The Bæbes's first album, Salva Nos (1997), shot straight to No 2 in the classical charts, a silver disc. Subsequent albums include Worldes Blysse (which went straight to No 1), Undrentide, (co-produced by John Cale), The Rose, and the Christmas-themed album Mistletoe & Wine.
Mirabilis (2005), was launched at a concert and party in London, August 2005. A self-titled DVD was released in July 2006. The first 300 preorders were autographed by the band and received a special mention in the DVD credits.
A live album was be released in December 2006 and featured two bonus studio tracks, An Itunes exclusive was also launched which added tracks not featured on the cd release and at this time still remain exclusive so is well worth tracking down.
The new album entitled Illumination was released via preorder on the bands website in Oct 2008 and as an added incentive to fans features two bonus tracks not included on the regular wholesale edition which has a Spring 2009 official release date. There has been concerns over the mastering of the album from fans which could account for the delayed release dates.
Each album features traditional medieval songs and poetry set to music, mostly arranged by Blake specifically for the ensemble, alongside varying numbers of original compositions. They sing in a variety of languages, including Latin, Middle English, French, Italian, Russian, Middle High German, Welsh, Irish Gaelic, modern English, Swedish and the nearly extinct Cornish. Their vocals are backed by medieval instruments, including the recorder and cittern, played by the singers or fellow musicians.
One of the group's founding musicians, Dorothy Carter, died of a stroke in 2003 at the age of 68. In addition to playing autoharp, hurdy gurdy, and dulcimer with the group, she performed the lead vocals on So Spricht Das Leben (Worldes Blysse) and L'Amour de Moi (The Rose).
Emily Ovenden, who sings with the group, is the daughter of artist Graham Ovenden.
The Bæbes' musical pieces run the gamut from extremely traditional, such as their version of The Coventry Carol on Salva Nos, to songs that feel traditional but are much more modern, such as their rendition of Summerisle, a song written for Robin Hardy's 1973 cult film Wicker Man. John Cale added non-medieval instruments, including saxophone and electric guitar, to some of the arrangements on Undrentide, although with subsequent albums the band returned to more traditional instruments. Even with these instruments, however, the band's current style is quite different from medieval authentic performance groups, as it displays significant modern influence.
Current Band Members:
Katharine Blake (Contralto, Recorders, Violin, Piano), Emily Ovenden (Soprano, Recorders, Concertina, Percussion), Ester Dee (Soprano), Claire Rabbitt (Contralto, Piano), Bev Lee Harling (Alto, Violin, Citern, Recorders, Guitar), Melpomeni Kermanidou (Mezzo Soprano, Piano)
former Band Members:
Dorothy Carter, Karen Lupton, Nicole Frobusch, Nichole Sleet, Carmen Schneider, Claire Ravel, Ruth Galloway, Teresa Casella, Rachel Van Ash, Audrey Evans, Marie Findley, Cylindra Sapphire, Sophie Evans, Maple Bee, Sofia Escobar, Maxine Fone
Official website: www.mediaevalbaebes.com
So Spricht das Leben
Mediæval Bæbes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The flowers that bloom and the song of the birds
I am the daylight and the sunshine
So spricht das Leben, die Welt ist mein
So sayeth death, the world is mine
Your daylight is but vein display
Stars and moon sink in eternal night
So sayeth life, the world is mine
You make great tombs of marble and stone
But love, you can never entomb
So spricht das Leben, die Welt ist mein
So sayeth death, the world is mine
I have made a tomb for all mankind
And created pestilence and war
So spricht der Tod, die Welt ist mein
So sayeth life, the world is mine
Every grave is a plot of land
Into which my eternal seeds do fall
So spricht das Leben, die Welt ist mein
In Mediæval Bæbes's song "So Spricht das Leben," life and death are portrayed as two opposing forces. The first stanza speaks of life, claiming that the world belongs to it. It describes the beauty of nature with the blooming of flowers and the songs of birds. Life is portrayed as the source of light and warmth in the world. But then the second stanza speaks of death, claiming the opposite; that the world belongs to death. It mocks life, saying that all of its lights and displays are in vain because everything will eventually fall into eternal night.
The third stanza is again spoken by life, as it observes how people try to leave their mark on the world with grand tombs. But life reminds us that love is something that can't be entombed. In the last stanza, death claims power over all of humankind with its ability to create pestilence and war. But again, life has the last say, reminding us that death cannot stop nature from its cyclical nature of birth, life and death as every grave becomes a new plot of land for its eternal seeds to fall in. Overall, the song is a contemplation of the nature of life and death, and the inexorable cycle they are locked in.
Line by Line Meaning
So sayeth life, the world is mine
Life claims ownership of the world
The flowers that bloom and the song of the birds
Nature is a testament to life's dominion
I am the daylight and the sunshine
Life is associated with light and warmth
So spricht das Leben, die Welt ist mein
Thus speaks life, the world belongs to me
So sayeth death, the world is mine
Death also claims ownership of the world
Your daylight is but vein display
Death sees life's light as mere showiness
Stars and moon sink in eternal night
Death claims responsibility for the darkness of the afterlife
So spricht der Tod, die Welt ist mein
Thus speaks death, the world belongs to me
You make great tombs of marble and stone
Life comments on humanity's preoccupation with building grandiose tombs
But love, you can never entomb
Love is not subject to death's power
So sayeth life, the world is mine
Life reasserts its claim on the world
I have made a tomb for all mankind
Death boasts of having created the ultimate tomb for humanity
And created pestilence and war
Death is also responsible for the suffering that leads to death
So spricht der Tod, die Welt ist mein
Thus speaks death, the world belongs to me
Every grave is a plot of land
Life asserts that every grave is a site of potential rejuvenation
Into which my eternal seeds do fall
Life's seeds of renewal continue to exist even in death
So spricht das Leben, die Welt ist mein
Thus speaks life, the world belongs to me
Contributed by Kaelyn E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.