Why, right here of course!
If you've seen A Knight's Tale then you're sure to remember the brilliant scene where all the Medieval party-goers start out dancing to what sounds like vaguely Medieval music, which soon blends into David Bowie's Golden Years. It looks and sounds fantastic and pretty much sums up the whole film's approach to history.
While plenty of people were put off by the anachronism, effectively it displays the film's whole approach to handling history. By juxtaposing the modern with the old fashioned, and risking a little anachronism, it elevated the characters away from just 'fusty old medieval people' and into the clever, fun reality of what people in that time may have been like within their own context. It helped us identify with them and so brought the history fully to life.
But, of course, this post isn't about Knights Tale, it's about music.
If you've ever been curious about what Medieval music actually sounded like outside of the silver-screen, then you should definately check out the great website Free Early and Renaissance Music. Here Medieval music has been recorded, categorised by country and is free to listen to or to even download.
Personally, I really like April is in My Mistress' Face by Thomas Morley which was written in his lifetime (between around 1557 and 1602) and is based on this poem:
April is in my mistress' face.
And July in her eyes hath place.
Within her bosom is September,
But in her heart a cold December.
If you want to put on your academic hat, you should also take a look at the Digital Image Archive of Medieval Music.
Happy exploring, music fans!
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