Trobár Talks
30 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago -The members of medieval music ensemble Trobár talk all things medieval.
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Episodes
Trobár Reads: The Story of an Early Music Quartet
December 16, 2022 03:00 - 1 hour - 44.4 MBJoin the trio for a romp through The Story of an Early Music Quartet, Sterling Jones's first-hand account of the rise and fall of the Studio der frühen Musik. The Studio helped set the standard for medieval music performance in the 1960s and influenced future generations of performers as founding members of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and the Historical Performance Department at Indiana University. The book is full of delightful anecdotes that paint a picture of an early music scene some...
Ye Olde Yuletide Special
December 16, 2022 03:00 - 56 minutes - 39 MBIn this episode the trio explores Christmas traditions in medieval England, including feasting, decorating, knife throwing, caroling, and extra-special holiday treats (dried fruit and nuts disguised as entrails, anyone?) ***************************** Watch this space for performances by yours truly of seasonal music, including one of the carols discussed in the episode. ***************************** Relevant episodes of the History of English Podcast: The Birth of English Song ****** Sir Gaw...
Found in Translation with Robert Kehew
December 16, 2022 03:00 - 57 minutes - 39.7 MBIn this month's episode we interview award-winning playwright and poet Robert Kehew. Kehew was gracious enough to let us use some of the translations from his book Lark in the Morning: The Verses of the Troubadours, a Bilingual Edition, for our latest season program, Found in Translation 2.0. You can learn more about the book and even hear some live readings of their translations by Kehew and W. D. Snodgrass here, and here's a link to a talk given by Kehew at the Library of Congress shortly ...
Pizan's Pastourelle
December 16, 2022 03:00 - 59 minutes - 41 MBIn this episode we discuss the poetic pastourelle genre popular with 13th c. French trouvères, and read excerpts from Christine de Pizan's longer narrative pastourelle, the Dit de la pastoure (Tale of the Shepherdess). Medieval pastourelles all begin with the same setup: a knight encounters a shepherdess while he's out riding. The stories play out in a variety of ways, but there is a consistent undertone of potential sexual violence, which is often realized in the narrative conclusion. While...
Presenting Love's Dominion!
December 16, 2022 03:00 - 50 minutes - 34.9 MBIn this episode Allison and Elena are joined by guest artists Sian Ricketts and Allen Otte, providing you a behind the scenes glance at our upcoming live concerts! We even preview two of our favorite selections from the program. Learn more about the two shows here, happening this Sep. 17 & 18 in Cleveland Heights and Cleveland's Clark Fulton neighborhood. And learn more about the excellent makers of Elena's harp, Campbell Harps, here! Support the show
Storytime with Marie de France! Guigemar
December 16, 2022 03:00 - 1 hour - 51.7 MBIn this episode the trio reads aloud an English translation of "Guigemar," an engaging and somewhat strange lai (or tale) by Marie de France, preserved in a manuscript from the 13th c. And of course we provide context and color commentary along the way! Support the show
the Anne Azéma episode
December 16, 2022 03:00 - 1 hour - 49 MBIn this episode the trio was fortunate enough to snag a conversation with Anne Azéma, French-born vocalist, scholar and stage director, as well as the director of The Boston Camerata since 2008 and the French ensemble Aziman, which she founded, since 2005. We got to hear about Anne's musical training, and chat about the challenges of working with and presenting medieval music to modern audiences. Enjoy! Support the show
the David McCormick episode
December 16, 2022 03:00 - 1 hour - 43.2 MBThis month we chat with our friend and colleague, David McCormick. David is the Executive Director of Early Music America, the Artistic Director of Early Music Access Project, a beautiful vielle player, and an overall delightful human being. We get to hear all about how he came to early music, and what his hopes and dreams are for the field. Support the show
Thomas Binkley and Orientalism in the Early Music Movement
December 16, 2022 03:00 - 1 hour - 55.5 MBIn this episode the trio discusses the influence that Middle Eastern traditions may or may not have had on the development of European medieval music, and what modern re-creators of the music (like Thomas Binkley) have learned from studying those traditions. In particular we discuss Binkley's "On the Modern Performance of Medieval Monophonic Repertory," Jonathan Shull's "Locating the Past in the Present: Living Traditions and the Performance of Early Music," Kirsten Yri's "Thomas Binkley and...
Trobár Acts?!? The Second Shepherd's Play
December 16, 2022 03:00 - 34 minutes - 23.9 MBWarning: This month’s episode of Trobár Talks is so bad that we can only imagine you all using it as blackmail material years from now. Regardless, we wish everyone a happy holiday season and promise to do better in 2022!! ******* In the episode we read excerpts of The Second Shepherds’ Play in a modern translation (with a few semi-appropriate musical insertions). Dover Thrift Editions - https://www.etsy.com/listing/1060686394/vintage-pop-culture-book-everyman-and?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=...
