A Medieval Bestiary
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know what longtime readers were thinking: today’s scene as well a romp through 1970s and glockenspiel; it could be on a Pentangle The only reason I wrote about medieval Hamburg. Your English-speaking tour guide album, except for the words by 13th-century IGerman folk-rock in issue #123 for this journey is Ken Hunt, who lived in Minnesinger Walther von Vogelweide. The CD (April/May 2006) was to get nerd beaks on the Hamburg at the time and has penned historical continues in a similar vein, venturing into cover. Not so, I tell you! In addition to men liner notes setting Ougenweide’s music in psychedelic territory in the trippy break from with beaks, this scene features wolves, foxes, proper context. “Es stount ein frouwe alleine,” sweet early ravens, swans, owls, and other beasties, as well As Hunt explains, the idea for German music in the recorder-and-harmonium textures as songs about love, drink, and (of course) medieval rock was born when Olaf Casalich, a on “Ouwe,” Jethro Tull’s early prog-rock flute death. It really is a vital genre, with its own former student of Middle High German, as well on “Swa gouter hande wurzen sint,” and loose conventions, its own scene, and as rich a as a musician, attended a rehearsal of Frank but energetic folk dance music in the arrange- history as other areas under the folk-rock Wulff’s as-yet-unnamed band, which was ment of “Der Fuchs,” a German translation of umbrella. Hence, another such column, inspired by U.K. folk-rock groups Fairport the English folksong about Ol’ Daddy Fox. discussing both the beauties and the beasts of Convention and Pentangle. The concept of The material from its second album, 1974’s All medieval folk-rock! “folksong” had developed political connota- Die Weil Ich Mag (also on this CD), suggests The importance of this genre’s history tions on the German scene, from 19th-century the group continued listening to the English really became apparent to me when Bear Romantic nationalism to Nazism and beyond. folk scene for some of its inspiration. I detect Family, the German label known above all for Sidestepping that whole can of worms, Casalich hints of the sweetly naive pastoralism of its loving devotion to the history of popular instead took a Middle High German lyric and Amazing Blondel on “Der Rattenfanger,” music, reissued four albums by a foundational added music. The result of this launched not bouncy Angel Delight-era Fairport in some of group for medieval rock, on two shiny new only Ougenweide, but the whole genre of the mandolin parts, and a healthy dose of CDs. The band in question is Ougenweide “Mittelalter-Rock,” which has developed (with Steeleye Span in its vocal arrangements, (pictured above), undoubtedly the godparents input from many others) into today’s thriving rhythms, and guitar playing. On this album, of German medieval folk-rock. Ougenweide scene. Both CDs by Ougenweide feature excel- though, the members begin to define their own formed in 1971, toured Europe, released a spate lent singing and playing on a wide variety of sound as well, bringing an eclectic array of of albums between 1973 and 1981, and instruments, and both are highly recommended acoustic and electric instruments to bear on managed to transform the West German folk introductions to the genre. traditional folksongs, medieval songs, a set of scene before it disbanded in 1985. Each of these Ougenweide’s first two albums sound words by Goethe, and original lyrics and CDs, Ougenweide/All Die Weil Ich Mag [Bear more or less as you’d expect given its influ- instrumentals. The CD is thus both a debut of Family BCD 16775 AH (2006)] and Ohren- ences: 70s rock, folk, and jazz mixed with great promise and a sophomore effort showing schmaus/Eulenspiegel [Bear Family BCD medieval flourishes. “Nieman kan mit Gerten,” that promise well fulfilled. 16779 (2006)], presents two of the group’s its self-titled debut album’s first cut, opens The second Ougenweide CD demonstrates early LP releases, providing a prehistory of with jazzy acoustic guitar, clear female vocal, that the group members kept listening to folk- 24 February/March ’07 #128 rock from the continent as well as from these songs handsomely. Indeed, two are England, and kept experimenting on their own. Markus Van Langen Spanish pieces from the 13th-century collec- It’s on the album Ohrenschmaus that you hear tion Cantigas de Santa Maria, including a not only their influences from England and particularly nice rendition of “A virgin mui elsewhere, but also their own foundational groriosa.” It’s less appealing to the fan of place on the German and European folk medieval music when the men sing; they’re scenes. So, “Kommt, ihr Jungfern, helft mir trying to evoke