Sir Orfeo
Sir Handsome Stranger
Sir Bevis

The Grafted Tree:
Medieval Tales
with Harp



Psallite
Linda Zaerr: narration, vielle
Laura Zaerr: gothic harp

This CD contains three Middle English romances translated into Modern English with interpolations of original Middle English text. Laura Zaerr's historically-informed harp improvisations gracefully enhance and highlight the rich romances. Linda Marie's aggressive renditions of medieval texts facilitate comprehension for modern audiences while remaining true to medieval performance possibilities. Here narrative options are explored through dramatic and witty performance.

The grafted tree in Sir Orfeo is the threshold to Faerie, a mysterious other world. The tree that pulls together two different strains of fruit into a single living being has the power to connect two separate worlds. In a similar way, the Middle English romances meld the world of reality and the world of imagination into a vivid and whimsical realm presenting good-natured portraits of interactions as human and compelling as anything on the modern movie screen. In fact, in late medieval England,
the tales evidently functioned much as movies do today: they presented exciting adventures enhanced and intensified by music to entertain people when they gathered together.

For more information, contact
lzaerr@boisestate.edu