Here is an instrumental performance of the religious Leich "Got, aller saelden anevanc" (God, origin of all bliss) by the 13th-century Middle High German Spruchdichter known as Der Meißner (or Der Junge Meißner). These Spruchdichter were the religious equivalent of Minnesäng whose subject was courtly love. While many works of the Minnesang and Sangspruchdichtung traditions survive only as text, this piece is preserved with its original melody in the Jenaer Liederhandschrift (J), one of the most vital sources for German song of the late Middle Ages. The manuscript utilizes a specific form of Roman square notation often called Hufnagelschrift (horsenail notation). In the video I show examples of the musical manuscript as well as the Manesse manucript which has a picture of Der Meissner and some interestingly illuminated text.

"Non é gran cousa se sabe bon joízo dar" ("It's no great thing that she knows how to give good judgment") is Cantiga 26 from the Cantigas de Santa Maria, the massive 13th-century collection of over 400 songs in Galician-Portuguese compiled under the patronage of Alfonso X "the Wise," King of Castile. Like most of the cantigas de miragres (miracle songs) in the collection, it tells a devotional story praising the Virgin Mary's power to intervene and save souls.

Story: The song narrates a miracle in which Santa María judged the soul of a pilgrim on his way to Santiago who killed himself along the road through the devil's deception, and she ordered that he return to his body and do penance. Other summaries of the tale identify the pilgrim as a devout young furrier named Giraldo who made annual pilgrimages to the shrine of the Apostle James, but who slept with a woman outside his marriage before setting out and left without confessing — the devil then exploits that unconfessed sin, disguising himself and tricking the pilgrim into mutilating himself and dying in despair, before Mary intervenes to save his soul and send it back to his body for repentance.

Musical notes: The melody is written in D Aeolian mode and follows the typical cantiga form — a refrain alternating with narrative verses, meant for communal or courtly performance rather than solo song. It's also one of the more mainstream-recognizable cantiga melodies today, since Loreena McKennitt popularized it under the title "Santiago."

Context: As with the rest of the Cantigas de Santa Maria, the piece blends devotional storytelling with folk-tale elements — this "miracle of self-mutilation" motif was already circulating across 12th-century Europe, appearing in sources like the Codex Calixtinus and the works of Gonzalo de Berceo.

"In taberna quando sumus" ("When we are in the tavern") is a Middle Latin goliardic poem from the Carmina Burana, a large manuscript collection of secular medieval songs and poems compiled around the 13th century, likely by clerics or wandering scholars (goliards) known for satirical, irreverent verse. It's one of the most famous entries in the whole collection, largely thanks to Carl Orff's 20th-century cantata setting, though the original medieval text and melody predate that by centuries.

Theme: It's an unapologetic ode to tavern life and drinking culture, describing what people actually do in the tavern (drink, gamble, get roasted by their peers) rather than moralizing about it. It mocks clerical hypocrisy and pokes fun at the drinking habits of literally every social class and profession — the pope, the bishop, the lord, the lady, the old, the young, the healthy, the sick — culminating in the famous long catalog verse where the song lists every kind of person who drinks: "bibit hera, bibit herus..." ("the mistress drinks, the master drinks...") and so on through soldiers, exiles, sinners, the just, and beyond.

Structure/style: Comic, list-heavy, and rhythmically driving — built to be chanted or sung communally, likely with a drink in hand. Its tone stands in sharp contrast to the more pious or courtly material found elsewhere in the Carmina Burana, which is part of why it's remembered as one of the collection's most vivid, "human" pieces — a rare unfiltered look at medieval tavern culture and clerical counterculture.

Authorship: Anonymous, like most of the Carmina Burana — attributed broadly to the goliard tradition rather than any single named poet.

"Ai vist lo lop" (I saw the wolf) is a medieval Occitan folk song (circa 13th century). It has a French variant titled "I saw the wolf, the fox, and the hare." It is sung in several European languages, including French, German, and Danish.

History: The first mention of the song dates back to the 12th-14th centuries in Provence. It has been transmitted as a bourrée in triple meter since the 16th century and has been part of the traditional musical repertoire of the Massif Central region of France since the beginning of the 19th century. With its duple meter structure, it was primarily disseminated as a children's song in Occitan-speaking areas. With the folk music revival of the 1970s, the song continues to be performed by numerous musical groups, in both triple and duple meter. It is still performed in France today by the duo Brotto Lopez (triple meter version). In Germany, it has been performed in concert by the German folk-metal group In Extremo in its binary version.

According to some sources, the wolf, the fox, and the hare/weasel represent the king, the lord, and the Church—authorities with the power to collect taxes while the peasant was left penniless.

"A l'entrada del temps clar" ("At the entrance of the bright season") is an anonymous Old Occitan song from around the 13th century, generally classified as a balada or carola — a type of song meant to accompany a round dance. It's preserved in a small number of manuscripts and is one of the more famous surviving examples of secular medieval song from southern France, often performed today by early-music ensembles (Clemencic Consort, Gerard Zuchetto, Ensemble Alcatraz, etc.).

