This is a song by William Cornyshe (d. 1523). I first heard it about 30 years ago on an album called Simunye, which was a collaboration between I Fagiolini, an Oxford choir, and the SDASA Chorale from Soweto, South Africa. Having connections in both places, I was particularly taken with this - but I think anyone who likes choral music would be. I picked up a guitar arrangement online many years ago. I have added a mandolin line on top and played it as a round (which is how the song is intended). Actors' Equity insisted that all robins in this motion picture be American Robins, which are not true robins but of the genus turdus (stop sniggering at the back), or thrushes.
What an incredibly lovely tune, Richard, and around 500 years old! Your arrangement suits it so well and guitar and mandolin combine beautifully. Lovely pictorial content too!
Beautiful tune and playing Richard! I'm sure I know the tune, and may even have played it, but the title doesn't seem familiar. It may just be the usual renaissance cross-fertilization of melodic phrases -- there are bits that remind me of the Lyke Wake Dirge, but it's clearly not the same tune. Martin
A very nice tune played in your trademark pleasant tone, Richard!
Thank you all. It is a beautiful tune and, as John says, it is a bit mind-blowing that it is over 500 years old (well, he didn't say that exactly, but it is). Martin, I suspect that, in the usual way, Cornyshe probably took an existing tune, but it is the harmony that really makes it special. As I said, I have played it on the guitar for years but never quite felt that it did the original piece justice (though I think it is a good arrangement). Adding the mandolin and playing it as a round added that something. I am happy to share the guitar arrangement if anyone wants to have a go - I simply play the top line on the mandolin. I play it a bit faster than the choral versions - it didn't sound right at singing tempo on the mandolin (and I wasn't going to add the dreaded tremolo!) The American robins are charming birds, once one gets over the disappointment that they are not proper robins. They are very happy at the moment because, as I have mentioned, I am digging a pond, so lots of worms are getting uncovered.
Thanks, Richard. I'll need to look into the tune! Regarding tremolo, there's a time and place where it's appropriate and early music generally is not it -- there are a few madrigals where I've found it appropriate, and I use it in a few renaissance dances in short bursts to accentuate, more like a trill than as pseudo-sustain. But except from that, my early music recordings are a tremolo-free zone! Martin
You found an amazing way to perform this tune, Richard. The birds singing along with your playing are a nice addition.
Thank you, Frithjof. The birdsong in the background was accidental. I forgot to delete the audio on the videos. Three out of the four had terrible sounds: kids screaming, lawnmowers going, my wife gardening, my wife asking me why I was filming birds and was I ever going to do any garden work?... But one had some lovely uninterrupted birdsong, which for me is the best sound in the world. So I kept that one and copied it. You are in fact listening to the same little snatch all the way through. Martin, I completely agree on tremolo. I made a big effort last year to learn tremolo, but nothing that I play ever seems to need it. It does, however, really help with plucked trills (which I have been working on, with reference to a previous conversation). By the way, this is the link to the guitar arrangement. I simply play the top line on mandolin.
Lovely! I'm one of those who enjoy background sounds, especially birds. And very sensitively played, I liked the slight rubato on some of the beginnings of the melodic phrasing. Really enjoyed the medieval reverb tone too, it brought images of traveling troubadours playing in the late evening in cathedrals.
Thanks, Simon. I should use birdsong more. These are mainly just sparrows, but I do try to record specific birdsong (as I did for The Nightingale), but generally don't do anything with them. I probably have a wren somewhere - an opportunity missed. As you have been saying separately, it is a bit of a challenge doing rubato when there are two instrument tracks. But a click track seems inappropriate for a song like this. It helps that I know the piece well and have played it on the guitar for a long time. Although I recorded the guitar track first, which would not be my normal way (also did this on Midnight).
When Richard posted his lovely instrumental arrangement, he wouldn't have known that this old song has been one of my favourites for many years. Coincidentally, I had been considering a recording as well. But, as often happens with favourites, I never felt that I'd be able to do it justice. So I'm grateful to Richard not just for contributing such a well-played version of this melody, but also for starting this thread, introducing the song to the group, and spurring me into action. Justice or injustice, here's what I've done.
Excellent Dennis, it moves within. The Spirit of the SAW! Love the whole feeling.
