An extract from Julian Philips' opera 'The Tale of Januarie', staged by the Guildhall School in 2017, directed by Martin Lloyd-Evans and conducted by Dominic Wheeler.

'The Tale of Januarie' was adapted from Chaucer's 'The Merchant's Tale' by writer Stephen Plaice, the libretto conceived entirely in Chaucerian Middle-English. The opera is for full resources, including an array of medieval instruments from bagpipes to a symphony.

The action is mapped out across the cycle of the seasons, and this extract marks the arrival of Spring. Three nymphes arise from the underworld, closely followed by the squabbling gods, Pluto and Proserpina.

Spring from The Tale Of Januarie (2017)

An extract from Julian Philips' opera 'The Tale of Januarie', staged by the Guildhall School in 2017, directed by Martin Lloyd-Evans and conducted by Dominic Wheeler.

'The Tale of Januarie' was adapted from Chaucer's 'The Merchant's Tale' by writer Stephen Plaice, the libretto conceived entirely in Chaucerian Middle-English. The opera is for full resources, including an array of medieval instruments from bagpipes to a symphony.

Here the young, love-sick knave, Damyan, expresses his hopeless love for May, just married to the aged Knight Januarie, in his aria 'There nys noon payne as hope profaned'. Damyan is played here by baritone Dominic Sedgwick.

Damyan's Aria from 'The Tale of Januarie' (2017)

An extract from Julian Philips' opera 'The Tale of Januarie', staged by the Guildhall School in 2017, directed by Martin Lloyd-Evans and conducted by Dominic Wheeler.

'The Tale of Januarie' was adapted from Chaucer's 'The Merchant's Tale' by writer Stephen Plaice, the libretto conceived entirely in Chaucerian Middle-English. The opera is for full resources, including an array of medieval instruments from bagpipes to a symphony.

Here the young May escapes her husband Januarie, by locking herself in the privee. Januarie can be heard repeatedly calling her off-stage, but May is engrossed in the love note from the knave, Damyan. In the ensuing aria May defies everyone who has looked down on her, and expresses her longing for Damyan.

May's privee aria from 'The Tale of Januarie' (2017)

Lyrics:

Middle English:
Bryd one brere, brid, brid one brere,
Kynd is come of love, love to crave
Blythful biryd, on me thu rewe
Or greyth, lef, greith thu me my grave.

Hic am so blithe, so bryhit, brid on brere,
Quan I se that hende in halle:
Yhe is whit of lime, loveli, trewe
Yhe is fayr and flur of alle.

Mikte ic hire at wille haven,
Stedefast of love, loveli, trewe,
Of mi sorwe yhe may me saven
Ioye and blisse were were me newe.

Modern English (Rough Translation):
Bird on a briar, bird, bird on a briar,
Mankind comes from love, and thus craves love.
Blissful bird, have pity on me,
Or dig, love, you dig my grave for me.

I am so blithe, so bright, bird on briar,
When I see that handmaid in the hall:
She is white of limb, lovely, true,
She is fair and the flower of all.

Might I have her at my will,
Steadfast of love, lovely, true,
From my sorrow she may save me
Joy and bliss would wear me new 

Acknowledgements:
Bryd One Brere
Written by: Anon., 13th/14th century English
Arrangement: Brynne Santos

Brynne Santos - Lead & Background Vocals
Musescore - Harp and Strings
Pixabay - Church Bell
Robert Santos - Mixing/Mastering Engineer

Bryd One Brere (2023)

Mirie it is while sumer Ilast

Taken from the Novit Terminus EP, "Sacrifice." This song is a contemporary adaptation of the early 1300s folk song, "Bryd one Brere," sung in Middle English. The chorus is adapted from the Middle English poem, "When þe nyhtegale singes" ("When the Nightingale Sings").

