The Mummers’ Dance
The Mummers’ Dance
The Mummers’ Dance – by Loreena McKennitt off the album “The Book of Secrets”
The Mummers’ Dance – by Loreena McKennitt off the album “The Book of Secrets”
Loreena McKennitt, is a Canadian musician, composer, harpist, accordionist, and pianist who writes, records and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern themes.
Loreena McKennitt, is a Canadian musician, composer, harpist, accordionist, and pianist who writes, records and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern themes.
The following notes are extracts from the CD sleeve about Mumming:
The following notes are extracts from the CD sleeve about Mumming:
"Mumming has its roots in the tree worshipping of the peoples who inhabited great regions of a forested Europe now long gone. Mumming usually involves a group of performers dressing up in masks (sometimes of straw) and clothes bedecked with ribbons or rags and setting out on a procession to neighbouring homes singing songs and carrying branches of greenery. It's primarily associated with springtime and fertility, and it has a cast of stock characters, like the Fool, which recurs in some or another from Morris dancing to the shadow puppet plays of Turkey and Greece and even the morality plays of the Middle Ages."
"Mumming has its roots in the tree worshipping of the peoples who inhabited great regions of a forested Europe now long gone. Mumming usually involves a group of performers dressing up in masks (sometimes of straw) and clothes bedecked with ribbons or rags and setting out on a procession to neighbouring homes singing songs and carrying branches of greenery. It's primarily associated with springtime and fertility, and it has a cast of stock characters, like the Fool, which recurs in some or another from Morris dancing to the shadow puppet plays of Turkey and Greece and even the morality plays of the Middle Ages."
Loreena incorporated the chorus of a traditional mumming song into "The Mummers Dance". "The lines, rich with references to spring, come from a song traditionally sung in Abingdon in Oxfordshire".
Loreena incorporated the chorus of a traditional mumming song into "The Mummers Dance". "The lines, rich with references to spring, come from a song traditionally sung in Abingdon in Oxfordshire".
When in the Spring time of the year
When in the Spring time of the year
When the trees are crowned with leaves
When the trees are crowned with leaves
When the ash and oak and birch and yew
When the ash and oak and birch and yew
Are dressed in ribbons fair,
Are dressed in ribbons fair,
When owls call the breathless moon
When owls call the breathless moon
In the blue veil of the night
In the blue veil of the night
The shadows of the trees appear
The shadows of the trees appear
Amidst the lantern light
Amidst the lantern light
Chorus: We've been rambling all the night and some time of this day
Chorus: We've been rambling all the night and some time of this day
Now returning back again, we bring a garland gay.
Now returning back again, we bring a garland gay.
Who will go down to those shady groves
Who will go down to those shady groves
And summon the shadows there
And summon the shadows there
And tie a ribbon on those sheltering arms
And tie a ribbon on those sheltering arms
In the Springtime of the year.
In the Springtime of the year.
The songs of birds seem to fill the woods
The songs of birds seem to fill the woods
That when the fiddler plays
That when the fiddler plays
All their voices can be heard
All their voices can be heard
Long past their wood land days.
Long past their wood land days.
Chorus.
Chorus.
And so they linked their hands and danced
And so they linked their hands and danced
Round in circles and in rows
Round in circles and in rows
And so the journey of the night descends
And so the journey of the night descends
When all the shades are gone.
When all the shades are gone.
A garland gay we bring you here
A garland gay we bring you here
And at your door we stand
And at your door we stand
It is a sprout well budded out
It is a sprout well budded out
The work of our Lord's hand.
The work of our Lord's hand.
Chorus
Chorus
Chorus.
Chorus.
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I have choreographed this dance (loosely) based on Conny’s original notes. As the music is quite complex, and the length of each Instrumental section varies, the steps have been kept relatively simple.
I have choreographed this dance (loosely) based on Conny’s original notes. As the music is quite complex, and the length of each Instrumental section varies, the steps have been kept relatively simple.
Another lovely choreography of this dance is by Lesley Laslett from the UK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm7VeLPo1N0
Another lovely choreography of this dance is by Lesley Laslett from the UK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm7VeLPo1N0
I had prepared an earlier notation of this dance based on Lesley’s video. However, due to complexities synchronizing the choreography to the music, as well as trying to keep it simple for dancers to remember, it’s been decided to archive that notation for now. I may revisit it at some stage in the future.
I had prepared an earlier notation of this dance based on Lesley’s video. However, due to complexities synchronizing the choreography to the music, as well as trying to keep it simple for dancers to remember, it’s been decided to archive that notation for now. I may revisit it at some stage in the future.
Gail, Inverloch
Gail, Inverloch