Agincourt Carol – Medieval English Song

Vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji. This is a 15th century song recounting the contemporary Battle of Agincourt during the Hundred Years War, in which King Henry V of England struck a decisive blow at the French army in Agincourt. The song was found in the Trinity Carol Roll, a collection of thirteen carols and one of the earliest examples of English polyphony.

I decided to add my own polyphonic twist to the song, as was usual practice back then. In the Late Middle-Ages, polyphony was still expected to be highly malleable and the different vocal and instrumental lines would still spontaneously improvise different vertical lines in every performance.

This song is a representation of the very latest stages of Western European Medieval music. Situated at the very end of the Middle-Ages, it can be contrasted with earlier Medieval music I covered on this channel, like Chevaliers Mult Estes Guariz or Ja Nuls Om Pris, or Ave Maris Stella. As the Middle-Ages draw to a close, Western music as we know it starts to take shape. The music of Western Europe gradually leaves its uniquely modal, melodic and heterophonic form in order to adopt a more harmony, vertical and polyphony-based approach. The distinctive ornamental vocal style of the European Middle-Ages has by then largely disappeared, replaced with more fixed pitch singing, and the vertical lines multiply as we enter the Renaissance and the era of full blown vertical polyphony, an evolution I describe in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNY4b0aRLcQ All in all, the contrast between the earlier Medieval songs I arranged and this one show that Medieval music was a living, constantly evolving form, and very different in many ways based on which century we’re looking at.

Please note that I modeled my pronunciation of the Middle-English text on other recordings, but I’m no expert on that subject so phonological details here and there are bound to be inaccurate.

Lyrics in Latin and Middle-English:
Deo gratias Anglia redde pro victoria!

Owre Kynge went forth to Normandy
With grace and myght of chyvalry
Ther God for hym wrought mervelusly;
Wherefore Englonde may call and cry!

He sette sege, forsothe to say,
To Harflu towne with ryal aray;
That toune he wan and made afray
That Fraunce shal rewe tyl domesday.

Then went hym forth, owre king comely,
In Agincourt feld he faught manly;
Throw grace of God most marvelously,
He had both feld and victory.

Ther lordys, erles and barone
Were slayne and taken and that full soon,
Ans summe were broght into Lundone
With joye and blisse and gret renone.

Almighty God he keep owre kynge,
His people, and alle his well-wyllynge,
And give them grace wythoute endyng;
Then may we call and savely syng!

Modern English translation:

England, give thanks to God for victory!

Our King went forth to Normandy
with grace and might of chivalry.
There God for him wrought marvelously;
wherefore England may call and cry:

Give thanks to God!

He set a siege, forsooth to say,
to Harfleur town with royal array;
that town he won and made a fray
that France shall rue ’til doomsday.
Give thanks to God!

Then went him forth, our king comely,
in Agincourt field he fought manly;
through grace of God most marvelously,
he had both field and victory.
Give thanks to God!

There lords, earls, and barons
were slain, and taken, and that full soon,
and some were brought into London
with joy and bliss and great renown.

Almighty God, may he save our king,
his people, and all his well-willing.
And give them grace without ending:
then may we call and safely sing!

music, UC2_JOhJf-VAQm5VRqjY40Rw, Farya Faraji

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