THE NORWICH WAITS |
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For
a period of nearly 400 years no public celebration or civic pageant
in Norwich would have been complete |
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Malcolm Ecclestone was the founder/director
of the Norwich Waits, an early music consort that has
performed extensively throughout East Anglia and on film, television
and radio. The consort gives costumed performances on authentic copies
of medieval and renaissance instruments. Whether you require two lively
minstrels or a full consort of Tudor musicians the consort's flexible
approach will provide the appropriate musical atmosphere whatever your
event.
The original Norwich waits were founded around 1409 as civic musicians employed in the City of Norwich. It is believed The instruments used by the Norwich Waits fall into two main types, woodwind and strings. Woodwind is a term dating from the 19thC used to denote a section of the symphony orchestra, but the term may be employed more generally to include all the pipes that have been played since man first began to make music. There are two chief parts to the woodwind family. The whistles include recorders and flutes and produce their sound when a column of air is passed over a sharp edge, causing vibration of the air. The other members of the woodwind family are the reed instruments whose sounds are generated by air passing over reed, which in turn also causes the air to vibrate. The 'reeds' within these instruments are traditionally made from reed although in modern times plastic type materials are sometimes used instead, where cost or durability are a consideration. The most important of the minstrels' instruments was probably the shawm, forerunner of the modern oboe. The shawm first appeared in Europe when the medieval crusading knights returned from the holy wars with examples of the Arab shawms that they first heard spectacularly played by the Arabs before going into battle. A terrifying noise designed to frighten the enemy and stir the heart. The European instrument makers developed these instruments over the next three hundred years until many different sizes were in use, from the very small to the giant members of the family that were taller than a man. The most common domestic woodwind instrument in England during the time of King Henry Vlll and Queen Elizabeth l was the recorder. It was produced in an astonishing number of sizes, from the tiny garklein, only 5 inches long, to the mighty great bass recorder, which is 12 feet in length. Wealthy households would possess complete sets of recorders, often kept securely in a solid wooden chest. Evenings would be spent with the whole family performing together upon the recorders. Anyone who could not perform upon an instrument or hold their part in a song would be considered foolish and not properly educated. The most unusual woodwind instrument of the renaissance is without doubt the crumhorn. A narrow instrument with a curved end that is likened to a musical walking stick. You can see a picture of crumhorns on the Norwich Waits web page. The instrument was in use for only a short period of time owing to its limited range of notes. (just over one octave). Bagpipes
are also distinctive woodwind instruments that have been popular with
minstrels for many centuries. Into the bag of the bagpipe, which is
usually formed by an animal skin, are secured two or more wooden pipes.
One is used to introduce air into the bag by means of vigorous blowing,
whilst the other(the chanter) or others(chanter and drone) allow the
air to escape while passing over a reed. They were to be found in Europe,
Asia and North Africa. We perform on the soft and mellow indoor pipes
as well as the Among the string family the hurdy gurdy always attracts attention. In common with the bagpipes it utilises the drone technique. A continuous note that provides an accompaniment to the melody played with it. In its simplest form it is a wooden box along which are strings. A circular bow in the form of a wooden wheel is turned by a handle so that it rubs against the strings to cause them to vibrate. A fine example of a renaissance hurdy gurdy can been seen on the Norwich Waits web page. The most popular string instrument of the renaissance to play in consort was the viol. Usually a six stringed instrument with frets that is related to the Spanish guitar from which it was developed. Like most instruments of the time it was made in a variety of sizes and is best heard playing in consort with other viols. A soft, sweet and silvery sound. By the 18thC the smaller sizes were being replaced by the violin family but the bass viol continued in use in chamber music well into the 19thC. In the 16th and 17th centuries it is quite evident that members of the Norwich Waits were skilled musicians. William Kemp, in his account of his nine days' Morris from London to Norwich in 1599, speaks of being welcomed by the City Waits. He further says: 'Such Waytes (under Benedicitie be it spoken) few citties in the Realme haue the like, none better; who besides their excellency in wind instruments, their rare cunning on the vyoll and violin, theyre voices be admirable, eurie one of them able to serue in any Cathedrall Churc in Christendome for Quiresters.' The duties carried out by Waits varied considerably, but there are certain common denominators. From the earliest times, up until their abolition in the 19thC, they played about the streets of the town at night during the winter months. Sometimes this was combined with the duty of calling out the hour and the state of the weather. In other places, they started in the early hours and played to wake people up for work. They were also required to play for whatever occasions the Mayor saw fit, and were often prominent at the opening ceremonies for fairs, and for other important festivals. We blundered on in pursuit of our night's felicity, but scarce had walked the length of a horse's tether, ere we heard a noise so dreadful and surprising that we thought the Devil was riding on hunting through the City, with a pack of deep-mouthed hell-hounds, to catch a brace of tallymen http://www.leziate.demon.co.uk/waits/waits/quotes/ward.htm#Ward for breakfast. At last bolted out from the corner of a street, with an ignis fatuus dancing before them, a parcel of strange hobgoblins covered with long frieze rugs and blankets, hooped round with leather girdles from their cruppers to their shoulders, and their noddles buttoned up into caps of martial figure, like a knight errant at tilt and tournament with his wooden head locked in an iron helmet. One was armed, as I thought, with a lusty faggot-bat, and the rest with strange wooden weapons in their hands in the shape of clyster-pipes, but as long, almost, as speaking-trumpets. Of a sudden they clapped them to their mouths and made such a frightful yelling that I thought the world had been dissolving and the terrible sound of the last trumpet to be within an inch of my ears. |
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