Medieval Bande concert to benefit Higher Ground

.

At 3:00 PM on Sunday, August 3^rd, the Woodbinde Medieval Bande will present a program titled "Circa 1215: English Music from the Period of the Magna Carta" 

The performance takes its cue from the upcoming visit of the Magna Carta to Williamstown. That document, which the much-despised King John was forced by his barons to seal at Runnymede in 1215, limited the monarchy and granted certain basic freedoms; it is considered to have laid the groundwork for constitutional monarchy in England, and later to have become the basis for the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights in the United States. One of only four extant copies of the Magna Carta will be on display at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown from September 6^th through November 2^nd, before returning to Lincoln Cathedral in England in time for a celebration of the 800^th anniversary of the document.

Music in England in the 13^th century was varied and exciting. At the “Circa 1215” performance, Woodbinde members Eric Buddington, Sue Matsui, Doug Paisley, Marc Simpson, and Karen Swann will present (on voice and period instruments) monophonic love songs, early polyphony, dance tunes, political songs, and songs that expound on the certainty of death, exhorting listeners to live chaste and virtuous lives. There will be one sing-along song for everyone who would like to join. Come and experience an hour in the sound-scape of 13^th-century England, and help celebrate the Magna Carta’s visit to the Berkshires! The performance is free and open to the public. 

Admission is free; dontations may be made at the door to benefit Higher Ground.