Something a little different this morning. I like to make small collections of music appropriate to the historic periods which I wargame - nothing overly serious, just mood-setting stuff.
This started about 10 years ago, when I put together a couple of CDs of Napoleonic marches (a stirring addition to tabletop warfare, though you have to stand ready with the off switch when it begins to do your head in). This is an interesting way to unnerve an opponent...
I tried to extend the idea to the War of the Spanish Succession, but was immediately challenged by the fact that bands didn't actually march in step at this period, so any formal "military" music is mostly music containing sound effects which parody warfare - typically composed by Lully and Delalande and similar, for the entertainment of Louis XIV and his guests at gala dinners. There were regimental bands, but their main duties involved playing concerts or festive music.
Thus it is no surprise that the ECW presents the same problem. There is contemporary "soldier" music available on record, much of which consists of ribald drinking songs. I was pleased to come across the work of William Lawes, a native of Salisbury, in Wiltshire, who spent most of his adult life in the service of Charles I. William was a composer, lutenist and viol player who produced an impressive portfolio of sacred and courtly works.
Here is a sample of his music for small groups - if you are interested, there is a fair amount online, much of which is very pleasing. This has been one of this week's better surprises.
For ECW I'd go with electro-folk by Strawhead - back in the day they were a great favourite with the Sealed knot.
ReplyDeleteI’ve got “all” their albums…
DeleteThanks for this Rob - I know of Strawhead and their music is interesting. I confess I am not sure what I'm looking for - probably something which gives some kind of cultural feel for the period (to go along with black bread for the wargame snacks!). One slight snag with Strawhead is that they sound like a (good) modern band performing songs about a bygone age. At present, my fall-back mood setting music is sort of 30 Years War - I have a couple of excellent albums of music for Renaissance band by Michael Praetorius.
DeleteI understand this is a bit contrived on my part; instrumentation of the day did not really allow for bands in the sense we would understand the term now. There was formal music, but you would probably have to be a king or someone to have it on tap. The music of the common folk is not an easy thing to put a finger on.
One thing I have decided I like is that the instrumentation should be authentic for the period. There are specialist groups in France who perform Napoleonic music as it would have sounded at the time, but it is hard to find a British equivalent, since almost all British marches are performed on record by modern bands with saxophones. There is a nerd's rabbit-hole looming large here!
Good fun though. People have also recommended Fairport Convention's song about Lady Derby at Lathom House, but that is firmly based in the 1970s.
You might have seen this Tony.
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/njMKkbtfn1k?si=oUchNZaOt4EanYQD
Interesting - thanks Benjamin, you are a good fellow. The battlefield signals are an essential ingredient. I also need a better understanding of what the fife and hautbois boys played in action.
DeleteIt sounds very medieval, wasn't what I was expecting?
ReplyDeleteProper orchestras and bands which could move around didn't really appear until the 1730s, I understand. There were viol groups, but that is no use for the army (it would make a good sketch for Monty Python though). The natural trumpets of the day were pretty limited, so even the super-posh Louis XIV stuff is almost always in the same key, which is not great if you have a tendency to thoughts of suicide!
DeleteInteresting - I have a CD/book set called 'Guerre & Paix 1614-1714' by Jordi Savall, containing musical selections relating to the wars of the period. Details here :
ReplyDeletehttps://www.alia-vox.com/en/producte/guerre-paix-1614-1714/
I'm afraid I haven't played it much, and just found it at the very bottom of a pile of CDs on my shelf! But it might interest you. Having found it, I will now give it a spin; thanks for reminding me of it.
I’ve got that excellent set of cds plus the book.
DeleteThanks very much for this. The music from that set is available as an mp3 download on Amazon - is the book in English? My Spanish, on a good day, is dire. I shall check this out.
DeleteIt’s a multilingual book, I bought it from the Alia Vox website https://www.alia-vox.com/en/producte/guerre-paix-1614-1714/
DeleteText in the book is in several languages - including English.
DeleteThanks Benjamin - I'll have a look. I could treat myself for my birthday...
DeleteThanks David. I'm OK with English (on good days).
DeleteVery soothing - just what you’d need before a siege!
ReplyDeleteYes indeed. I think the sample track is the sort of thing King Charles would have appreciated during lunch at his palace. It occurs to me that suggestions for song titles (not necessarily contemporary) suitable for sieges would make an interesting diversion from my usual hobby of hiding from the news.
DeleteI really enjoyed that Tony. Was surreal listening as I walked past the half term crowds towards the Thames at lunchtime. I imagined someone singing along in one of those really high pitched voices (castrato?) like on the closing theme to Blackadder II.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, though, it was good and I'll look up more. Thanks.
I am very fond of lutes and theorbos and all that. There was a period in my life when I actually owned a 7-course concert lute (that's 13 strings - 6 pairs and a single chanterelle), made in East Germany. It was a lovely thing, and for about 2 years I studied the works of Dowland, Francis Pilkington etc. This must have been about 1972.
DeleteSubsequently:
(1) it became obvious that constant changes in humidity and temperature meant that I had to invest far more time tuning the bastard than playing it.
(2) the fingerings are just sufficiently different from the guitar to add a layer of confusion to the other challenges.
(3) I already had a struggle on my hands with the guitar, and the distraction didn't help.
(4) I went to see Julian Bream playing a concert on lute at Leith Town Hall, and in a rare moment of clarity I understood how little talent I had, so I sold my lute - no hard feelings.
Sometimes, looking back, I am astounded by how daft I must have been.
Oh yes - Francis Pilkington was Master of Musicke at Chester Cathedral, but he died a few years before the siege. Nearly tied another couple of loose ends there.