>Ideally I would
>like to perform something from 13th century Scotland. However, while music
>exists, I am under the impression that very little (if nothing) exists that
>was actully written for the harp.
>
>Furthermore, if I were to "arrange" a piece of music from this period, I am
>also unsure of what type of bass line would be appropriate (e.g. would rolled
>chords and other such flourishes be period in medieval harp music - or would
>a medieval harper more likely perform a simple drone in the bass.)
I know very little about Scottish music, but for 13th C.
French music, a good place to go is Timothy McGee's
'Medieval Instrumental Dances', which collects all the
surviving instrumental dance music from before 1450
or so. It's a depressingly slim volume.
The estampies from the Manuscript du Roi are fun to play
and not hideously difficult. (If there are too many notes,
leave some out.)
Not only is the surviving repertoire tiny, the surviving
evidence on how these pieces (or instrumental music
in general) were actually performed is almost non-
existent. Modern performers have devised ways of
approaching this repertoire based on medieval ideas
about music and the use of monophonic music in other
cultures. The principle techniques are:
(1) strictly monophonic performance
The simplest (and sometimes most difficult) thing to do with
a monophonic piece is to play just the tune, (perhaps adding
some tasteful ornamentation). This approach is perhaps most
effective for the more elevated styles--it allows you to take
a really fine tune and put all your concentration into shaping
it exactly as you please.
(2) drones
Speaking of the harp, Gerard of Wales (writing in the 12th or
13th century, I forget the details...) mentions the effect of
the bright sound of the thinner strings against the duller sound
of the thicker one, which could refer to the use of a bass string
as a drone.
Since medieval melodies often use a pattern of departure from
and return to their tonal center, a drone can be very effective,
since it adds to this sense of tension and release. A medieval
melody normally ends on its tonal center (which is why chants
are classified by their final, or last note); some secular pieces
don't, so you may have to experiment to find a suitable drone.
In many pieces, shifting the drone can give an even stronger
effect of departure and return. For example, many pieces in
the first mode use a pattern like this: a section in which the
important notes are D and A, followed by a (usual shorter)
section which stresses G and C (often outllining the fifth or
triad from C to G), and finally a phrase which returns to D.
In this situation, droning on D in the first section, shifting to
C for the second, and the returning to D for the end supports
this departure and return.
In general, it's good for the drone to be in unison with or a
fifth below the important notes of the melody. In addition,
it should support the melody, rather than draw attention to
itself Two good rules of thumb are to always shift the drone
by steps and to move it as little as possible. (The use of
an independent bass line introduces counterpoint; if you
decide you want one, and want to retain a medieval sound,
you need to look at the rules of medieval counterpoint.)
Since the harp is a percussive instrument, our drones have
rhythmic implications. It's important to use these drones to
support the rhythm, as well as the melody, of the tune. Try
to do something more interesting than just plunking on every
downbeat.
We also have the choice of a more complex drone--for example,
an open fifth instead of just a single note, or 1-5-8 arpeggios
going up or down.
Full triads should be reserved for special effects; in medieval
terms, they are very unstable, and require a strong resolution.
Many medieval melodies outline the triad of the subfinal before
resolving on the final--a very strong form of departure/tension
and return/repose. But until you've learned to hear triads as
unstable dissonances, it's best to avoid them.
(3) heterophony
Heterophony means playing different versions of the melody
together. The simplest form of heterophony, doubling at
the octave, was certainly familiar to medieval musicians;
at least one medieval theorist explains that octave doubling
results when men and boys sing together. A more sophisticated
approach is to play a simplified version of the melody against
the original (e.g. the tune in the right hand, the simplified
version in the left an octave lower).
To produce the simplified version, try just playing downbeats.
Then add other notes that strike you as important to the
tune, and tinker with the result until you get something
you like. The simplified version should be a satisfactory
tune in its own right, reminiscent of but not necessarily
identical to the original. The more the simplified version
diverges from the original, the more colorful the effect.
There is, or course, a continuum of simplification: at the
lower end, it merges with the idea of a moving drone,
while at the upper end, it's identical with the tune.
You can also create heterophony by adding ornaments to
the tune. When playing in a group, it's fun for each person
to try to find a different level of complexity. Having the
drone, simplified melody, original, and ornamented version
all going at once can give a rich texture without losing
the character of the tune.
Another trick in this vein is to take the simplified version
and add ornaments or figuration to it, making a version of
the original melody which is equally complex but different.
(4) counterpoint
The rules of medieval counterpoint are quite straight-forward,
and adding countermelodies can add color to your
performance. However, this is one of those proceed-with-
caution areas, since adding counterpoint can swamp the
character of a monophonic piece.
The basic rule is that consonances are the unison, octave,
and fifth; theorists also classified the fourth as a consonance,
but it doesn't show up much in the surviving music. The
voices should proceed from consonance to consonance
in contrary motion (if one voice goes up, the other goes
down) perhaps with passing dissonances (like thirds)
between. Both voices should have good melodic motion,
preferring motion by steps or thirds and avoiding leaps.
Of course, if the melody leaps, the countermelody often
can leap in the opposite direction to good effect.
All of these approaches are speculative, including strict
monophonic performance. And all involve the application
of taste--how to phrase, how complex a drone to use, how
to simplify or ornament the melody, what degree of
dissonance to use. As you develop an aesthetic of medieval
music, you can use these various techniques to help you
realize that idea in sound.
Bill McJohn
billmc@microsoft.com