gyri gyri gaga - Naxos Music Library

From a thoughtful text about the state of the world
to the description of rural digestive processes is an
indication of the breadth of Renaissance literature.
The description of strange everyday events indulges
in detail, and the bitter pill of practical religious
and moral application is easier to swallow if it
is sugar-coated with anecdotes from the cloister,
church and tavern. It is the short piece of prose,
which gives the listener (!) a pointed view of the
human, of the all too human. For this the comic
story is particularly suitable with its expression of
emotions and experiences. Nothing can stop the
delight in a story, especially when tabs are kept on
it. The sweeping blow against every conceivable
kind of fool stems from the literature of sermons.
In the song Von Narren we all recognize ourselves
every so often! The stories, which up to now had
been handed down orally and hence material
deemed worthy for literature, were withdrawn
from the rural and urban world, whether it was the
cry of the nightwatchman (Leonhard Päminger)
or the killing of the goose for St. Martin. From
the farewell to the town, to the beloved or
the relative, in the age of gradually increasing
mobility a different and greater status was given
to it (Herzlich tut mich erfreuen – „A warm heart
delights me“). The booze-up in the tavern recalls
the old „carpe diem“, the idolatrous feast is given
priority over the church service. If longing for the
mistress, the sorrows of marriage, meeting with
the grass maiden in the open or unchastity in the
presbytery – the medieval description of the sex
life through „custom“ and oral tradition succumbs
to a permanent transformation. The lyrics of lovesongs
are often widened (in flagrante stories), in
order to expose their protagonists in strong or
euphemistic language to ridicule. The human
emotional state corresponds to its nature. It is
recounted concisely and vividly, euphemistically
and strongly; one can see, smell and feel the ribald
punch-line. The always unknown author (the
composer?) really belongs to the urban culture.
The Latin appeal of the songs – Audite nova!
- increases the banality of the narrative which
follows. The man of letters generally got stuck
into the church as a donkey (Olando di Lasso);
into the world of the peasant, also with jovial
language: the „Auwe ich bin verwundt“ (Oh dear!
I am amazed) or any one of his „outbursts causing
pain“ comes from the language of the court,
not suitable for the agricultural worker. The rule
of thumb is valid: the better known the existing
melodies are the more verses are composed. The
dialogue in direct speech, the comic situation and
its realism enliven the traditional lyric, subject,
structure, vocabulary and phrases and is still
operating in many ways to this day. So there rises
up before our eyes a colourful picture of everyday
life in the early society of modern times, presented
in stories to make one laugh and cry.
Gerhard Hölzle
15