the toughness of medieval klagen,” with its double lead guitars, keyboard warriors in a dramatic way, but end up with a riffs, and extended solos and breaks, puts one croaky vocal style more like hardcore than in mind of the epic folk-rock of Trees, while folk. Still, the band does a good job on mate- “Al Fol” features thick harmony vocals giving rial as diverse as songs from the 15th-century way to a fragile female voice, just like many German poet Oswald von Volkenstein, tunes of Malicorne’s arrangements of the era. Mean- from the English Playford collections, and while, “Bombarde-ment” sounds like the even the folksong “Ai vist lo lop,” an Occitan missing link between Alan Stivell’s 1970s version of the widespread French folksong bagpipe rock and today’s leading bagpipe about the original party animals: a wolf, a fox, bands like Corvus Corax, and the guitar riff and a hare dancing together in a field. A nice from “Der Schlemiel” turns up later in the Palastinalied [Heckenreiter Records (2002)], mix of material, then, from this predominantly work of English folk-rockers the Home works very well as an extended-form piece of acoustic band. Service. Ougenweide’s fourth release, Eulen- medieval folk-rock. “Ai vist lo lop” also shows up on the latest spiegel, (also on this CD) shows the members Van Langen not only dreamed up the CD from the more electric band Van Langen, coming fully into their own as a creative unit, “Palastinalied” project, he’s also the leader of which features the eponymous string player planning and executing that most 1970s of art two different medieval rock bands, Des Teufels and his singer/wind player Mandragora, along forms, the concept album. As the Who had Lockvoegel and Van Langen, each of which with three other musicians who provide elec- already done with Tommy and Fairport has a recent release worth hearing. Des Teufels tric guitar, bass, and percussion. This version Convention with Babbacombe Lee, Ougen- Lockvoegel is a trio composed of Van Langen, is a harder-rocking take on the song, less subtle weide decided to tell a loosely biographical tale who sings and plays guitars, lutes, and other but a lot of fun. The album, Zeychen der Zeyt about Till Eulenspiegel, a legendary jester and strings, and Sabine Stelzer and Achim Eberle, [Heckenreiter Records TOT 23031 (2005)], trickster of the German Middle Ages. (To give both of whom sing and play a variety of wood- features equally good material, from a you a sense of the tenor of Eulenspiegel tales, winds and percussion. Their 2005 CD, powerful version of the Sephardic night- while his name in High German means “owl- Carmina Mystica [Heckenreiter Records TOT visiting ballad “Avrix mi Galanica,” to the mirror,” it is probably derived from a Low 23032 (2005)], exists on the borders of early fatalistic and beautiful Middle English lyric German expression meaning “bum-wipe.”) music and folk, opening with a salterello “Myri it is while somer ilast.” On the This album mixes traditional lyrics with played on bagpipes and drums, setting a prece- Bulgarian song “Yana,” backed up by beating Medieval Latin songs and many originals, dent for most of the album: Woodwinds tend drums and willow-flute, Mandragora sounds retelling Till’s tale for a new generation. It to lead, with chording on citterns and guitars, more Nordic than Balkan, putting me in mind brings the hard work of the first three albums and snappy rhythms on a variety of drums. of Gjallarhorn or even Mari Boine. A 9th- beautifully to fruition. The medieval songs are a highlight, especially century Old High German magical spell forms To discern the influence Ougenweide had when Stelzer (who also goes by the stage name the basis of one song, and their version of on this scene, consider that it was the first Mandragora) is singing. She has the sharp, “Palastinalied” is here, too. The same German rock band to arrange “Palastinalied,” liquid vocal associated with Sephardic and comment on the vocals pertains here: a song from the Crusades by Walther von Hispano-Moorish styles, and it suits many of Mandragora’s are by far the best. Luckily, it’s Vogelweide. Since then, most of the important Mandragora who closes the album with a slow, groups in German medieval rock, including atmospheric rendition of another Sephardic Adaro, Corvus Corax, Qntal, and others, have ballad, perfect for the crossover fans coming followed suit, recording their own arrange- to medieval music from the Goth scene. ments of the song. The song’s popularity, and Speaking of those fans, there’s a U.S. label the fact that most recordings include only catering to them now: Philadelphia’s Noir selected stanzas of the long text, gave records, which has put out another couple of Markus Van Langen an idea for a CD: Get domestic releases.