Magdalena
Texts & Translations & Artist Biographies
Ma petite colombelle
Ma petite colombelle,
Ma mignonne toute belle,
Mon petit œil, baisez-moy;
D’une bouche toute pleine
De musc, chassez-moy la peine
De mon amoureux esmoy.
Quand je vous diray, Mignonne,
Approchez-vous, qu’on me donne
Neuf baisers tout à la fois,
Donnez-m’en seulement trois.
Tels que Diane guerrière
Les donne à Phoebus son frère,
Et l’Aurore à son vieillard:
Puis reculez vostre bouche,
Et bien loin, toute farouche,
Fuyez d’un pied frétillard.
Comme un taureau par la prée
Court après son amoureuse,
Ainsi tout plain de courroux
Je courray fol après vous.
My little turtledove,
My beautiful darling,
Apple of my eye, kiss me
With mouth full
Of kisses, chase away the pain
Of my lover's agitation.
When I say to you, “Darling,”
Come to me, give me
Nine kisses quite simply,
Or grant me but three.
Such as those which warlike Diana
Gives to her brother Phoebus,
And as Dawn gives to her ancient husband;
Then draw back your lips
And far away, like a shy wild creature,
Flee with nervous feet.
As a bull in the meadow
Runs after his beloved,
So will I, full of passion,
Run madly after you.
Margot, labourez les vignes
Margot, labourez les vignes,
Vigne, vigne, vignolet,
Margot, labourez les vignes bientôt.
En revenant de Lorraine, Margot,
Rencontray trois capitaines,
Vigne, vigne, vignolet,
Margot, labourez les vignes bientôt.
Ils m’ont saluée vilaine, Margot,
Je suis leurs fièvres quartaines,
Vigne, vigne, vignolet,
Margot, labourez les vignes bientôt.
Je ne suis pas si vilaine, Margot,
Puisque le filz du Roy m’aime,
Vigne, vigne, vignolet,
Margot, labourez les vignes bientôt.
Il m’a donné pour estrenne, Margot,
Un bouquet de Marjolaine,
Vigne, vigne, vignolet,
Margot, labourez les vignes bientôt.
S’il fleurist, je seray Reyne, Margot,
S’il y meurt, je pers ma peine,
Vigne, vigne, vignolet,
Margot, labourez les vignes bientôt.
Margot, work at the vines,
The vine, the vine, the little vine,
Margot, work at the vines soon.
As I returned from Lorraine,
I met three captains,
The vine, the vine, the little vine,
Margot, work at the vines soon.
They called me a peasant,
I'm their quartan fever,
The vine, the vine, the little vine,
Margot, work at the vines soon.
But I am not such a peasant,
Since the king's son loves me,
The vine, the vine, the little vine,
Margot, work at the vines soon.
He gave me a gift:
A bunch of marjoram
The vine, the vine, the little vine,
Margot, work at the vines soon.
If it flowers, I will be queen;
If it dies, I'm wasting my effort;
The vine, the vine, the little vine,
Margot, work at the vines soon.
De tous biens plaine
De tous biens plaine est ma maistresse,
Chascun luy doibt tribut d’honneur;
Car assouvye est en valeur
Autant que jamais fut deesse.
My mistress possesses every virtue.
Everybody pays her homage,
For she is as full of worth
As ever any goddess was.
J’ay le rebours
J’ay le rebours de ce que je souhaite,
J’ay converty en joye contrefaicte
Tout le plaisir que perdre craignois tant.
J’ay du mal tant, tant, que le cœur me fend
De voir l’amour défaicte.
Ma douleur n’est moins grande que secrète,
Mon bien perdu, sans espoir, je regrette,
Qui me souloit l’esprit rendre content.
J’ay du mal tant, tant, que le cœur me fend
De voir l’amour défaicte.
I have the opposite of what I desire,
My joy is now but a counterfeit delight,
All the bliss I feared to lose is gone.
I suffer so much, so much, my heart breaks,
To see love defeated.
My sorrow is as deep as it is silent,
I mourn without hope the joy I lost,
The one who once soothed my soul.
