
Section 4
Nominations for members of the Board of Directors may be made by any member of
The Arbor Consort. A member may nominate himself or herself.
Section 5
The Board of Directors shall consist of all persons elected by a majority of
the members present at the annual membership meeting, subject to the
provisions of Article III., Section 6. and Article VII Sections 3 and 4.
Article IX
Indemnification
Section 1
Each person who is or was a director, officer or member of a committee of The
Arbor Consort and each person who serves or has served at the request of The
Arbor Consort as a director, officer, partner, employee, or agent of any other
corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise shall be
indemnified by The Arbor Consort to the fullest extent permitted by the laws
of the State of Michigan as they may be in effect from time to time. The Arbor
Consort may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any such person
against any liability asserted against and incurred by such person in any such
capacity or arising out of his/her status as such, whether or not The Arbor
Consort would have power to indemnify such person against liability under the
preceding sentence. The Arbor Consort may. to the extent authorized from time
to time by the Board, grant rights of indemnification to any employee or agent
of The Arbor Consort to the fullest extent provided under the laws of the
State of Michigan as they may be in effect from time to time.
Article X
Non-Discrimination
Section 1
It is the policy of The Arbor Consort that no person shall be excluded from
participation in, be denied the benefits of, or subject to discrimination in
membership in The Arbor Consort. or in membership to the bard of Directors,
appointments, contracted services, or employment, or any of its programs or
activities on the basis of race. national origin, creed, sex, marital status,
sexual orientation or disability.
Article XI
Amendments to By-Laws
Section 1
These by-laws may be amended by a majority vote of the membership at the
annual membership meeting.
Madrigal Monday, June 6, 2011
Posted in Madrigal Monday on June 6, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Vitrum Nostrum Gloriosum. Something a little more light-hearted for this week, since we had Mia Benigna Fortuna recently. This is a German song, written in Latin, parodying sacred Renaissance music. I really don’t think there’s anything else to say about it.
Latin text
Vitrum nostrum gloriosum,
Deo gratissimum.
O, vitrum! Levate!
Fac, fac, bibe totum extra,
ut nihil maneat intra,
Depone!
Hoc est in visceribus meis.
Prosequamur laude!
English translation
How glorious is our drink,
how pleasing to God.
Raise it up.
Come on, drink up
till not a drop is left.
Down the hatch!
Now, that’s all inside me.
Cheers!
Renaissance Festival Resource- Elizabethan Pronunciation
Posted in Ren Resources on June 2, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
First, it’s important to note we’re not the first site to list create a pronunciation guide like this. Renfaire.com has recordings of the pronunciations, which I find most helpful for some of the “weirder” ones, like the first short a sound presented below, and also for the mess that is “fair”.
WANT- (a) like the a sound in “flat, fat, wack or wax.”
Some words to practice with: Father, water, salt, fall, halt
HARK – (a) “ah” (not “aw” but aa)
MAKE: (a) the long a sound becomes short e. Make becomes “mek”
Some words to practice with: Make, take, cake, bake, table
HEAD- (e) short e: Pronounced “haid”
Some words to practice with: Dead, bread
I- Long is pronounced “uh-ee” Do not round your lips.
Some words to practice with: my, die, sigh, fly, lie
BIT- Short I is still “ih”. It is still it, still is still still.
MERCY (ur): Pronounced “maircy”.
FAIR (ar): Faaeer. I suggest listening to it.
NEITHER: ei is another diphthong. Short e plus short i. Comes out “nayther”
DAY: Another diphthong. The Elizabethan short a and long I sounds. “daa-uhee”.
LORD: The short O Is pronounced with lots o flip rounding and is drawn out. Lord = “loord”
Some words to practice with: come, word
DOWN: (ou) Combination pronounced “uh-oo” any OW or OU sound is pronounced “uh-oo” House = “hu-oose”
CUP: The short U sound is rounded and drawn out “Not “uh “ but “ooo” Cup = coop, cut – coot
Some words to practice with: Up, bus, cup, but
LOVE: Drawn out like (modern) cup. Just like the Beatles say it “luv”.
Words to practice with: love, mother, brother, another
The “ZH” sound: Does not exist for Elizabethan so say “pleassure” not “pleasure”. Examples: Pasture = “Past ee ur” affection = “affec see on” righteousness – “right e ous ness”
Drill- “A measure o’ pleasure doth be an earthy treasure. Leisure doth be another measure o’ pleasure.”
ED- Always voiced at the end of past tense words. lovED, turnED, walkED, talkED, marriED.
Drill- “he turned, stopped and asked “Art thou angered?” She leaned toward him and vowed his death, then walked and talked no more. He had tarried, they might be married, now the doth be buried. They were killed and trapped by hate, carried away by evil.”
For my own amusement and possibly for your education, I’ve attempted to write out “Fine Knacks for Ladies” with Elizabethan pronunciation written in. I don’t know if it will make sense or not, but I figure I can give it a try.
“Fuh ine knaacks for lehdies, cheap, chuh oice, braave and new. Goood penny worths that mooney caaan not mooove. I keep a faaeer but foor the faaeer to view. A beggar meh be liberal of luv. Thuh-oo all my wairs be traash, the hairt is truh-oo.
Gret gifts aare guh-iles and looook for gifts aagain, muh-ee truh-eyefuls coom as pleassures from muh-ee muh-eyend. It is a preh-see-us jewell to be plain, soom tuh-eyems in shell the oorienst pearls we fuh-eyend. Oof oothers tek a shef, oof me a grain.
Within this paack, pins, puhoints, lehses and gluvs, aand duheyevers toys(?) fitting a country faaeer. Boot in my hairt hwair duty sairvs and luvs, tairtuhlls and twins coourts broood a haivenly paaer. Haappy the hairt that think oof noo remoooves.”
Not at all sure how “toys” would be pronounced so I would leave it modern I guess, and I’m not one hundred percent sure that “serves” and “turtles” should have the same sound as “mercy”, but I think I might be right there. Anyway, there are probably errors above, so tek it with a grain oof saaalt. ^_^
EDIT (Update to add): I’ve been listening to some of The Hilliard Ensemble’s recordings of English Madrigals. They tend to pronounce ai as a long i sound, rather than the long a sound which we give it in modern English. For example, they sing “Since Roben Hood” and pronounce “maid” muhEYEd.
Haven’t seen any other sources of this, but tend to think The Hilliard Ensemble’s recorded music is painstakingly researched. So you might want to include that pronunciation rule in your Elizabethan dialect.
[Sources] These rules and drills are compiled from materials distributed to Michigan Renaissance Festival’s resident cast sometime between 2002 and 2005. There are no sources for the pronunciations listed on the materials. I retyped, paraphrased and in some cases actually edited before including anything on this page, which is meant to be a guideline for fun and performance, NOT as a piece of absolute historical fact.
