Dawn music

The Music of Dawn

Style summary

Arthurian high medieval, chivalric, courtly, 'high' culture, battle anthems, tales of love, glory, and tragedy.

Dawn draws on the more formal folk and classical traditions of Shakespearean/Elizabethan period, for example madrigals, as well as fantastical folk tales from the English or Irish tradition.

Commonly known songs

Dawn Songbooks, Songs and Signposts A player collated list of songs, recordings and songbooks that are available for other players to use. Suggestions are welcome. The songs listed on the wiki are to be considered the most commonly known songs in the nation. This document is to provide further resources and signposting to songbooks of interest to Dawnish performers and singers.

Sweet Kate - medium difficulty madrigal for 3 female voices
Dawnish War Song - medieval song with drums and other instruments
Britta's Glory - Verse-chorus war song

A musical tradition

All sensible knights understand that for their glory to continue after death, you rely on the skill and conviction of minstrels and storytellers. What better way to earn glory and reputation than to let them see your deeds for themselves? Therefore it is not uncommon for questing knights to invite along the best minstrel they can find to accompany them on a quest - it goes without saying that the safety of the minstrel is paramount. The best singers and storytellers have a song or tale ready for the victory feast the same evening, and direct retellings of glorious battles and the valour of Dawnish knights in either victory or death are always enthusiastically received!

One for the kids

Funeral Songs

Wedding Music

Wedding Air

Songs about notable people/entities in Dawn

The Ballad of Sir Alain, written for a knight killed in glorious battle
Sir Isobel, a traditional Dawnish song which has had a recent rise in popularity
The Novarion Phoenix, written about a Dawnish house
Sir Colwyn, a recently-written song about a Dawnish knight.
Onward to Glory I Go, an adaptable song of glory, popular amongst questing knights.
The Flowers of Auvanne, an old song written by Elayne Silverlark for which the original tune has been lost.

Further examples

Songs

Come my pretty one - Dawnish song about life
Sweet Kate - medium difficulty madrigal for 3 female voices
April is in my mistress' face - difficult madrigal set for SATB
Annan Water - gloomy ballad about drowning, medium
Though Philomena Lost Her Love - medium difficulty madrigal, 3 female voices.
My Bonny Lass She Smileth - SATB madrigal
Weep O Mine Eyes - SATB madrigal, hardish
Tanner's Hill - fantastical ballad, easy
The Moon's Only Daughter - wistful ballad, easy
His Banner's Not Mine - Love song, easy

Weaver's Curse - cautionary tale, easy
Spinning Song - tragic love song, easy
The Rose Garden - Tragic love song, easy
Sweet, Stay Awhile - Elizabethan love song, medium
And they were singing "The Flowers of Auvanne"

Instrumentation and tunes

Anything vaguely courtly using recorders, plucked strings, single drums, harps, autoharp, or similar.
Elizabethan recorder music - very appropriate for Dawn, especially if played on recorders or harp with a single drum.

Other performance traditions

Courtly dances.

How to adapt your repertoire

Sing in a formal rather than bawdy style. Up the properness and pathos of your words. Strum your guitar like a lute. Roll your rrrrs!

Our sources

Thomas Morley, Kate Rusby, Bill Jones, Glasgow Madrigirls, the other Madrigirls who actually sing more madrigals,

Here is a youtube playlist to get you in the mood!