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
The Circle of the Lustful
Mediæval Bæbes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Di lancialotto come amor lo strinse
Soli eravamo e sanza alcun sospetto
Per piugrave; fiate li occhi ci sospinse
Quella lettura, e scolorocci il viso
Ma soso un punto fu quel che ci vinse
Quando leggemmo il disiuml; ato riso
Questi, che mai da me non fia divisio
La bocco mi bascio tutto tremante
Galeotto fu 'l libro e chi lo scrisse
Quel giorno piugrave; non vi leggemmo avante
Mentre che l'undo spirto questo disse
L'altro piangeuml; a sigrave; che di pietade
To venni men cosigrave; com' io morisse
E caddi come corpo morto cade
The lyrics are an excerpt from Dante's Divine Comedy, specifically from the second circle of Hell, known as the Circle of Lust. In this circle, Dante encounters the souls of those who gave in to the sin of lust during their life. The Mediæval Bæbes version of the lyrics is in Italian, which gives a sense of authenticity to the original set in the 14th century.
The opening lines "We were reading one day for pleasure/ of Lancelot and how love bound him" depict the singer and their companion reading about the tragic love affair of Lancelot and Guinevere. As they read, they become enraptured by the story and are drawn in by the power of love. The passage describes how the desire of the story affected the two readers, leading them to feel ashamed and overwhelmed with emotion.
The next section of the poem describes the characters' reactions to the story, specifically when they read about Lancelot kissing Guinevere. The reader is so overcome with the emotion of their own situation that they begin to see themselves as the characters in the book. They are so impacted by the story that they are unable to continue reading, with one of them collapsing to the ground as if dead.
Line by Line Meaning
Noi leggiavamo un giorno diletto
On a day of leisure, we were reading
Di lancialotto come amor lo strinse
About the story of Lancelot and how love took hold of him
Soli eravamo e sanza alcun sospetto
There were only us and no suspicion
Per piugrave; fiate li occhi ci sospinse
But several times our eyes were drawn to
Quella lettura, e scolorocci il viso
That reading, causing our faces to pale
Ma soso un punto fu quel che ci vinse
But it was only one point that captured us
Quando leggemmo il disiuml; ato riso
When we read about the desired kiss
Esser basciato da cotanto amante
To be kissed by such a lover
Questi, che mai da me non fia divisio
He, who will never be separated from me
La bocco mi bascio tutto tremante
Kissed me and I trembled all over
Galeotto fu 'l libro e chi lo scrisse
The book and its author became our mediator
Quel giorno piugrave; non vi leggemmo avante
That day, we did not read further
Mentre che l'undo spirto questo disse
As one spirit spoke these words
L'altro piangeuml; a sigrave; che di pietade
The other wept with pity
To venni men cosigrave; com' io morisse
I felt myself dying
E caddi come corpo morto cade
And fell like a dead body
Contributed by Benjamin I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.