minstrel: Troubadour and Trouvere songs in English

[Monica Hultin]

Hello,

I was finally catching up on reading my Spring 2002 of Early Music America
and saw an article on Fletcher Collins. It lists a publication of his on
"Troubadour and Trouvere Songs in singable English" as well as  a CD call
"Troubadours a Courtin'".  Both from Crown Light Editions, Staunton
Virginia - 2001.

Out of curiousity, has anyone seen or heard these and what did they think?

It sounds like it could be very useful for the SCA musicians wanting to sing
for an English speaking audience.  One comment in the interview was ..."in
our recent CD of troubadour and trouvere songs, "Troubadours a Courtin'",
the singers perform in English because we find that while something is
inevitably lost in any translation, more is lost - perhaps the whole song -
when an English-speaking audience is confronted with Old Occitan and Old
French"  (Fletcher Collins - Early Music America, Spring 2002, p.52)

I also see that Collins is a former teacher of Custard LaRue of Baltimore
Consort.

Monika