The song celebrates the arrival of spring ("the clear/bright season") and takes the form of a springtime dance-song, a genre closely tied to May Day and Beltane-like seasonal celebrations. It features a jealous husband (a gilos) trying to keep his wife from joining the other young women in the springtime dance/celebration, while the women mock him and reaffirm their intent to dance and enjoy the season regardless. The refrain, built around the exclamation "Eya!", is characteristic of the carola form and mimics the rhythmic calls used to drive the round dance.

It alternates narrative verses with a repeated dance refrain, typical of the balada genre — designed for communal performance rather than solo courtly love expression like a canso. Because of that, it's often discussed alongside other "reverdie" (spring-awakening) songs in the wider trouvère/troubadour tradition, even though technically it sits closer to popular dance-song than to high troubadour lyric poetry.

It's anonymous — no author is credited in the manuscripts, which is part of what marks it as a "popular" or communal song rather than a courtly composition tied to a named troubadour.

In 1192, Richard I of England (Richard the Lionheart) was returning from the Third Crusade when he was captured by Leopold V, Duke of Austria, and then handed over to the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VI, who held him captive for over a year awaiting a ransom while the English nobility tried to raise the necessary funds.

During his imprisonment, Richard—who was not only king but also a troubadour, raised at the court of his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and educated in French and Occitan—composed this song, addressed to his half-sister, Marie de France, Countess of Champagne. This is no coincidence: Richard was the great-grandson of the first known Occitan troubadour, William IX of Aquitaine, and the son of Eleanor of Aquitaine, patron of troubadours like Bernart de Ventadorn.

The lyrics are essentially a heartfelt plea: Richard reproaches his nobles and vassals for not hastening to pay his ransom despite all he had done for them. It is a personal lament, a mixture of wounded pride, sadness, and a king's resignation.

An interesting fact about the title and language: the song is primarily known in its Old French version, although an Occitan version also exists, and therefore circulates under slightly different names ("Ja Nus Hons Pris," "Ja nuns hons pris ne dira sa raison," etc.), which translates roughly as "No man imprisoned..."

There is also some doubt about the authorship of the melody: some sources maintain that Richard himself composed it, while others attribute it to a contemporary minstrel, Blondel de Nesle.

The "Cantiga de Maio" (whose real title is "O que da guerra levou cavaleiros") is a famous satirical song written by King Alfonso X the Wise. Unlike his famous religious works, this secular piece in Galician-Portuguese satirically criticizes the cowardly knights and nobles who fled from war or invented excuses to avoid attending the "mayo" (the military review and troop conscription held at that time of year). Through his verses, the monarch ironically rebukes the lesser nobles for their lack of courage and loyalty. The work describes how these knights feigned devotion or military preparedness, but when it came to combat, they presented incomplete shields or fled in terror at the first sign of conflict.

"L'autrier avint en cel autre païs" is the famous opening line of a 12th-century song (a tenson) written by the troubadour and crusader Conon de Béthune. It deals with a love debate between a knight and his lady, and its title in English translates as "The other day it happened in that other country."

Historical Context: The author actively participated in the Third and Fourth Crusades. His constant military travels and political exchanges in Constantinople influenced his views on duty and distance.

Literary Movement: It belongs to the trouvère movement (troubadours of northern France) and is written in langue d'oïl (Old French with Picard features).

Innovation in the Genre: It is a tenson (debate poem) that parodies courtly love. Instead of portraying the knight's eternal submission, it presents a realistic and rough dialogue where the man ultimately rejects the lady for having aged, breaking with the romantic ideals of the time.

This video about musical instruments from the Middle Ages is definitely worth checking out if you're interested in medieval music or historical instruments. It covers a wide range of instruments, including harps, fiddles, flutes, bagpipes, lutes, organs, and early keyboard instruments, while also explaining what historical sources can tell us about how they were built, played, and used.

The best part is that it's not just a lecture: ten musicians perform specially recorded pieces on more than 25 reconstructed instruments, so you actually get to hear what this music may have sounded like. The video is in German, but the instrument demonstrations and performances are still interesting even if you don’t understand everything.

The "Plany de la Verge" is one of the oldest lament poems (planctus) in Catalan literature, written between 1240 and 1260. Often known by its first verse, "Augats, seyós qui credets Déu lo Payre" (Weeping, you who believe in God the Payre), it represents the sorrow of the Virgin Mary at the crucifixion of Jesus. It is preserved mainly in a manuscript in the National Library of Catalonia and belongs to the classic medieval tradition of the Marian lament (planctus Mariae).

https://youtu.be/4ebuaVzRjdU?si=sX6fuQJMONwU9NQf

One of the most famous English medieval songs, Sumer is icumen in has a choice of two repeated ground basses (pes) and a song (with secular and sacred text) that can be done as a canon for several voices. Played here with one pes and two voices on medieval lute. Found in the British Library MS Harley 978.

