Purists, though, might and do take issue with their singing style. While founder member, Katharine Blake, is classically trained, and composes and arranges the music, there is a modern and somewhat laid-back feel to these songs, in spite of Old English, French and Latin lyrics. This is not a classical choral group, with a perfectly honed technique and all the respectable baggage that comes with that. They’re more populist. Hence the tabloid press in the past have had a tendency to regard them as Ye Olde Spice Girls. The fact that the Baebes put a lot of effort into their exotic, romantic costumes, and brought out a book of erotic photographs and texts (‘Songs of the Flesh’) back in 2000 has contributed to this reputation.

‘Worldes Blysse’ is a great album, and one that is possible to sing along to, once you get the hang of the old-style pronunciation on the English songs. The first track, ‘Kinderly,’ is a good example. There are only eight lines of lyrics, but they’re later sung in a round so that different voices and words are layered over one another, and yet it’s also very simple. English translations of the lyrics are available in the sleeve notes, but the Middle English words usually sound better. Take, for example, the original: “Kinderly is now my coming / into this werld with teres and cry”- and compare it to the booklet’s translation: “My arrival here is natural / into this world with tears and crying.” R’s are rolled, letters no longer given much stress in modern English are suddenly revived, and words develop extra syllables. It’s a beautiful lost language, and the songs are fascinating for that alone.

‘All Turns To Yesterday’ is the next song. This song has both solo and more choral sections. As with other tracks, the musical instrumentation is very simple. Overall, recorders, pipes, percussion, triangles, drums, zither, dulcimer, hurdy gurdy, and tambourines are the instruments used on this album. Often there’s no instrumental backing at all.

‘Love Me Broughte,’ with lyrics taken from ‘The Commonplace Book of John Grimstone, 1372’ uses more instruments than the previous two tracks. The Baebes sing as a group rather than as individuals. In ‘Beatrice’ the language switches to Latin, and an excerpt from Dante’s ‘Inferno.’ There are solo vocals here from Audrey Evans and Rachel Van Asch. Their voices work together in a beautiful, ethereal, harmonising duet. No instruments distract from the simplicity of their voices. There’s a slightly echoing quality to their singing which recalls the acoustics of a church.

‘Ecci Mundi Gaudium’ is sung in 13th century English and opens with a wonderful drum beat. Katharine Blake sings the solo sections, while the Baebes come in on the chorus. The song hails the Virgin birth. It’s followed by the beautiful ‘Waylaway.’ The modern English translation of the lyrics is as follows:

“Evilly I tore your heart to pieces
And now I deeply regret it
oh woe

You have banished me into the woods
for ever”

The musical backing on this one has a wavering, mysterious quality.

‘Alba’ is next. We’re told in the notes that “Alba (dawn) songs are a characteristic genre of mediaeval lyrics concerning the separation of lovers upon the arrival of day.” The words and music of this song are 12th century, by Guiraut de Borneluh. Audrey Evans and Rachel Van Asch again provide the solo sections while the others appear as a chorus.

‘When the Turuf is Thy Tour’ is one of the most eerie and beautiful songs on the album. There’s a slightly ominous quality to the melody which is appropriate for a song with the following lyrics (translated):

“when the turf is your tower
and your pit is your bower
your skin and your white throat
shall be food for worms
what help to you then
will all the world’s pleasures be?”

‘Erthe Upon Erthe’ is the ninth track. This song also warns of the inevitability of death, and the hopelessness of dwelling on conquering the material world. “He who swans around the earth, glittering like gold / as though earth won’t really have to return to earth / will soon find earth indeed becoming earth again / no matter how much he tries to fight it.” (English translation of 15th century English.)

An excerpt from the Mediaeval English poem, ‘The King of France’s Daughter’ comes next, in the form of ‘Passing Thus Alone.’ Karen Lupton provides the solo vocals. It’s a beautiful, delicate song, that relies solely on the singer’s voice and the church-like acoustics.

A 16th century Italian instrumental piece, ‘La Volta,’ is the eleventh track.

Then it’s ‘Pearl,’ which is composed from an excerpt, this time from the Mediaeval English poem of the same name. Although the whole group sings on this track, Karen Lupton again provides the solo, and there’s musical accompaniment.

‘Swete Sone’ features Katharine Blake on solo, and addresses Christ as he hangs on the cross. It seems to be sung from the perspective of Mary, his mother, though there’s a certain ambiguity that means the narrator could in fact be any follower of Jesus.

Death and mortality are strong and repeating themes on ‘Worldes Blysse.’ Unsurprising since mediaeval life was harsh, and life expectancy shorter. ‘So Spricht Das Leben’ sees life and death each lay claim to the world. The verses move back and forth between the two as they state their argument. In the fourth verse, death offers what appears to be the strongest argument, but is ultimately trumped by life:

“So sayeth death, the world is mine,
I have prepared a graveyard,
And created pestilence and war.
So sayeth death, the world is mine.

So sayeth life, the world is mine,
Every grave is a plot of land,
Into which my eternal seeds do fall.
So sayeth life, the world is mine.”

‘C’est La Fin,’ proclaiming that it’s the end, whatever people say, is accompanied by a piper. The very last song on the album, though, is ‘How Death Comes.’ This has to be the eeriest song on ‘Worldes Blysse.’ The women’s voices are like dark birds, circling, like vultures. Their words echo as they describe the coming of death. At times the singing is harsh, but it ends gently, more ethereally, as one would hope, when death comes. But the sentiment is ironic even then:

“and the grave shall be covered over,
and then my house shall rest upon my nose,
I care not a jot for this world!”

(translated from 13th century English)

For those uncertain about the appeal of the Mediaeval Baebes, ‘The Best of the Mediaeval Baebes’ offers nine songs from ‘Salva Nos’ and eleven from ‘Worldes Blysse.’ Otherwise, you are strongly advised to buy the complete albums, especially in the case of ‘Worldes Blysse.’ A re-released version of the album appearing on Amazon appears to have a different track ordering, but the songs are the same as those listed above.

Kara Kellar Bell is a film and media graduate from the West of Scotland, with a passion for European novels, French films, silent cinema, and Brazilian music (everything from Daniela Mercury and other pop stars through to bossa nova). As a writer, she likes to have room to move around creatively, so she’s not located in one genre. She writes realism and also stories of a more fantastic nature, usually grounded to some extent in the real world. She also takes delight in writing across the sexual spectrum, and as a bisexual, considers it important to remind people that things are not always black and white, either/or, in sexuality or in gender. She is currently completing her first novel. For a selection of Kara’s writing on the Showcase section of this site, click here

© 2004 Laura Hird All rights reserved.