Puck's Deceit

Notes on the Music

Tosse the pot tosse the pot, let us be merry,

And drinke till our cheeks be as red as a Cherry.

English musician and theorist Thomas Ravenscroft (1588-1635) was principally known for his collections of folk music, including the popular rounds and street music enjoyed by the common folk.  Toss the Pot, an ode to drinking and merriment, appeared in his 1614 publication A Brief discourse and extolls the virtues and importance of the English alehouse. 

Country Dances such as the three represented in this set gained great popularity in the court of Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603) as the previous courtly style evolved into a more relaxed and folk-inspired form. Unlike many more formal dance styles that were only meant for listening, English county dances were meant to get people on their feet and so often include drums and strong rhythmic elements.  Prince Rupert’s March, Puck’s Deceit and Goddesses were all published in John Playford’s The English Dancing Master (1651) which contains not only the music, but instructions for the dance. The title of this album, Puck’s Deceit comes from one of Playford’s dances and refers to the mischievous and playful forest fairy from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, premiered a mere half-century earlier in 1605.

The 16th and 17th centuries in Europe saw an explosion in the popularity of consort music: relatively simple music designed for performance by an ensemble of similar instruments.  Royal courts and the aristocracy would often own several “chests” of instruments such as viols, recorders and crumhorns, usually representing the four voices (soprano, alto, tenor and bass) of choral music.  Music would be played as entertainment by hired musicians and as a pastime for the aristocrats to perform themselves.  The selections of Courtly Dances I are drawn from Flemish composer and publisher Tielman Susato’s (c.1510-1570) collection Danserye (1551) and contain such standard forms as the bransle, bergerette and ronde which would just as likely be performed for their musical quality without the accompanying dancers. The limited range (an octave plus one note) of the pieces make them ideal for gemshorns which, as “closed” wind instruments, can not overblow to reach the second octave like recorders and penny whistles. For this set we have also included the extremely popular Bransle de Champaigne, published by a Flemish contemporary of Susato, Pierre Phalèse. 

Molly on the Shore is the type of traditional Irish reel that you would hear on the fiddle or penny whistle. An anonymous work like so many fiddle tunes, it was first widely distributed in George Petrie’s The Petrie Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland (1851).  The piece is attributed as a “Cork reel from P. Carew’s MSS”. The alto gemshorn serves as an effective replacement for the whistle and plays nicely with the traditional Celtic drum known as a bodhrán.

Years before the formation of the Gemsmen, Dean wrote Maeve’s Air for his daughter’s christening and performed it on a tenor gemshorn given to him by Hall. In 2013 while discussing another project (involving dinosaurs!) he played the tune for the maker who informed him that he had created an entire quartet of gemshorns.  Realizing that two of his closest friends (Trevor and Ken) were flute players, Canada’s premiere (and only) gemshorn quartet was formed.  

Another selection from Playford’s The English Dancing Master (1651), Jenny Plucks Pears was the title attributed to a number of tunes, but this particular melody was retained all the way through the 8th edition of the collection published in 1690.  “Jenny Plucks Pears” was a generic name for a flirting dance involving three couples. Jenny was a common name for a rustic sweetheart and the idea of “plucking pears” would certainly have a sexual connotation in Playford’s England. 

We have early music champion David Munrow to thank for the modern gemshorn. Organic material like horn naturally degrades, and so there are very few examples of historical instruments and those that do exist are made from clay.  Munrow led the early music revival through the sixties and seventies which included his seminal 1976 recording Instruments of the Middle Ages and Renaissance with the Early Music Consort. The 13th century Chanson A Prisai Qu’en Chantant Plour is featured on the album and played here by Hall on his tenor ram’s horn gemshorn.

The quiet and gentle qualities of the gemshorn make it ideally suited for Christmas music.  In fact, for centuries the “gemshorn” stop was a staple on many church pipe organs.  The anonymous French carol Il est né, Le devin enfant (The Holy Child is Born) appeared for the first time in the 1862 collection Airs des Noëls lorrains published by the organist Jean-Romain Grosjean.  It’s folk-like melody and drone suggests a shepherd’s bagpipe and is ideally suited to the gemshorn.  Remember, O Thou Man again returns to the haunting music of Thomas Ravenscroft and the long tradition of importing choral music to the instrumental genre.  

Courtly Dances II presents another selection of pieces from Susato’s Danserye. The titles of a number of works point to their origins in French chansons of the period. Many instrumental traditions of the time evolved from vocal music, also apparent in the adoption of the terms soprano, alto, tenor and bass. Living in the cosmopolitan city of Antwerp, Susato would have heard music from across the continent, and like publishers today would be quick to incorporate a popular tune.

Greensleeves is perhaps the best known song of the Renaissance period, first registered in 1580 under the title “A New Northern Dittye of ye Ladye Greene Sleves”. It is a traditional English ballade also know as a broadside ballad as it could be published and sold on one sheet of inexpensive paper. A number of stories have developed about the popular song including the idea that Lady Greensleeves refers to a prostitute, that the song was written by King Henry VIII for his lover and future Queen Anne Boleyn.  We do know that by the late sixteenth century, the song was widely known as Shakespeare references it in his play The Merry Wives of Windsor.  “Let the sky rain potatoes! Let it thunder to the tune of ‘Greensleeves’!

Country Dances II again takes us to Playford’s The English Dancing Master. One of our favourite places to perform is at the Oxford Renaissance Fair in Dorchester, Ontario. These arrangements were all created at the request of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth I (also known as Sharlene Wegg!) And it was our great pleasure to lead fair-goers through the traditional moves.  If you are feeling so inclined, here are Playford’s instructions for Indian Queen:   

1st Man meet and Set with the 2nd Woman. Both Turn Single. Then turn each other. 1st Woman and 2nd Man do the same. All four Right-hands across and go halfway round. Then Left-hands back again. All go back to back with your Partner. Then Right and Left quite round.

Pastyme With Good Companye.  We end this musical adventure with a piece that sums up the Gemsmen experience.  Also know as “The Kynges Ballade”, Pastyme was composed by King Henry VIII shortly after his coronation.  It also represents a perfect blend of the music on this recording for although it was conceived for the court, its catchy tune and rhythm soon made it popular in more common and country settings. The oldest known version of the song is from the King Henry VII Manuscript of 1513 which contains a number of his other compositions, both vocal and instrumental.

Pastime with good company I love and shall until I die;

Grudge who lust but none deny so God be pleased thus live will I.