Lyrics:

Bryd one brere, brid one brere,
Kynd is come of love, love to crave
Blythful biryd, on me thu rewe
Greyth, lef, thu me, thu me my grave

Hic am so blithe, so bryhit, brid one brere,
Quan I se that hende, hende in halle
Yhe is whit of lime, loveli, trewe
Yhe is fayr and flur, flur of alle

Nyht ant day my blod hit drynkes
Myn herte deth me tene

Mikte ic hire, ic hire at wille haven,
Stedefast of love, loveli, trewe,
Of mi sorwe yhe may, she may me saven 
Ioye and blisse were were, were me newe

Nyht ant day my blod hit drynkes
Myn herte deth me tene
Nyht ant day my blod hit drynkes
Myn herte deth me tene

Translation:
Bird on a briar, bird on a briar,
(Man)kind is come of love, love thus craves.
Blissful bird, have pity on me,
Great love, grant me my grave

I am so blithe, so bright, bird on briar,
When I see that handmaid in the hall:
She is white of limb, lovely, true,
She is fair and flower of all.

Night and day my blood it drains
My heart to death it aches

Might I her at my will have,
Steadfast of love, lovely, true,
From my sorrow she may me save
Joy and bliss would wear me new (i.e., me renew).

Night and day my blood it drains
My heart to death it aches
Night and day my blood it drains
My heart to death it aches.


Bryd one Brere (14th century)

Commissioned by English Heritage for their property, Clifford’s Tower. Co-created with the support of University of York, Durham University and the National Archives. 

This commission was for a series of 12 history-based soundscapes to be heard in Clifford’s Tower, to sonically recreate the everyday life heard in the Tower at different points in its history, putting into the environment the missing voices and architecture of the past. The script and storyboards were developed, written and recorded after a deep research period to adhere closely to historical and archaeological facts.

The extracts are as follows:
00:00 Poem reading, 1320s.
00:20 Three 18th century soldiers play the dice game Hazard in the winter, 1683.
00:54 Kitchen activity, 1380s.

The audio was created in stereo for 4 post positions in the Tower with the option of close listening over headphones for future development. The sound design integrates with the unique heritage structure and required careful thought and handling so as to neither alter nor damage the historic building. 


“I was captivated by immersive soundscapes and storytelling benches that bring to life dramatic events, with clarity and emotional resonance. It’s compact but powerful, rich in narrative and design, and feels like York’s medieval past is unfolding just for you.” - Trip Advisor review

Clifford's Tower Sound Installation (3 extracts)

Middle English (1100-1500 CE)
(Modern English lyrics further down)
[Verse I]
Upon þe ferre syde of hevene blwe,
Hwær sterres whispren soft and trewe,
A storm of stilnesse lieð as stoon.

[ Chorus]
In skye above þe nyght, on ferrest bounde,
þer lorné shadwes walken rounde,
þer ekoos faden, dremes wexen drye;
In skye above þe nyght, naught left to trye,
þe ende of lyf biholdeð tyme go bye.

[Verse II]
þe grounde doeð cleve as shelle y-brake,
A whispring groweð dede-knell’s wake;
Faces vanisshen in þe air,
Upon þe ferre syde of blwe—no wight þer.

[Bridge]
Is it þe ende, or first of voyde?
Is it makyng, or what man destroyde?
Only þe ferre syde of nyght clepeð me.

[Chorus]
In skye above þe nyght, on ferrest bounde,
þer lorné shadwes walken rounde,
þer ekoos faden, dremes wexen drye;
In skye above þe nyght, naught left to trye,
þe ende of lyf biholdeð tyme go bye.

