The York WaitsThe White Rose and The RedMusic from the age of Richard III VideoThe White Rose and The RedMusic from the age of Richard III Until we recive a review, here is the Press Release from York Waits: 
Two new albums from The York Waits The York Waits have recently released two new albums of late 15thC music: The first – “Cherwell Thy Wyne” meaning “show your joy” – was commissioned by Paul and AnneKent and funded by the Dolmetsch Historical Dance Society It forms part of a project to recreate the dances found in the Gresley manuscript – a relatively recent find of melodies and choreographies from around 1480 that has caused excitement in the world of period dance as it has the earliest known English choreographies by almost 100 years. Of the 13 melodies and 26 choreographies found in the manuscript only 8 match up so Paul Kent, Tim Bayley and Lizzie Gutteridge have composed melodies in the same style for most of the rest of the dances. The resulting disc of 28 tracks not only provides a useful resource for dancers, who can also purchase a book with the steps from the DHDS website(www.dhds.org.uk), but also stands alone as an enjoyable album for lovers of Medieval and Renaissance music. The dances are performed using a variety of instrumental combinations and textures, ranging from three part harmonies on shawm band, recorders and plucked strings to solos, duos and groupings of drone instruments such as bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy and fiddles.The second album “The White Rose and the Red” is published on the band’s own “Huntsup” label. Recorded together with singer Deborah Catterall, it showcases music from the age ofRichard III with songs, dances and instrumental pieces from across Northern Europe. Where Cherwell Thy Wyne focuses exclusively on the dances notated by one person in onemanuscript The White Rose and the Red takes York’s favourite and increasingly famous Plantagenet king as an inspiration to open a window on a much broader view of the musicalculture of late 15thC England, with songs and compositions not only from English composers such as Bedingham and Dunstable but also a selection of standards originatingfurther afield. Again the Waits bring different styles and interpretations to bear on each work, from the gentle intimacy of the lute song and plucked string ensemble to the grandeur of the alta band of loud winds and the vivacious energy of the more popularist interpretations on bagpipes, pipe and tabor and fiddles. The York Waits are a re-creation of York’s Renaissance civic band and perform on shawms and sackbuts, bagpipes, recorders, fiddles, harp, lute, gittern and more. Their work ranges from concerts and recording projects to civic processions, church services and banquets where they fulfil the roles of their forbears in period costume.For more information and online sales see www.theyorkwaits.org.uk |
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