Let's Sing Chant with Conrad von Zabern
December 16, 2022 03:00 - 52 minutes - 36 MBIn this episode we take a tour through Conrad von Zabern's 15th c. treatise on singing chant, "De modo bene cantandi choralem cantum." Von Zabern's exhortations are entertaining and still relevant today! Support the show
Shepherds, Nuns, & Ships: Our 2022-23 Season
October 15, 2022 14:00 - 54 minutes - 37.2 MBA long-overdue episode detailing our 2022-23 season that started a month ago (cue rending of garments and gnashing of teeth). Check out our season details here! Support the show
Hildegard v. the Prelates
September 03, 2022 19:00 - 36 minutes - 25 MBIn this episode we read and discuss a letter that Hildegard wrote to the Prelates at Mainz, who had placed her and her nuns under interdict for failing to follow their instructions. The interdict had deprived them of the ability to sing the divine office, a punishment that Hildegard believed was not just unnecessarily harsh, but also contradictory to the will of God. In this letter, she makes some of her strongest recorded statements about music's essential role in worship, and its power to...
Hildegard dresses her virtues
July 23, 2022 13:00 - 38 minutes - 26.3 MBIn this episode, we explore the symbolically rich descriptions of the appearance and dress of the virtues that Hildegard experienced in her visions, and described in her work Scivias (c. 1150). Support the show
Hildegard v. Tengswich
June 20, 2022 15:00 - 35 minutes - 24.3 MBIn this episode we get a bit more acquainted with one of our favorite saints, the 12th-c. abbess, writer, composer, mystic, visionary, philosopher, and botanist Hildegard von Bingen. As impressive a person as Hildegard was, she was not uncontroversial in her own day. An exchange of letters between Hildegard and a Mistress Tengswich reveal aspects of her world view and ways of operating that may trouble you as much as they did some of her contemporaries. You can access those letters (pp. 127-...
Trobár Talks: the Anne Azéma episode
January 24, 2022 02:00 - 1 hour - 49 MBIn this episode the trio was fortunate enough to snag a conversation with Anne Azéma, French-born vocalist, scholar and stage director, as well as the director of The Boston Camerata since 2008 and the French ensemble Aziman, which she founded, since 2005. We got to hear about Anne's musical training, and chat about the challenges and joys of working with and presenting medieval music to modern audiences. Enjoy! Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/trobarmedieval)
Presenting: Love's Dominion!
September 15, 2021 02:00 - 53 minutes - 36.6 MBIn this episode Allison and Elena are joined by guest artists Sian Ricketts and Allen Otte, providing you a behind the scenes glance at our upcoming live concerts! We even preview two of our favorite selections from the program. Learn more about the two shows here, happening this Sep. 17 & 18 in Cleveland Heights and Cleveland's Clark Fulton neighborhood. And learn more about the excellent makers of Elena's harp, Campbell Harps, here! Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/trobarmedieval)
Updates: on our new album and our 2021-22 season!
August 24, 2021 16:00 - 41 minutes - 28.9 MBWe've been busy and want to share what we've been working on with you! Listen for a behind-the-scenes glance at our process putting our new album together, and learn more about what we have planned for the 2021-22 season. We can't wait to share it with you all! More info on our season here: https://www.trobarmedieval.org/current-season And check out this link for ways to support production of the album, our season concerts, and our exciting new outreach programming! https://www.trobarmedie...
Arnulf's 4 Types of Musicians
June 14, 2021 16:00 - 52 minutes - 36.1 MBWhat type of musician are you? Read this short medieval treatise to find out!! On this month's episode, the trio reads through and comments on Arnulf de St Ghislain's intriguing and thoroughly entertaining Tractatulus de differentiis et gradibus cantorum from c. 1400. It provides a fascinating glimpse into some real (and some unreal?) experiences of music making in the medieval period. Mentioned in the podcast: the medieval bestiary! Here's a link to a fantastic online resource, with the en...
