Singing in Public

I love to sing, but I'm terrified of being judged. This means I frequently sing along to music when I'm cooking or driving alone, because no one's really listening. I sing folk songs to myself while gardening or shoveling snow. I sing a little with and for my young person.
I have sung in public off and on all my life, but it's very difficult for me. I perform better as part of a group, because I have to commit to it, and I'm not alone up there, either.
While I have led songs at folk festival sings, and some Sacred Harp conventions (rarely, but I try to do this a couple of times a year at minimum), I have never ever sung in public in the SCA. Until this past Saturday.

Why is it easier for me to sing in public at folk-music events than in the SCA? My level of comfort is pretty similar in both communities, so that's not it. I think it has to do with rules.

With Sacred Harp, if it's in the book, you can sing it. With a folk-music sing, it's a little more amorphous: if it has a chorus, it's probably safe enough. No one cares how old or traditional it is most of the time.

In the SCA, it's harder to tell what people are looking for or what they will accept. Because of the historical basis of the society, the ideal is to sing what your persona would have sung. Thus, in my case, a song from 12th century England, Wales, or Mongolia.

Because it's the Society for Creative Anachronism, though, there's some fudge-factor in the dates--really anything pre-1600 will do, though that cuts out the majority of what we consider folk songs (written primarily in the 18th century or later).  It cuts out at least 90% of the over 200 songs I know. There's also filking, but that's a very divisive issue (I like it, but I don't compose).

So, some people will look down their noses at you if your music isn't appropriate to your persona. Others only if it's not medieval. Still others don't care what you sing, as long as it doesn't reference modern things too much. You never know how your audience will react.
Being someone who is terrified of judgment, I have avoided the issue by just not singing at all.

However, this project is meant to be a challenge.

My choice for a venue was an event held in my barony, called "Sergeants, Yeomen, and Gallants".
 
Many years ago in my barony, this event began as a concept stolen from An Tir, where it is a much bigger deal. It ran for some years, and then it fell by the wayside. Master Fridrikr picked it back up last year.
The event is a competition in which, to earn a belt, you must participate in a set of activities representing all the Society has to offer, and the gentle with the highest score wins.

Our competition required one to participate in the following:
A Martial Activity (fighting: sergeant, fencing: gallant, archery and/or thrown weapons: yeoman)
Gaming (including checkers, fox and geese, and nine men's morris)
Dancing
Heraldry (a test)
Tactics (a test)
Performance
Arts and Sciences (if you entered an item in the display, you got extra credit)
I chose fencing, and to sing a song.

The fencing tournament was lovely, and I lost all of my rounds.
The gaming was fun, and dancing was great. Heraldry was relatively easy for me. Tactics, well, I know I'm no tactician: I didn't fail, but I didn't do well.

So then came the performance.
I had hemmed and hawed over this for months, because at one point I had tried to learn some 14th century French songs for the reenactment group (though I'd never gotten to the point of memorizing them). I thought about doing one of the songs by Guillaume de Machaut, Moult Sui De Bonne Heure Nee, which I like because, unlike most of his songs, it's from the point of view of a woman. It's also not one of his long and involved songs, but one with some repetition, making it a little easier to learn. I learned it off of "Ay Mi! Lais et Virelais" by Emmanuel Bonnardot.
The other option was Jean de Nivelle, a 16th century song that I really enjoyed, because it seemed like the sort of song that could have a ton of verses.
I learned it off of "La Rocque 'N' Roll: Popular Music of Renaissance France" by the Baltimore Consort.
I went with the latter because I had enough familiarity with it that I thought I could pull it off.


Jean de Nivelle was the son of Jean II de Montmorency-Nevele, a 15th century French nobleman. When his father supported King Louis XI in his war against the Duke of Burgundy, Jean refused to join him. He was disinherited. From this incident, the expression "comme le chien de Jean de Nivelle" became known, meaning: someone who doesn't do as asked/a dog who doesn't come when called. 
This song illustrates that point (and is also insulting to Jean de Nivelle in a "yo mama" kind of way).



Jean de Nivelle a trois enfants
Jean de Nivelle a trois enfants
Dont il y en a deux marchands
Dont il y en a deux marchands

because I love hurdy-gurdy

L'autre escure la vaisselle
Hay avant, Jean de Nivelle
Hay, hay, hay, avant
Jean de Nivelle est un galant!

Jean de Nivelle a trois chevaux
Deux sont par mouts et part vaux
 Et l'autre n'a point de selle

Jean de Nivelle a trois beaux chiens
Dont il y en a deux vauriens
L'autre fuit quand on l'appelle

Jean de Nivelle a trois gros chats
L'un prend souris, et l'autre rats
L'autre mange la chandelle

Jean de Nivelle a deux housseaux
Le roi n'en a pas de si beaux
Mais il n'y a pas de semelle

Jean de Nivelle a un valet
si il n'y pas beaux, il n'y pas laid
Il accoste une pucelle
Hay avant, Jean de Nivelle
Hay, hay, hay avant, Jean de Nivelle est triomphant!

(en Anglais, translation helped along by a few different versions)

Jean de Nivelle has three children
Two of them are merchants
The third cleans the dishes.
Jean de Nivelle is a fancy-man

Jean de Nivelle has three horses,
Two for the hills and dales
The other is missing a saddle.

Jean de Nivelle has three beautiful dogs,
Two are good-for-nothing
The other doesn't come when you call

Jean de Nivelle has three large cats,
One eats mice, the other rats,
The other eats the candles.

Jean de Nivelle has a pair of tall boots

Even the king hasn't got as lovely a pair

But they have no soles.

Jean de Nivelle has a valet,
If he is not handsome, he isn't ugly
He propositions girls.

Jean de Nivelle is triumphant!

I only sang the first four verses, and I screwed up a little on the pronunciation (because Medieval French is funny, and I'm a little unsure of myself with it), but I got through it, and no one seemed to mind.
According to a book I read a long time ago, and my friend Katrusha, who studied IPA in medieval language, Medieval French is way more in the front of your mouth (no swallowed 'r's) than Modern French, but it's hard to make yourself do that when you're used to Modern French and also nervous.
I did earn the Gallant's Belt.


Will I do it again? I doubt it, though perhaps in a bardic circle instead of in front of a roomful of people and the Baronage. Still, I did it once, and that's worth something, right?