This blog is where I share resources from each Imaginary Song Hunt session, along with an edited Zoom video for anyone who wants to catch up. Feel free to use the ‘comments’ box below to share feedback, fun facts, or just to say hello!
🪙🏺 If you enjoyed the session and these resources, feel free to: dicere gratiam donare pecuniam 🏺🪙
Preview event, 6th December 2023:
Ancient Harmonies for Saint Nicholas
In this special preview event, we dipped into a few pieces of music from different periods, to get a flavour of the kinds of things the song hunt will explore when it starts in the New Year. We looked at the earliest known Christian song, the Oxyrhynchus Hymn, skimmed over medieval chant for Saint Nicholas, and learned St Godric of Finchale’s song for Saint Nicholas, one of the three oldest songs in English for which notation has survived. We also looked at medieval techniques for making two-part harmonies.
Slides from the session
I’ll embed the slideshow from every Hunt here, with some extra clickable links. For image information, click any of the pictures to visit the online source.
Video
Full session, for anyone who’d like to catch up:
New performance video (due to go online in a couple of weeks):
Scores
You’re welcome to use this score for your own performances, but please just credit me if you do so (and let me know, in case I can come and listen 🙂).
Sainte Nicholaes, 2- or 3-part arrangement
Further listening
The Saint Nicholas Centre has a comprehensive discography and resource list for medieval music devoted to Saint Nicholas, so rather than try to make my own, I’ll simply direct you to this link: medieval music and plays for Saint Nicholas.
But here’s a particularly fabulous recording of Godric’s songs, by Sequentia, using the kinds of organum techniques we discussed in the session:
From the Song Hunters…
Mille gratias to Helen Wellen for the dorkiest meme in the whole history of the internet:
What a brilliant session yesterday! Wednesday evening is the worst time for me (orchestra rehearsal night) but I hope I’ll still manage to be there next year.
Thank you so much Stef for a super session and these helpful ‘study notes’. Just one request for those like me (or am I the only one?) who can’t read Old English script – would it be possible in future to include either a transliteration of the text pronunciation, or a slow, clearly spoken recording for elderly – and maybe even younger – ignoramuses!
During the session someone commented on the sound being faint and I also had to have the volume up to its fullest for you speaking, then when anyone else spoke, the volume was deafening, so I kept having to adjust. Maybe your volume needs to be turned up a bit?
However, can’t wait for Jan 17th! Many thanks for your creative ideas & scholarship. 👍
Hi Barbara, thanks so much for this very helpful feedback! Sorry to hear of the differences in volume. I did do a bit of a soundcheck, but it’s not always possible to predict differences between my own system and others. But I will try to boost the volume as much as possible in future sessions. 100% no problem to include transliterations of all texts in future. I will definitely do that! xx