Trobár Reads: Anna Maria Busse Berger, Visualization and Isorhythm (Part III)
May 17, 2021 13:00 - 50 minutes - 34.9 MBIn this episode we continue our conversation on Anna Maria Busse Berger's excellent book, Medieval Music and the Art of Memory, focusing this time on her final chapter, which covers visualization and isorhythm. Information on the book here. Mentioned in the episode: 1) A quick explainer on the isorhythmic motet; 2) An isorhythmic motet video with score and recording; 3) David Rothenberg's book on Marian devotion and secular song in medieval and Renaissance music; 4) The Paul Noble Language...
the Shira Kammen episode
April 20, 2021 19:00 - 1 hour - 56.6 MBIn this episode we interview one of our most beloved mentors, Shira Kammen. Shira is renowned in the early music world as a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, with a particular passion for medieval music. We love her for her generous spirit, her infectious curiosity, and for the tangible joy that radiates through her music-making. We hope you enjoy this conversation with her! --- Links: Shira's Website--- The Listening Book by W. A. Mathieu--- Check out this list for more medieval history ...
Trobár Reads: Anna Maria Busse Berger and Notre Dame Polyphony (Part II)
March 16, 2021 01:00 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MBIn this episode we continue our conversation on Anna Maria Busse Berger's excellent book, Medieval Music and the Art of Memory, focusing this time on her chapter on Notre Dame polyphony. Information on the book here. Links to the videos mentioned in the episode: 1) Hilliard Ensemble singing Viderunt omnes of Perotin; 2) David Munrow and the Early Music Consort of London singing the Viderunt omnes of Leonin; 3) Ensemble Organum singing the Viderunt omnes of Leonin; 4) more Ensemble Organu...
Trobár does more than talk: an update on our recent work!
February 16, 2021 16:00 - 55 minutes - 38.1 MBTune in to hear what we've been up to and what we're planning for the near future ******************** Links: A good first intro to the Guidonian hand *** Tinctoris's Expositio manus Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/trobarmedieval)
Trobár Reads: Medieval Music and the Art of Memory by Anna Maria Busse Berger (Part I)
January 17, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 63.6 MBIn this episode we begin a conversation on Anna Maria Busse Berger's excellent book, Medieval Music and the Art of Memory. Information on the book here. Here is a link to the Porterfield dissertation that we mention. Here is a video on Guido's hymn Ut queant laxis that signs on wholeheartedly to the great man theory of musical development but also has great visuals from primary sources. A demonstration of someone using their hand to solmizate the same hymn. A great resource on solmization ...
Trobár Reads: The Book of Memory by Mary Carruthers (Part II)
November 16, 2020 16:00 - 1 hour - 46.8 MBIn this episode we return to Mary Carruthers's excellent book, "The Book of Memory," and spend some time ruminating on all we've learned from it. ************ Join our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/trobarmedieval Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/trobarmedieval)
Trobár Speaks... In A Historically Informed Manner? Part 2: Sasha Kaoru Zamler-Carhart
October 16, 2020 03:00 - 54 minutes - 37.6 MBIn this episode we chat with singer/writer/medievalist/composer/designer Sasha Kaoru Zamler-Carhart about speaking and singing in medieval and modern languages, including medieval Occitan, Old French, and Middle High German. ************ Join our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/trobarmedieval Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/trobarmedieval) Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/trobarmedieval) Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/trobarmedieval)
Trobár Speaks... In A Historically Informed Manner? Part 1: Andrew Albin
September 16, 2020 21:00 - 52 minutes - 36.4 MBIn this episode we chat with scholar Andrew Albin about his approach to historical diction, namely Middle English. Andrew offers us some wisdom and encouragement on a topic that we have to grapple with each time we are putting together a new program of medieval music. ************ Join our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/trobarmedieval Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/trobarmedieval) Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/trobarmedieval)
Trobár Reads: The Book of Memory by Mary Carruthers (Part I)
August 15, 2020 04:00 - 1 hour - 58.4 MBIn this episode we discuss The Book of Memory by Mary Carruthers (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/book-of-memory/323D304448453717FAF27D72E13FFB76). ************ Join our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/trobarmedieval Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/trobarmedieval)
Let Three Tongues Speak!
July 17, 2020 14:00 - 1 hour - 43 MBIn this episode we discuss Poetria nova, the thirteenth-century treatise on poetry and rhetoric by Geoffrey of Vinsauf, focusing on his discussion of poetic delivery. Join our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/trobarmedieval Silent film clips discussed in the episode: The Passion of Joan of Arc (directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, not Ingmar Bergman!) ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4_KDf4xhU8 John Barrymore's soliloquy from Richard III https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOcFMW4zdmA C...
Conversations with Christine de Pizan
June 13, 2020 17:00 - 1 hour - 50.8 MBIn this episode we revisit A Room of Her Own, a program that we created around the 15th-century French poet and self-proclaimed defender of women, Christine de Pizan. We discuss Christine's world and the intellectual battles that she fought, why she appealed to us as 21st-century musicians, and the process behind creating this program. Musical selections were taken from a live performance of the program in Cleveland in 2019: Belle, bonne, sage - Baude Cordier, fl. early 15th c. Ave Regina...