When I was still living at home with my parents, probably age 20 or so, my aunt compiled a history of our family tree. Knowing her to be somewhat of a snob, I figured she would crow about the major branches and try to hide the dead wood. Actually, she didn't; good and bad seemed to be there in more or less equal measure. I took great delight in noting that I was descended from quite a few thieves, prostitutes and other less savory members of the human species, and I had to give in to a bit of snobbery myself, when I discovered my great-great-(times something, don't remember what, anyway, several hundred years back) grandfather was Sir Philip Waite, a court composer to some British monarch ( again I can't remember, I think maybe James I), and I recall being told by my parents at a very early age that the Waites were originally a clan of roving minstrels, ie. a bunch of intinerant musicians who probably busked for coins and were regularly tossed out of town. Having very little musical talent myself (my ongoing efforts at self-taught guitar are yielding slow fruit however) I felt somewhat gratified at having at least some luster in my family in this endeavor. And my ancestry having come from such an early age in Western music, it is perhaps no surprise that I have a deep fondness for early music.
And just what, you may be thinking, is "Early Music"? Well, in short, it is Western (that is, Western culture, not Western as in cowboys) music prior to the baroque period, or pre 1600. I won't go into the whys and wherefores of the genre other than to say it is usually very religious in nature, although not always, and utilizes many instruments that are uncommon if not unknown in modern usage. It seems odd that I would be into such stuff from the religious angle as I am not religious per se; I have a belief, sort of, in God but am not sure what "God" really means. At the very least I have a spiritual side and as such am able to enjoy this stuff at that level. Unusual instrumentation however, is right up my alley.
So what is the piece that has me going on like this? The very first piece of early music to hit me square in the face. I got a record from somewhere, I can't even remember, about the same time as my aunt prepared the family tree... it was Early Baroque Music of Italy (okay, technically it's baroque, but the exact boundary of early to baroque is blurred, and it sure sounds early to me) by the New York Pro Musica ensemble, recorded in 1965 or so, and released on Decca reocrds, and now out of print. I got the record used, and I put a few scratches on it, but have since digitized it and got a reasonable mp3 file out of my favorite track on the album, a short piece called Cantate Domino by Claudio Monteverdi. All I can say about this is that it is an extremely emotionally charged work; more modern interpretations that I heve heard just pale in comparison. Even if you hate any sort of classical music, just listen; it is only two minutes long, and if the lyrics in Latin confuse you, here they are with English translation.
Cantate Domino canticum novum
Cantate et benedicite nomini ejus
Quia mirabilia fecit
Cantate et exultate
Psallite in cithara et voce psalmi
Sing onto the Lord a new song !
Sing and praise His Name,
for He has done wonders !
Sing and praise,
Sing with the cithar (harp), and with voices sing !
And if you can't get behind rejoicing through song, whatever the object of your rejoicing, stop reading my blog and do something else, for you do not belong here.
I have posted this piece on YouTube. Please enjoy.
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