Lady Joan leHarper

“REIS GLORIOS”

Song by troubadour Guiraut de Bornelh

Arranged/Performed by Lady Joan leHarper

ABOUT THE PIECE

Guiraut de Bornelh (1138 – 1215) was described by Petrarch as “the master of the troubadours.” Born in Limousin, he is known to have been retained by the Count of Limoges. It is believed that he accompanied the Count on the Third Crusade. Although details of his life are sparse, much of his music has been preserved.

“Reis Glorios” is one of his best-known pieces. Written in Old Occitan (the common language of the troubadours), it is an alba, which means “dawn song.” Encyclopedia Britannica defines “alba” as a song, often in Old Occitan, of lament for lovers parting at dawn, or the song of a watchman warning lovers of impending sunrise. The verses end: “Et ades sera l’alba” (and soon it will be dawn.) Paul Leigh and Gill Page, in “A Chantar: Songs of the Troubadours & Trouveres”, state that “The alba is a fairly rare genre; this has to be one of the finest.”

ARRANGING & PERFORMING “REIS GLORIOS”

In approaching this piece, three questions came immediately to mind. 1.) Which of my harps should I use to accompany myself? 2.) Which accompaniment pattern shall I use? 3.) The Big Question of early music: should I sing all six verses?

1.) My two biggest harps are lever harps and thus not historically accurate for a 12^thc. song. I chose to use Roselyn, my tiny 12-string harp. She doesn’t have the glorious tone of the bigger harps, but she is, I believe, the right harp for the job! Benjamin Bagby, famous for his one-man show of “Beowulf”, considers 10 – 13 strings the perfect size harp for accompanying early medieval music.

2.) There is a “tool box” of patterns for accompanying very early songs. They include drones, flexible drones, counter-melodies, organum, and simply doubling the melody. In order to add a bit of variety I decided to alternate just playing the melody, and organum (playing the melody up or down a fourth or fifth.) I liked the sound of a fifth below the melody, with a few changes where it creates an unpleasant dissonance.

3.) Upon first joining the SCA 17 years ago, I was told to never sing all the verses of a medieval song, because it bores people and takes up too much time at the bardic circle. However, I was a classical voice major in college and my training says “You sing exactly what is written. Period. End of discussion.” Of course, the more verses I sing, the more Occitan pronunciation to struggle with! In the end, I gave in to my terror of boring people and cut two verses which do not move the narrative along.

Having made these decisions, I settled down to learning to pronounce Old Occitan. Armed with two books and a couple Youtubes, I worked until I felt my pronunciation is decent.

I hope you enjoy “Reis Glorios”!

TEXT

Reis glorios, verays lus e clartatz

Glorious King, true light and clarity,

Dieus poderos, Senher, si a vos platz

Powerful God, Lord, if it please you

Al mieu compaynh siatz fizels aiuda

To my companion be a faithful aid

Qu’ieu non lo vi pos la nuech fo venguda

For I have not seen him since night fell,

Et ades sera l’alba.

And soon it will be dawn.

Bel companho, en chantan vos apel

Fine companion, singing, I call you

Non durmas plus, qu’eu aug chantar l’auzel

Sleep no more, for I have heard the bird singing

Que vay queren lo jorn per lo boscatje.

Which goes hunting the day through the woods.

Et ades sera l’alba.

And soon it will be dawn.

Bel companho, illetz al fenestrel,

Fine companion, go to the window

Et regardatz las estelas del cel.

And look at the stars in the sky.

Conoisseretz sieus sui fizels messatje

Know that I am your faithful messenger

Si non o faytz, vostres er lo dampnatje

And if you don’t do it, the harm will be yours.

Et ades sera l’alba.

And soon it will be dawn.

Bel dous copanh, tansoy en ric sojorn

Fine sweet companion, I am in so rich a place

Qu’eu no volgra mays fos alba ni jorn

That I do not want either dawn nor day.

Car la gensor que anc nasques de mayre

For the noblest lady that was ever mother-born

Tenc et albras, per qu’eu non prezi gaire

I hold and embrace, and so I do not need

Lo fol gilos ni alba.

The jealous fool nor the dawn.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Benjamin Bagby. liner notes from his CD “Lost Songs of a Rhineland Harper”. 2004

Ross W. Duffin (ed.). A Performer’s Guide to Medieval Music. Indiana University Press. 2000.

Paul Leigh and Gill Page. A Chantar, Songs of the Troubadours & Trouveres. Self-published booklet. 2004.

Timothy McGee (ed.). Singing Early Music. Indiana University Press. 1996.

A.G.Rigg. A History of Anglo-Latin Literature. University of Toronto Press. 1991.

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Lady Joan leHarper

“REIS GLORIOS”

Song by troubadour Guiraut de Bornelh

Arranged/Performed by Lady Joan leHarper

ABOUT THE PIECE

ARRANGING & PERFORMING “REIS GLORIOS”

In approaching this piece, three questions came immediately to mind. 1.) Which of my harps should I use to accompany myself? 2.) Which accompaniment pattern shall I use? 3.) The Big Question of early music: should I sing all six verses?

Having made these decisions, I settled down to learning to pronounce Old Occitan. Armed with two books and a couple Youtubes, I worked until I felt my pronunciation is decent.

I hope you enjoy “Reis Glorios”!

TEXT

Reis glorios, verays lus e clartatz

Glorious King, true light and clarity,

Dieus poderos, Senher, si a vos platz

Powerful God, Lord, if it please you

Al mieu compaynh siatz fizels aiuda

To my companion be a faithful aid

Qu’ieu non lo vi pos la nuech fo venguda

For I have not seen him since night fell,

Et ades sera l’alba.

And soon it will be dawn.

Bel companho, en chantan vos apel

Fine companion, singing, I call you

Non durmas plus, qu’eu aug chantar l’auzel

Sleep no more, for I have heard the bird singing

Que vay queren lo jorn per lo boscatje.

Which goes hunting the day through the woods.

Et ades sera l’alba.

And soon it will be dawn.

Bel companho, illetz al fenestrel,

Fine companion, go to the window

Et regardatz las estelas del cel.

And look at the stars in the sky.

Conoisseretz sieus sui fizels messatje

Know that I am your faithful messenger

Si non o faytz, vostres er lo dampnatje

And if you don’t do it, the harm will be yours.

Et ades sera l’alba.

And soon it will be dawn.

Bel dous copanh, tansoy en ric sojorn

Fine sweet companion, I am in so rich a place

Qu’eu no volgra mays fos alba ni jorn

That I do not want either dawn nor day.

Car la gensor que anc nasques de mayre

For the noblest lady that was ever mother-born

Tenc et albras, per qu’eu non prezi gaire

I hold and embrace, and so I do not need

Lo fol gilos ni alba.

The jealous fool nor the dawn.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Benjamin Bagby. liner notes from his CD “Lost Songs of a Rhineland Harper”. 2004

Ross W. Duffin (ed.). A Performer’s Guide to Medieval Music. Indiana University Press. 2000.

Paul Leigh and Gill Page. A Chantar, Songs of the Troubadours & Trouveres. Self-published booklet. 2004.

Timothy McGee (ed.). Singing Early Music. Indiana University Press. 1996.

A.G.Rigg. A History of Anglo-Latin Literature. University of Toronto Press. 1991.

Questions? Please contact Else at else.hunrvogt@westkingdom.org for assistance