Hello all - I'm just looking for a resource. Does anyone know where I can find medieval hymns and rounds from Medieval times or the Crusades? Most of these I have seen are hand written photocopies. But is there anyone out there that publishes them?
Certainly there are plenty of early music publishers. I'm not sure what's available in sheet music. I think most "new" early music comes from academic researchers and early music groups sharing some overlap. Then it's reasonably easy to get the album, and learn the song from the lyrics. Later on, when the piece gets popular, publishers have incentive to publish sheet music and songbooks which include it. You might look through your local university's music library, since they probably have a good number of odd things.
Re: Crusader songs: I know that some of the known Provencal troubadour songs for which we have lyrics and music are Crusade-oriented. Ditto for their more Northern French and German cousins, the trouveres and minnesingers. I'm fairly sure there's some Spanish material of this kind also, but I don't know much about it. We don't have music for Muireadhach Albanach O Dalaigh's Crusade poems, alas. We do have one of Richard III's songs, but of course the point of that was asking for post-Crusade ransom. :) I'm sure there must be Latin poetry of this sort hanging around, also.
Music of the Crusades is available for mp3 download, and there are sellers on Amazon who'll ship it to you (so you get the liner notes). I don't know what similar albums there may be.
I imagine that if you search by name of individual songs, you can find something.
If you can't find them in actual notation, look for a copy in MIDI or ABC format. With the right software, you can convert those easily to staff notation.
This page says it includes a score of "Crucifigat Omnes" from the Codex Huelgas, but it is lying.
If you want to look at the Las Huelgas Codex itself, "Crucifigat omnes" is on the Digital Image Archive of Medieval Music. I have never used this resource, but apparently all is free as long as you register.
This page about organum explains (in Italian) how a conductus works, using parts of "Crucifigat omnes" as an example.
I am forced to conclude that it's almost easier to do music paleography than find music scores online, depending on what you want. Just learning the song from recordings and then transcribing it -- that might be easiest. I'm really stumped.
I'm loving the new CD I just received called The Dedication of the Temple (Music from the Templars' Jerusalem Breviary) by the Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge. Crucifigat omnes is the first song on the CD...
no help for sheet music, but the recordings are very nice.
Thanks everyone - it seems the resources are limited...but I'll make do. In college I was in something we called "Collegium Musicum" at West Chester University and we had a ton of hand written early music rounds and songs. We had a lot of Henry VIII stuff. I have no idea where the professor got them, though. My old roommate kept all the music so I will borrow it I guess.
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