I suffer so much, so much, my heart breaks,
To see love defeated.
Du mien amant
Du mien amant le départ m’est si grief
Que de la mort certaine suis en brief.
Mon cueur en est le vray pronostiqueur,
Car la prison
d’amoureuse liquor,
Sans nul respit, me cause ce meschief.
Or, au facteur de toute créature,
Je rendz mon âme et mets en ses mains.
Touchant ce corps mortel, c’est bien du moins
Qu’il aille en terre, attendre pourriture.
The parting of my loved one pains me so
That certain death is upon me.
My heart foresees it,
Imprisoned through
the absence of love's liquor,
I suffer this discomfort without relief.
And to you, creator of all,
I give up my soul and place it in your hands
that have touched this mortal body
At least now, it can lay in earth and wait to rot.
Il est bel et bon
Il est bel et bon, bon, bon, commère, mon mary.
Il estoit deux femmes, toutes d’un pays,
Disant l’une à l’autre
"Avez bon mary?"
Il ne me courrouce, ne me bat aussy.
Il faict le mesnage, il donne aux poullailles,
Et je prends mes plaisirs.
Commère, c’est pour rire
Quand les poullailles crient: "Co co dae!"
Petite coquette, qu’est-ce cy?
He is handsome and good, my dear, my husband.
There were two women of the country,
Saying to one another:
"Do you have a good husband?"
He doesn't get angry at me or beat me either.
He does the chores, he feeds the chickens,
And I take my pleasure.
My dear, it’ll make you laugh when the chickens call out: "Co co dae!"
Little chick, what is this?
Il fait bon aymer l’oyselet
Il fait bon aymer l’oyselet
Qui chante par nature,
Ce moys de May, comment qu’il soit,
Tant comme la nuyt dure.
Il fait bon escouter son chant
Plus que nul autre en bonne foy,
Car il resjoyt mainct amant,
Je le sçay bien quand est à moy.
Il s’appelle Rossignolet,
Qui met toute sa cure
À chanter de son chant parfaict,
Aussy, c’est sa nature.
We all should love the little bird
That sings by its own nature,
This month of May it can be heard
As long as the night endures.
We all should listen to its song,
More than any other, in good faith,
For it brings joy to many lovers—
I know from mine it can be inferred.
It is called the nightingale,
Who devotes all its care
Into singing its perfect song,
For that is its nature.
Je suis d’Allemagne
Je suis d’Allemagne, je parle Alleman.
Je viens de Bretaigne, Breton, Bretaignon.
J’ay perdu mon père, ma mère,
Mes sœurs et mes frères,
Et tous mes parens.
I am from Germany, I speak German.
I come from Brittany, Breton, I’m a Breton.
I have lost my father, my mother,
My sisters and my brothers,
And all my kin.
Gentil Galans
Gentil Galans, compaignons du raisin,
Buvons d’autant au soir
et au matin,
Jusqu’à cent soys, et ho!
À nostre hostesse ne payerons point d’argent,
Fors un Credo.
Si nostre hostesse nous faisoit adjourner,
Nous luy dirons qu’il fault laisser passer
Quasimodo, et ho!
À nostre hostesse ne payerons point d’argent,
Fors un Credo.
Gentle gallants, comrades of the grape,
Let us drink as much in the evening
as in the morning,
Until we owe a hundred sols, and ho!
To our hostess, we’ll pay no money,
Except for a Credo.
If our hostess summons us to pay,
We will tell her she must wait
Until Quasimodo Sunday passes, and ho!
To our hostess, we’ll pay no money,
Except for a Credo.
Beata viscera Marie virginis
Beata viscera
Marie virginis
cuius ad ubera
rex magni nominis;
veste sub altera
vim celans numinis
dictavit federa
Dei et hominis
O mira novitas
et novum gaudium,
matris integrita
post puerperium.
Blessed flesh
of the Virgin Mary,
at whose breasts
the king of eminent name,
concealing, under altered guise,
the force of divine nature,
has sealed a pact
of God and Man.
