The Tourdion was a French dance, popular in the mid-15th to late 16th centuries. There are various tunes for the dance, but I just know this one, called - appropriately - "Tourdion". I'm playing it at a medium pace on tenor guitar, with a quiet, slightly arpeggiated guitar backing, four times through. It has a traditional AA-BB structure, and I've pitched it in G/Em. I've done a close-up of one of the choruses, just for fun. Coincidentally, I spotted a nice version by Martin Jonas in the "Medieval Mandolin" Group threads.
Thanks, Will -- I like that! Your version is a bit faster and more driving than mine and it suits the tune. I'm reposting the clip I posted a few months ago over in the medieval mandolin group below for easy cross-reference. The other voices I have used are from a vocal arrangement, mixing counter melody with harmony, and I've recorded it in a somewhat loose manner akin to singing. For dancing purposes, it would probably be preferable to use a click track to ensure a strict pulse in the alignment of the voices. Martin
You guys both sound great. I really love music from that era.
While the wife and son were watching TV, I escaped to the conservatory to play some music. My Rauschpfeife is too loud to play indoors, so my sister and brother in law had the idea to give me a practice chanter, which I duly practised. And I know that Simon likes a bit of medieval music, so Tourdion it was. I even sang in French!
Sterling performance, Dennis. The chanter playing had me looking for a basket with a large snake rising from it, swaying to your music, you charmer!
Great stuff Dennis. Love the chanter too. But I don't know what a rauschpeife is.
No time to follow all discussions during the last week so I missed this thread. I like medieval music. To record this dance with Rauschpfeife and singing was a good choice, Dennis. It was also a pleasure to listen to the recordings of Will and Martin.
That’s a great tune well played Dennis! I like the sound of the chanter, are they tuned like an Irish whistle?
It's supposed to be tuned in B flat, but that's not what my tuner says. I can't really make sense of it. I think bagpipes have funny tunings, perhaps there are pipers here who can explain. The chanter is just for practice because the Rauschpfeife is too loud! I'll record that when the family and neighbours are out! I actually slightly regret buying it because I've had very little opportunity to use it because of its volume levels.
The highland bagpipe chanter is indeed a quirky instrument. As Dennis says, the A notes are not at concert 220 Hz or 440hz but sound almost as Bb; this is why it can be so difficult to accompany pipers who play the Great Highland Bagpipe. Small pipes and border pipes are in standard tuning. The Highland bagpipe scale goes from low G through A, B, C# D, E F# G and high A (though all that wee bit above concert-pitched notes). The pipes can therefore play in D Major (F# and C#) but not actually in A Major, as the Gs are natural and not G# as the A major scale would demand. So, D major or A mixolydian. When accordion or fiddle players play pipe tunes which are nominally in A they will as a rule of thumb sharpen the G notes to G#. mandolinists will also observe this convention. We say it just "sounds better"! Hope this is of some help - I am not a piper but have two very good piping daughters!
Thoinot Arbeau (1520-1595): Orchésographie (1589) 1. Basse Danse - Jouyssance Vous Donneray: 0:00 2. Tourdion: 1:46 These are two French renaissance dances, played on two mandolins, mandocello and tenor guitar using arrangements by Paul Butler: http://crab.rutgers.edu/~pbutler/music/joyssance.pdf http://crab.rutgers.edu/~pbutler/music/toudion.pdf 1898 Giuseppe Vinaccia mandolin (x2) Suzuki MC-815 mandocello Vintage Viaten tenor guitar Martin
Chantons et buvons, mes amis! That was great, Martin.
Thanks, Dennis! This recording appears to have gone a bit under the radar for some reason, but I really enjoyed playing Jouyssance which makes a great pair with the old favourite Tourdion. Martin
Well done, Martin. Thanks, Dennis, for bringing this thread to the surface.
