Description
“Chant n Fife” offers a unique musical journey to the British Isles, compiled by Hermann Rieth. This work explores the rich musical tradition of the island kingdom, arranged for Hümmelchen, Dudey and many other instruments. It connects the past with the present and invites you to discover and reinterpret the diversity and beauty of British music.
The sound of bagpipes in the British Isles
Traveling to England with the bagpipes may remind you of owls being carried to Athens. But it is a joyful endeavor to explore music of the island kingdom. In the tradition of minstrels, songs are accompanied by instrumental pieces or singing. Where necessary, a melody is adapted (range, chromaticism) or transposed into a key that allows it to be played with the Dudey.
Versatility of the instruments
Hümmelchen and Dudey are at the center of the collection “chant n fife” and prove their versatility through solo performances, duets or ensembles with flutes, violins, harps, cornamuses and gemshorns. The sound of these small bagpipes, carried by drones, enriches the singing with a unique timbre and intensity.
Foreword: Tradition and freedom
In the foreword, Hermann Rieth emphasizes the joy and the undertaking of researching and playing British music. He encourages you to work freely with the material, to invent your own accompaniments and to adapt or transpose the melodies to your own taste in order to make them playable with the Dudey. The booklet “chant n fife” contains both originals and arrangements. You feel free to use the material presented to your own taste: To invent accompanying voices, preludes, interludes and postludes, to create your own arrangements or to put together sets with other music.
Selected pieces from the “chant n fife” collection
- “Sumer is icumen”: The oldest secular song in the British Isles, adapted for modern listeners.
- “NOBILIS HUMILIS” (Magnus Hymn): An early organum that emphasizes the importance of the third in British music.
- Airs from the “Beggar’s Opera”: Popular tunes from the period (1728). John Gay wrote the lyrics, Christoph Pepusch wrote the bass.
- “Love, Love, Nothing But Love” and “Martin Said to His Man”: examples of the extensive music for Shakespeare’s dramas and a funny drinking and mocking song from the Renaissance.
- “Country Life” and “John Ball”: From the rich pool of English folk music and a song dedicated to the militant priest John Ball.
- Christmas carols “Shepherds Arise” and “Diadem”: Popular English Christmas carols that can be found in the repertoire of the Sheffield Carols, among others. Both were given accompaniments that can be played with alto or soprano and alto pipes.
- “My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose”: A well-known song by Robert Burns that can be played without any changes.
With “Chant n Fife”, Hermann Rieth invites you to explore the music of the British Isles and keep it alive with your own interpretations and arrangements. This collection enriches the repertoire of musicians and singers and opens up new ways to experience and enjoy the traditional music of the British Isles.
