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Foweles in the frith 0:06 Instrumental arrangement for psaltery and citole 1:20 Original song for alto and tenor 2:38 Instrumental arrangement for flute and psaltery This very short song is one of the earliest polyphonic works written out fully in the English language. It was included as one of three handwritten musical works in a bound legal document. The other two pieces are an estampie (dance) and a secular French motet for 3 voices. The words represent a transition between Late Old English and Early Middle English. The meaning of this gentle and melancholic song has been debated for a long time by music history scholars. Some have argued that it is a love song (of a man pining for a woman) and others a spiritual treatise (lamenting the plight of human existence). Still other have characterized it as an intentional layering of both themes. In summary, the birds and the fishes carry on without a worry in the world while “I“ (a human being) wander about sad and anxious. The singing parts were created using the Prima v2 and Cyber Songman voice banks and the Vocaloid 4 voice encoder program. The instrumental parts were added using the iPhone app Music Studio 2. Text and possible translation: Foweles in þe frith (The birds [they are] in the woods) þe fisses in þe flod (the fishes in the fjord) And I mon waxe wod (And I must grow mad) mulch sorw I walke with (much sorrow I walk with) for beste of bon and blod (for beast [or best] of bone and blood) Photos: 1. Citole and psaltery detail, Queen Mary Psalter, Royal MS 2 , c1300 2. Birds in the tree, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Ms Latin 1156B ,15th c 3. “Foweles in the frith“ original score, Ms. Douce 139, Bodleian Library (Oxford), c1285 4. Blue tit, Anon. English or French, Royal 3 D VI , c1290 5. Fishers of men, Anon. English, 1185 6. Medieval flute, Anon. French, c1310 7. Flute players, Cantigas de Santa Maria, c1250 8. King and calandrius, Harley Ms. 4751, c1310
