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 Snake
Mediæval Bæbes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
En el mes de enero con fuerte tenporal
Andando por su huerta, vido so vn peral
Vna culebra chica, medio muerta atal
Con la nieue E con el viento e con la elada fria
Estaua la culeba medio amodorrida
El omne piadoso que la vido aterida
Tomola en la falda e leuola a su casa
Pusola çerca de fuego, çerca de buena blasa
Abiuo la culebra ante que la el asa
Entro envn forada desa cosina rrasa
Aqueste ome bueno da uale cada dia
Del pan E de la leche e de quanto el comia
Creçio con el grand vyçio e con el grand bien que
Tenia, tanto que sierpe grande a todos paresçia
Venido eselestio, la siesta affyncada
Que ya non avia miedo deviento nin de elada
Salyo de aquel forado sañuda E ayrada
Començo de enponçoñar con venino la posada
Dixole el ortolano, "Vete de equeste lugar
Non fagas aqui dapño!" Elle fuese en-sañar
Ablaçolo tan fuerte que lo querria afogar
Apretandolo mucho, cruel mente, syn vagar
Era vn ortolano byen simpre e syn mal
En el mes de enero con fuerte tenporal
Andando por su huerta, vido so vn peral
Vna culebra chica, medio muerta atal
The lyrics to Mediæval Bæbes's song "The Snake" tell a story of a kind-hearted gardener who comes across a small, half-dead snake one winter day. Despite the harsh weather conditions, the man takes pity on the snake and brings it back to his home, placing it near the warmth of the fire. Over time, the snake grows larger and healthier thanks to the man's care and attention, and he becomes fond of it.
However, when warmer weather arrives, the snake becomes restless and begins to lash out with venom, attacking the man and threatening his safety. The man tries to reason with the snake and remove it from his home, but the snake becomes increasingly aggressive and eventually attacks him with force. The story ends tragically, with the once-kind man being killed by the snake he had taken in and cared for.
The lyrics to "The Snake" explore themes of kindness, trust, and betrayal. The man's actions show that even the smallest acts of compassion can have significant impacts, but the story also serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of misplaced trust and the potential consequences of taking in those who may do us harm.
Line by Line Meaning
Era vn ortolano byen simpre e syn mal
There once was a kind and honest gardener
En el mes de enero con fuerte tenporal
In the month of January, during a harsh storm
Andando por su huerta, vido so vn peral
While walking through his orchard, he saw a pear tree
Vna culebra chica, medio muerta atal
And a small snake, almost dead
Con la nieue E con el viento e con la elada fria
Covered in snow, battered by wind and icy chill
Estaua la culeba medio amodorrida
The poor snake was half-asleep and weakened
El omne piadoso que la vido aterida
The kind-hearted gardener felt sorry for the snake
Doliose mucho della, quisole dar la vida
He pitied the creature and wanted to save its life
Tomola en la falda e leuola a su casa
He took the snake in his arms and brought it into his home
Pusola çerca de fuego, çerca de buena blasa
He put it near the fire, close to warmth
Abiuo la culebra ante que la el asa
But the snake escaped his grasp and slithered away into a hole
Entro envn forada desa cosina rrasa
That was inside the gardener's kitchen
Aqueste ome bueno da uale cada dia
This good man gave his best every day
Del pan E de la leche e de quanto el comia
He shared his food, his milk, with all creatures he knew
Creçio con el grand vyçio e con el grand bien que, tenia, tanto que sierpe grande a todos paresçia
The snake grew big and strong, thanks to the gardener's kindness
Venido eselestio, la siesta affyncada
When the summer sun arrived, the snake felt lazy
Que ya non avia miedo deviento nin de elada
With no fear of wind or cold anymore
Salyo de aquel forado sañuda E ayrada
It left the hole in a bad mood
Començo de enponçoñar con venino la posada
And started poisoning everything it encountered
Dixole el ortolano, "Vete de equeste lugar
The gardener told the snake to leave his home
Non fagas aqui dapño!" Elle fuese en-sañar
And not cause any harm, but the snake became angry
Ablaçolo tan fuerte que lo querria afogar
It coiled around him and squeezed, trying to suffocate him
Apretandolo mucho, cruel mente, syn vagar
Slowly killing him, without remorse
Writer(s): GOODWIN CARMEN ALEXANDRA, FINDLEY MARIE KATHLEEN, BLICK KATHARINE, EVANS AUDREY DEBORAH, CASELLA TERESA, MEDIAEVAL BAEBES LIMITED, SAPPHIRE CYLINDRA RHIANNON, GALLOWAY RUTH, RAVEL CLAIRE SUZANNE URSULA
Contributed by London P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@marymac1607
My favorite of the Baebes songs. I swirl and I spin, again and again.
@usernameabz
I love this song so much!!! I on't normally comment but...! xxx
@iamlewa9743
This is one of the most beautiful songs that I have ever had the honor to listen to.
@mahogonywhisper
wow, what a captivating tune....
@tbtgrin
the moral of the story is great! "a snake is a snake no matter if you fed it sheltered it or nursed it back to health.
@katinkadm
but the snake cannot help what it is. Excellent rythm.
@DistantDreamer93
Ooh! This is Spanish! I studied Spanish for my GCSEs and I understand a fair bit of this! =P Awesome song, I adore the Mediaeval Baebes, [but I can never seem to spell the group name properly!]
@Wolfan00
I love this story, there are a lot of different variants on it. The Brothers Grimm did a few variants on it, the snake and the farmer. Al Wilson even did a upbeat kind of rock version of it. This one is amazing, you don't hear Spanish in a medieval style song very often.
@Amazonwarrior777
Never heard of them. Celtic kinda sound. I like it. Cheers.
@pyromaniacdemon
I can't speak (or understand) Spanish very well but I love the old feeling of the words here