MP3 Fugli - Shakespeare: All the thrills without the frills

Folksy blend of Neo-Renaissance

13 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Traditional Folk, CLASSICAL: Renaissance



Details:
Well met!

I am Fugli, a pseudo-medieval artificer, scribe, and musician who uses both archaic and modern instruments. This Shakespearian collection compiles some of my collaborative work with lyrics by William Shakespeare and some of his contemporaries, each with my own musical styling. Also included on this CD are computer files in mp3 and pdf format which include additional music and alternate versions of some of the included tracks as well as my personal sheet music for all of the songs and melodies.

A few years ago, I became enamored with the local renaissance and medieval faire scene to the point where I decided to try my hand at being a wandering troubadour. A musician since childhood, I never before focused on so many of what I consider older musical works.

My initial self imposed goal, before I claimed the title of troubadour, was to compile ten songs that I could perform in the words of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. In my ongoing educational journey I have followed several paths of research. When songs are indicated in the works of Shakespeare, no melody is specified. Some probable tunes are evident from the meter, others are attributed by later sources, and even others were saved in written form by other composers for performances many years later. However, my modern musical ear just did not like most of these melodies.

Additionally, within the context of his plays, Shakespeare often made reference to the lyrics of popular music of his time. While there were no radios around to broadcast these songs, the widespread use of the relatively newly invented printing press allowed lyric sheets to be produced for the masses. These sheets sold for a penny, and were printed on one side of a piece of paper, hence their name "broadside." The melodies for these tunes were often denoted as the name of some older piece of familiar music, and so one might purchase the words of one ballad sung to the tune of another. This is a practice to which I could relate.

Therefore, in deference to the playwright, I decided to write my own melodies for many of these songs. Some tunes I have "broadsided" to the point where the melodies are still recognizable as having a different source, other melodies I "fixed" to match my own aesthetics, while still others I have written completely from scratch.

In this collection I have included thirteen musical tracks which should play well in your standard CD player. In addition, your computer disk drive can access extra content including an entire book of standard musical notation for all of the included songs and extra mp3 files. This CD is not the end of my studies, but merely a benchmark of my journey.