Well, in addition to my sarcastic first comment - I do want to say thanks to all who complimented the performance. I do not for one minute aspire to set myself up as a professional HG player and I'm usually the best HG player at the faire by virtue of being the only one. For purists, I do play a renaissance style HG - and it is a renaissance faire (minus all the elves, storm troopers and vampires of course). I do aspire to play authentic music and since I am aware of no "one way" in which 500 year old songs must be arranged, we take liberties to arrange the songs in the ways that we think will best entertain our audience. We are goofy, stupid and very slapstick. I'm curious why some people think that human nature has changed so very much over time. You only need to read Shakespeare or Chaucer to know that a good brawl, love scene or smutty comment keeps people entertained. There are so many miniatures of minstrels, dancing, skipping and even bashing each other over the head with their instruments - that to believe that only authentic music is serious music is pure nonsense. I often wonder - what did the street minstrels do? those not paid by the court, untutored in reading music with less than perfect instruments- how did they keep body and soul together? I think they did what street musicians do today - kept it loud and lively. I'm a classically trained musician and I've done the chamber music stuff but I really feel the most kinship with the past when playing at a faire. If I can make my rather "plebian" audience clap and dance to a 500 year old tune, I think perhaps I've captured something essential of the tune - more so than by reading any arrangement that's been written down since. Oh yes - although I don't show any more cleavage - the Friar does hoist his tunic and do a little knock-kneed dance for a different number we do. If any of you faire performers are ever in Massachusetts, feel free to look me up - we love to have guest performers...
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