-- Modern English --
[Verse 1]
On the far side of the blue
Where the stars only whisper
A storm of silence like a stone

[Chorus]
In the sky, above the night, on the farthest side
A place where lonely shadows roam 
Where the echoes fade and dreams go dry
In the sky, above the night, nothing left to try
The end of all life watches time go bye

[Verse 2]
The ground is cracking like a shell
A whisper turns booms a death knell
Faces vanish in the air
On the far side of the blue, no one's there

[Bridge]
Is it the end or the start of the void
Is it creation or what we destroyed
Just the far side of the night calling me

[Chorus]
In the sky, above the night, on the farthest side
A place where lonely shadows roam 
Where the echoes fade and dreams go dry
In the sky, above the night, nothing left to try
The end of all life watches time go bye

Tyme Go Bye

Novit Terminus is the electro-folk/medieval music project of Jeremy C. Wells, Ph.D., whose journey has taken him to music, to academia, and back to music again, driven by a need to process and heal from trauma. 

Formerly a tenured professor and leading scholar in historic preservation, he left academia after experiencing abuse and mobbing. Through music, he explored the psychological dynamics of his abuse, gaining insight into his own experiences and the motivations of his aggressors. This artistic exploration has been a crucial part of his healing process. The project's name, Latin for "he has come to understand the limits," reflects this experience and the exploration of boundaries through ancient European musical traditions and a dark, driving, electronic sound.

In his twenties, he was involved in the electronic music scene in Portland, Oregon (USA), creating synthpop, techno, and trance as 68000 (Silent Records) and Violet Arcana (Zoth Ommog). Now, with Novit Terminus, he merges his past musical interests with his later experiences. 

Wells' style, which he calls "Euroatavism," blends ancient European folk and medieval traditions with electronic sounds. He's drawn to modal structures, unusual time signatures, and microtonality, creating music that is both evocative and rhythmically complex. Wells plays synthesizers (virtual and real, with a fondness for analog sounds), hand percussion instruments, and sings his own vocals. He emphasizes the human element, and uses no AI in any of his compositions. 

With Novit Terminus, Wells’ focus on traditional European music has helped connect him to his ancestral roots. He sees his music as a bridge between his past and future, a way of exploring his heritage while forging a new artistic path. It's a testament to resilience, self-discovery, and the transformative power of music.

