Durch abendteuer Tal und Perg

Program Note:

Far back in the distant past, centuries before a single nation was even considered, a native musical tradition emerged in the German lands. This genre, known as Minnesang or “Love Song,” helps define the Middle High German era, a high watermark in medieval literature. The performers, known as Minnesänger, were usually poet and composer in one, of uncertain social standing (some were nobility, while others seem to have simply been educated commoners), and may be viewed as a continuation of the earlier medieval bards from Anglo-Saxon and Celtic traditions. Similar poets emerged in 12th-century France where they were called either trouvères in the North or troubadours in the Provence region. The French tradition is more widely known and somewhat better preserved. It exerted a strong influence upon the Minnesang in terms of form, though the latter always used vernacular German and came fully into its own by the end of the 12th century.
Later works became increasingly elaborate but also longer and repetitive. This is the case with Durch aubenteuer Tal und Perg by Oswald von Wolkenstein (ca. 1376-1445). This piece originally stretched to 15 verses! For his performance, Peter Walker has trimmed it to just six. It is a biographical story telling of the poet’s imprisonment (falsely accused of adultery with a nobleman’s wife) and eventual liberation by an equally musical prince who sympathizes with the hero’s wanderlust. The musical support consists of a fundamental harmony often performed by drone or sustaining instrument, and chord changes are held to a minimum. Focus remains on text. Recall, this music was never conceived for something like a concert performance. This is dramatic storytelling, where music helps sustain the mood of an inspired revelation.

(c) Jason Stell