They didn't need to put you in the pillory, Dennis! I think this arrangement really captures the spirit of the time. I love the combination of instruments for this song. Your singing seemed to settle in as it proceeds. I can't imagine how you managed all the harmonies - great stuff. Incidentally, from your description on YouTube I was reminded that the words of the song are about talking to a bird - I hadn't really thought about that when doing my instrumental version, but it now strikes me that I have done two successive "conversations with birds" tunes, since Yellow Bird is in exactly that territory. An interesting sub-genre, with plenty of other examples. Love Henry/Young Hunting, anyone?
Nice! https://abcnotation.com/tunePage?a=b...d/YNGHUNT/0000
Yes, I was debating whether even to attempt that high D in the opening phrase. In the end, I felt that the nice call and response effect made up for the obvious strain. Having a bass voice is good for choir and sea shanties but not much else. I managed the main melody an octave lower, so it felt fine after the first phrase. Thanks for watching!
Applause all around, Dennis…I would not be brave enough to attempt to sing this one!
Oh, that makes sense, Dennis. I really enjoyed it. Do you sing in a choir? And when are you going to sing us a sea shanty?
Don’t worry about Dennis not answering your question the next day. He had a great loss. His beloved soccer team was beaten by the team of my local soccer club and as a dramatic consequence must leave the Bundesliga (German soccer league). Dennis may be working hard now on an original composition: “Lament for the unsuccessful Schalke 04”.
While Dennis is in mourning for Schalke, here is my own recording of this lovely madrigal: William Cornysh (1465-1623): Ah Robin, Gentle Robin I've used the score at IMSLP: https://imslp.org/wiki/Ah_Robin%2C_G...sh%2C_William) The song is in the form of a two-part bass ground played as a canon, with a treble melody line coming in after the first round. I'm playing the canonic ground on mandocello and octave mandolin, and the melody on a nylon-strung four-string bowlback mandolin, a reasonable approximation of a renaissance mandora or soprano lute. Suzuki MC-815 mandocello Mid-Missouri M-111 octave mandolin "Baroq-ulele" nylgut-strung bowlback mandolin https://youtu.be/PGdFuBSNWMY Spring is here, so I've relocated to the garden -- our patio has burst out in purple sage flowers! Martin
The mandocello is a great instrument for this kind of music. The whole arrangement sounds great in your recording, Martin. And I like the rare outside recording situation in your video.
Beautifully done, Martin. I envy you your selection of instruments, very well chosen for this. I also envy you being able to sit and play music outside without competition from lawnmowers and other power tools.
Thanks, Richard and Frithjof! I like taking the mandocello out, and this seemed a good one for the Baroq-ulele. The purists won't agree, but it's really pretty handy as a soprano lute substitute. I'm not sure how those of you who incorporate birdsong do it -- there was loads of loud birdsong in the garden when I recorded this, but it's barely audible on my recording. Mind you, neither are the cars on the nearby road so I shouldn't complain. Must be the directionality of my microphone. Martin
Lovely tone on your exquisite instrument Martin. I control bird background with microphone distance to instrument and sometimes an audio blend from the camera microphone, or I record birdsong on its own and add it to an outside recording that had very little background sound or a microphone that was close or there were lots of trees that muffled the birdsong. You have to be careful to add the right birds to the right ecosystem! Otherwise it can sound really odd. Also I've found that car noise can be reduced by having the microphone axis perpendicular to the car noise source. (Almost ready to record President Garfield on the fiddle. It's rough but bouncy).
That's a super pretty version of this lovely song. Although they sound very different, your arrangement is rather similar to mine with the canon ground and a more trebly instrument taking the melody. Not many people have access to this ensemble of instruments, and it works very well here. In true Kumpel und Malocher fashion, I'm not mourning but working on coming back stronger. No regrets about at least the second half of this season, we gave it everything we had - just like I did by having a go at singing this deceptively simple melody.
Re: Martin’s question about incorporating birdsong in a video. Simon controls bird background with microphone distance to instrument and sometimes an audio blend from the camera microphone. I made the same experiences as Simon. For the outdoor recoding of Scan Tester’s 1&2 I had put the camcorder on a tripod around 2 or 3 meters away from me. Thus, it was directed to the lake and forest with all the birds. I tried another camera position close by - but rotated through 90 degrees. It only looked at the lake, reed and a grove behind the lake. In this recording was the busy street clear very prominent despite I hadn’t noticed it at all all the time I was in this place.