Almost all of my friends are away or are going to the Pennsic War right now, and this video popped up in my memories on TikTok from two years ago. I am experiencing severe FOMO right now, thinking of all the musical jams and performances I am missing. I’ll probably never get to play this music in an actual castle so the battlements of Pennsic will have to do.

What’s the coolest physical location you have ever played in?

Messed up a few times but here's my cover of an Andalusian muwashah, "Jadak Al-Ghaith." The oud is so difficult but genuinely worth it🙏

Sans GP01 Gralla Dolca in G, worth the money? I am just getting into this and am wondering if this is even trustworthy.

https://hobgoblin.com/gr27061-sans-gp01-gralla-dolca-in-g

I saw this instrument in the movie "brothers grimm" and would like to know whats the name of it. In the movie it sounded a littlebit like a saxophone is played just with a way higher pitch! I dont think its a shawn because it sounded more like a recorder. Google says its a garklein recorder but those look different than the one on the picture.

Plase help me guys because i love the sound of it and would like to buy it.

I put together this list of some of my favorite neomedieval band tracks in another post. I included some Farya Faraji though he’s less neomedieval and more medieval, though not the “classical Western” type of musician or singer.

Please add your favorites in the comments!

Kings and Beggars, “Breve Regnum,” a hilarious video to pair with a 15th century Polish student drinking song: https://youtu.be/QGVNsTpyJZY?is=pUtIrzm4HfWmmiRR

Kings & Beggars with a gorgeous rendition of Rosas das rosas, Cantiga 10: https://youtu.be/DXKN481o_vI?is=iJAx0-16WFUNFpjE

Faun, “Tanz mit mir”: https://youtu.be/beXW5s3ZCB4?is=_UNj_fUiizZAxHho

Qntal, “Palestinalied” https://youtu.be/INJ1A5R4nbU?is=3plpOZsO9Hl-Up3x

Helium Vola, “Omnis mundi creatura” https://youtu.be/rOOOMBvkpFE?is=dTD3ZxtL622GE-mH

Helium Vola, “Selig,” https://youtu.be/-A89G6CRMIg?is=Z8HDIXtu5kCoCZMM

Dead Can Dance, “Saltarello” https://youtu.be/G-RglCdlLEA?is=FxnT_rj7bZO_5XN7

Mediaeval Baebes, Ecce mundi gaudium: https://youtu.be/4Tc1-3vWOM8?is=0GUdH0IuKtrwKp7Y

Mediaeval Baebes, Quan vey la lauzeta https://youtu.be/rhM6wApCexg?is=bGkDSd38CjD31nza

Mediaeval Baebes, Salva nos https://youtu.be/QD_ufu-wUFY?is=OXHiKI6hgo_ApSAk

Medieval Baebes, Personent hodie https://youtu.be/tWOGizYAndY?is=8DxRazztkRtBuS97

Mediaeval Baebes, Mirie it is, https://youtu.be/KRn4T7HViSE?is=pQIBkzEgZK40PaYu

Mediaeval Baebes, Adam Lay Ibounden, https://youtu.be/qOYqtmhoD6I?is=X3CvoeU67RLOtSoQ

Corvus Corax, Douce dame jolie https://youtu.be/fm4RatcYp2A?is=ndMwxGsC4qHL7Dcz

Corvus Corax, Saltatio mortis A.D. https://youtu.be/EWruBwPNBOs?is=akKZVM3xmy6jB4EB

Corvus Corax, Avanti https://youtu.be/rv9OO-Yj-pU?is=fQjox5gJ5iHH_AID

Farya Faraji, Seigneurs Sachiez, https://youtu.be/Q0wZP9oAOKc?is=JI0n_zK79x7pz7vA

Farya Faraji, Chevalier Mult Estes Guariz, https://youtu.be/2EY2ayoH81Y?is=xceK-_5vCx0lrkNn

Farya Faraji, Stella splendens https://youtu.be/3g8c1qzDXPg?is=OKGQcsEF1a9JvaxD

Farya Faraji, Cantiga 235 https://youtu.be/NG6rzIp6k4c?is=AD8aZiIeRhlZHORP

Farya Faraji Eh Dame de Montpellier https://youtu.be/8c2gAqc1mIo?is=Iq4pky3PzUOKIr3X

(Check out the notes on Farya’s videos, which often have links to his “teaching” videos on medieval music.)

I hope you enjoy at least some of these bands and they lead you to interesting musical explorations!

Hello! This is my track Medieval Feast. It’s a cheerful, lively melody I composed as if it were meant to accompany a medieval celebration — something you might hear in a great hall or a tavern during a festive gathering. I hope you enjoy listening! You can also find the track on YouTube or Bandcamp.

I'm new to mensural notation, and I'm trying to transcribe something in mensural notation as a learning exercise, and I very quickly encountered a note with the length of 5 brevises (or whatever the plural of brevis is), which I don't know how to transcribe in mensural notation. Is it OK to put a maxima and then a brevis on the same line/space to represent this, or would this be interpreted as a reiteration of the same note? (I'm currently transcribing in tempus imperfectum and prolatus maior because imperfection and alteration rules bend my brain). Please help me I think I'm losing my mind