h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Medieval Man,

welcome to the h2g2 - I think, you'll enjoy it as I do.
I'm sure, one of our ACE's will soon be welcoming you also.

As for your nick I have a question: do you know anything about Orlando Di Lasso? Some years ago I was singing in a choir and in our repertoire was also this composer. I'm looking for a piece which begins with the words "Tamquam agnus" (I'm not sure, if I spell it right). Or maybe you know a good site about medieval music?

Have a good time - we'll 'see' each other, that's sure!

Kasia

Dear Kasia,

Thanks for the hearty welcome, which was my first and my first h2g2 adventure. I don't even know enough at this point to ask a good question, but you have no trouble asking a good one, so let me see if I can be of any help.

Orland di Lasso (1532-1594) is one of my personal favorite Renaissance sacred composers. He was considered one of the greatest composers of all music of the 16th c. a very important time in the developement of Western music. Generally, the 16th century, as it involves music, is almost synonymous with the Great Renaissance.

Orlando must have been an all-around guy, and not merely an ancient version of the Church Lady, because, even though he is principally remembered for his sacred composing, he also wrote madrigals and German Lieder. Madrigals, as you know, were the fun popular (sometimes bawdy) songs of the era, so Mr. di Lasso is no sanctimonious psalm-singer (neither am I). A common theme of madrigals is lovely maidens frolicking in the glade, pursued by smitten poets carrying lutes and wearing floppy hats, something I occasionally do myself, even in this age.

As to the specific Latin text you mention, I fail to bring it up in my anthologies. However, being armed with that phrase, the next time I am skulking around in the musty bowels of the music library of the University of Miami, looking for a good sacred motet for my choir to sing for our annual ancient music concert, I will try and raise it. If you have access to a music library, that same search is available to you.

We have sung several di Lasso things in the last decade at this special festival concert we do every June: Surrexit Pastor Bonus is one. Also Cum Essum Parvulus. In addition, I have quite a few of his madrigals on hand in my personal library. I have a great madrigal group in-house in my choir program, and we like di Lasso tunes.

That's a start. Thanks again for your gracious welcome. Visit my website to see me playing some medieval and Renaissance ancient instruments, including the krummhorn, recorders, and bagpipes.

Medieval Man

Thanks, MM, for this very interesting information about di Lasso.
You are right, I should search in a music library, maybe I'll find this particular piece.

I think, an entry about medieval music or the Renaissance at all, would be really nice - so, think about it, 'cause I can see, you have a huge knowledge about it.

As a matter of fact, it would be also interesting to write about the medieval poetry - for example the german 'Minnelieder'. It's a bit like in madrigals. I should look in my old notes - I studied German philology.

Kasia

Dear Kasia,

Thanks again for kind words. I'd be glad to write whatever an entry is on ancient music and instruments. I'm still a little hazy on the concept of an entry, having been in the hitchhiker's galaxy only scant days. But if it's something like a little treatise, I could manage that. I lecture on the stuff, and I do it very lightheartedly, with much levity; I try to avoid being professorial. When you're talking about medieval krummhorns, humor helps, believe me.

We'll see what happens in this little world in the next few days. Perhaps one of those mysterious Aces will come out of the woodwork and mention it.

Maybe an entry could include the unconfirmed but well-known story of how Handel hung a soprano out of a second story window by her heels because she dared to complain that his music was too hard to sing. There've been a few sopranos in my career that I wanted to dangle out a window. On the other hand, I ain't a Handel.
Medieval Man.