The Bawdy Bard

Just posted a link to my article on Lyric Fest's upcoming program of medieval and renaissance music. The title "The Bawdy Bard" is unfortunate, because it suggests the program is built around off-color passages from Shakespeare, which it isn't. It also suggests a more tongue-in-cheek approach than is probably the case. I'm looking forward to this one, however, since a few years ago I spent a great deal of time playing medieval and Renaissance tunes on the recorder. The program will include a song by Bernhart de Ventadorn (fl. 12th century), titled "Can vei la lauzeta mover," that I've tried to play several times — I even went back to it last weekend while I was contemplating the article — but that I have never been able to make sound like a real melody. I can't figure the tempo, and the flow indicated by the 3/4 meter, as written on the page, doesn't seem to fit the notes. Actually hearing is going to be an education.