Born in Wales in 1969 and brought up in Warwickshire, Julian Philips studied music at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and is one of Britain’s most versatile composers. His music has been performed across the world at major festivals and venues including the BBC Proms, Tanglewood Music Festival, Welsh National Opera, Glyndebourne and Wigmore Hall, by international artists including Gerald Finley, Dawn Upshaw, Sir Thomas Allen, the Vertavo String Quartet and BBC orchestras.
With a particular affinity for music for voice, Philips has been critically acclaimed for song settings of Emily Dickinson, e e cummings, Dylan Thomas and Langston Hughes among others, most recently a new cycle for baritone, cello and harp, Turning Fifty (2019) based on the poetry of Judith Wright. Love Songs for Mary Joyce (2016), commissioned by Wigmore Hall for tenor James Gilchrist and pianist Anna Tilbrook, sets a series of late love poems by John Clare. His choral music is similarly celebrated and is included in the Choirbook for the Queen (Church Music) as well as being commissioned for the BBC Proms (Sorrowfull Songes).
As Glyndebourne Opera’s first ever Composer-in-Residence, Philips completed two chamber operas in 2006-9: Followers, a site-specific promenade opera with a libretto by Simon Christmas, and The Yellow Sofa with a libretto by Edward Kemp, subsequently featured in Glyndebourne’s tour and shortlisted for a British Composer Award. The year-long development of Knight Crew was filmed by BBC Television and the resulting series, Gareth goes to Glyndebourne, aired in June 2010. Philips’ opera How the Whale Became, a collaboration with Edward Kemp, was based on Ted Hughes’s The Dreamfighter and other creation tales, and was written for the Royal Opera House’s Christmas 2013/14 season. His most recent full-length opera, The Tale of Januarie, was staged by the Guildhall School in Spring 2017, boasting perhaps the first libretto in Middle English by Stephen Plaice, and based on Chaucer’s The Merchant’s Tale. A new primary school children’s opera, Henny Penny (2021), offers its participants an immersive experience both in music and modern language learning, with versions in French (Cocotte Chocotte), German (Hennig Pfennig) and Spanish (Pollita Chiquita).
Ballet and opera are natural progressions for Philips, who already has an impressive track-record in composing for the theatre and has written two full-length ballets for choreographer Michael Corder and English National Ballet; a ballet based on Les Liaisons Dangereuses was followed by The Snow Queen in 2007. Symphonic works also form Philips’ oeuvre with All that remains commissioned to commemorate the centenary of the beginning of World War I receiving its world premiere by the National Orchestra of Belgium. Ballades Concertantes, for solo viola and double bass with chamber orchestra, premiered with Virginia Slater, Stacey Watton, and the Orchestra of the Swan in 2017, conducted by David Curtis.
A vital force in education, Philips is the Head of Composition at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama where he was made Honorary Fellow in 2007, and conferred a Professorship in 2014. He was responsible for the creation of both a new Masters Programme in Opera-Making & Writing and a Doctoral Composer-in-Residence scheme in association with the Royal Opera House.
Recent projects include a new oboe quintet, Through Silence (2020) for Wigmore Hall, and a set of folk song creative transcriptions, Melodys of Earth and Sky (2021), for violin and clarinet that draw on the two books of fiddle tunes collected by poet John Clare. The work was released on NMC Recordings in March 2022, reaching no 10 in the classical charts. In October 2022, The Country of Larks for tenor, horn and piano – a setting of Robert Louis Stevenson – receives its third performance at the Oxford Lieder Festival.
In August 2022, Julian Philips was featured composer at the Presteigne Festival, with six works featured including Barcarola for solo piano, Divertissement for chamber orchestra (based on his ballet score for Les Liaisons Dangereuses) and Looking West – a large-scale dramatic cantata for voices, actors and ensemble, (libretto by Rebecca Hurst), commissioned to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Other recent works include A Series of Strange Encounters for marimba and wind quintet, premiered by Evelyn Glennie at the Lake District Summer Music Festival in July 2023. Current projects include a series of John Clare settings for the vocal ensemble Exaudi and ongoing collaboration with the New London Chamber Ensemble, celebrating their 25th Anniversary, with a series of chamber works.

Composing 50 years.  You will find every genre here.

A note about AI assist:

Regarding all my instrumentals, I composed the original works and possess the original manuscripts.  

My compositions are the source material, and for AI assist where used, I create the prompts and style instructions (which is time consuming and require hours of trial and error) at suno.com to produce the final version of the works which I feel are best. What you hear finally is at times the best of perhaps dozens of variations after much work is put in to produce the final outcome.  I try to find the right balance between what I composed originally, and what I envision is perhaps a better result with the assistance of AI.  I also aim for a realistic reproduction should live performance ever be a consideration.

For songs with Lyrics, I am the lyricist in every case, and the music is built from AI where I provide specific instructions as to style, genre, tone, key, and so forth. 

Some tracks are exceptions to the above descriptive process, and when this occurs that track itself will include how the track was developed in its description.

I am primarily a vocalist, but I also play piano and harp. Although I mainly dwell in hard rock and Celtic music, I have experience with a variety of musical genres, and am by no means stylistically limited.

Music has been a massive part of my life ever since I can remember, growing up with a family full of people who sing or play instruments, or both. I have spent a lifetime, as I like to say, following my inner song, and using what I learn along the journey to find my own spiritual strength and connect with those around me.

I've seen firsthand the power of music in expressing emotion, bringing people together through common interest, and reflecting the deepest aspects of human experience. My greatest goal is to harness that power and use to positively impact those around me.

Karen Monid is a UK sound artist and projection specialist who has created award-winning sound art pieces and son et lumière works worldwide. Her work is regularly presented at arts festivals and large scale public events.

New tracks tagged #Middle English