KASF Bardic & Scribal Competition

Reproduction and Performance of “Perla mya cara”

Cordiform chansonnier of Montchenu, f. 11v-12r

March 2021
Sponsored by Baroness Nezhka and Lord Hákon

Entered with Magistra Iselda de Narbonne

Winning Entry

Videos

Finished piece with Music by Magistra Iselda de Narbonne

Time lapse video of progress

Documentation

2021.03.06 - KASF A.S. LV - Bardic/Scribal Competition - Perla mia cara

Calligraphy & Illumination

K ValravnRoxbury MillAtlantia

Song Text

Perla mya cara. O dolce amore Tu sey pyu bella donaa ce che dir non say. So la regina del myo core.
Tu sey madona, la menta mya Car e la gran tempo dolce par la mya bella. Per te languisco, he languiroye.
Yo sono ung servo, the servitore. Ne tusey madona d'atltro myo parere. De altro grando regino e grando segnore.

Translation

by Shirley Rumsey Translation p9My dear pearl,O sweet love,You are a more beautiful ladyThan I can say;You alone are queenOf my heart.
You are a madonna,My guiding spirit,It seems, my beautiful one,That these sweet times are precious.For you I languish,Oh I languish.
I am a slave in your service.You are a madonna;You seem to me to belongTo another great kingdomAnd great Lord.

Materials

Stretched parchment - Gift of Laurel Faye de TreesTom Norton’s Walnut InkNoodler’s Bulletproof Black InkEgg glairWinsor & Newton GouacheDr. Ph Martin's Iridescent Calligraphy Colors: 11R Copper Plate GoldPowdered Pigments:
  • Raw Umber - Gift of Master Eldred Ælfwald
  • Venetian Red - Gift of Master Eldred Ælfwald
  • Yellow Ochre Dark - Rublev Colours from Natural Pigments
  • Zinc White - Rublev Colours from Natural Pigments

Substrate Size

32 x 22 cm

Completion Date

25 February 2021

Script

Italic

Source

Title: Cordiform chansonnier of Montchenu. COLLECTION of Italian and French Songs.Folios 11v and 12rPublication date: 1470-1480Subject: Belles-lettres - Poetry - Songs and Songs - Songs from the 15th century to the present dayType: manuscriptLanguage: FrenchFormat: Parchment. - 72 ff. - 22 x 16 cm. Description: This astonishing volume is distinguished by its shape: a heart in a closed position, two contiguous hearts in an open position, an extremely rare form of which we do not know of any other material evidence, with the exception of a book of hours for the use of Amiens (Paris, BnF latin 10536), of the 15th century, and of two Italian poetic collections of the 16th century in Pesaro (Biblioteca Oliveriana, ms. 1144 and 1145). This manuscript contains a remarkable selection of 43 love songs from French and Italian repertoires, some signed by great composers of the time, such as Dufay, Ockeghem, Busnois, Binchois, van Ghizeghem, others anonymous. Like Savoy, a veritable melting pot of Nordic and southern influences due to its pivotal position between France and Italy, the content of the chansonnier is divided between 13 Italian songs, placed at the head, and 30 French songs. The quality and diversity of the pieces, which offer a balanced and representative sampling of the musical production of the time, and the presence of parody songs, a genre very popular in the years 1460-1470, make this songwriter a unique collection.Rights : public domainIdentifier : ark:/12148/btv1b525044884Source : Bibliothèque nationale de France. Département des Manuscrits. Rothschild 2973 (979 a) [I, 5, 13]Relationship : http://archivesetmanuscrits.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cc37421rProvenance : Bibliothèque nationale de France

Progress