O wonderful novelty
and unaccustomed joy
of a mother still pure
after childbirth.
Apostrophe au Petit Jésus en la crèche
O Roy de gloire, où est ton Louvre?
Où est ta Court?
Quelle est la pourpre qui te couvre?
Qui est autour
De ta personne, pour honneur
Dû à ta Royale grandeur?
Tu as pour palais une estable
À tous ouverte,
Et au lieu de pourpre honnorable,
Tu es couverte
De petitz drappeaux et de foin,
Que tu empruntes au besoin.
Où sont tes chasteaux et défenses?
Où sont tes forts?
Où sont tes Royalles finances
Et tes efforts?
Tes vaisselz d’or, tes beaux tapiz,
Tes carquans, perles et rubiz?
Ta pauvreté est ta chevance
Et tes trésors;
Ton infirmité, ta puissance
Et tes efforts;
Les bergers qui viennent à toy
Sont tes vassaulx, tu es leur Roy.
O King of Glory, where is your Louvre?
Where is your court?
What is this purple that clothes you?
Who stands around,
Giving you the honor due
To your royal majesty?
Your palace is a humble stable,
Open to all.
And instead of noble purple,
You are covered
With little cloths and hay,
Borrowed according to need.
Where are your castles and defenses?
Where are your forts?
Where are your royal treasures?
And all your might?
Your golden vessels, your fine tapestries,
Your necklaces, pearls, and rubies?
Your poverty is your wealth,
And your treasure.
Your weakness is your strength,
And your power.
The shepherds who come to you
Are your vassals—you are their King.
Pseaulme Cinquantiesme
Le Dieu, le fort, l’Éternel parlera,
Et hault, et cler la terre appellera,
De l’Orient jusques à l’Occident.
Devers Syon Dieu cler, et evident
Apparoistra, orné de beaulté toute:
Nostre grand Dieu viendra, n’en faictes doubte.
The Lord, the Mighty, the Eternal shall speak,
And call the earth, both loud and clear,
From east to west, His voice shall reach.
Till Zion’s heights shine bright and near.
God shall appear in radiant beauty
Our great Lord will come—doubt it not.
Ma belle, si ton ame
Ma belle, si ton ame
Se sent or allumer
De ceste douce flamme
Qui nous force d’aymer,
Allons contents,
Allons sur la verdure,
Allons tandis que dure
Nostre jeune printemps.
Avant que la journée
De nostre aage qui fuit
Se sente environnée
Des ombres de la nuit,
Prenons loysir
De vivre nostre vie,
Et sans craindre l’envie,
Baisons-nous à plaisir.
Çà, Finette affinée,
Çà, rompons le destin,
Qui clot nostre journée
Souvent dès le matin.
Allons contents,
Allons sur la verdure,
Allons tandis que dure
Nostre jeune printemps.
My beautiful one, if your soul
Now feels ignited
By that gentle flame
That compels us to love,
Let us go happily,
Let us go upon the greenery,
Let us go while it still lasts,
Our youthful spring.
Before the days
Of our time pass
Feeling wrapped
By the shadows of the night,
Let us take the time
To live our lives,
And without fearing envy,
Kiss each other at will.
Come, my refined beauty,
Come, let us break the fate
That often ends our journey
As early as the morning.
Let us go happily,
Let us go upon the greenery,
Let us go while it still lasts,
Our youthful spring.
Enfin, la beauté
Enfin, la beauté que j’adore
Me fait cognoistre en son retour,
Qu’elle veut que je voye encore
Ces yeux pour qui je meurs d’amour.
Mais, puis que je revoy la beauté
qui m’enflamme,
Sortez, mes desplaisirs,
Hostez-vous de mon ame.
Le Ciel, voyant que son absence
M’oste tout mon contentement,
Octroye à ma persévérance
La fin de mon cruel tourment.
Mais, puis que je revoy la beauté
qui m’enflamme,
Sortez, mes desplaisirs,
ostez-vous de mon ame.
At last, the beauty I worship
Lets me know upon her return
That she still wishes me to see
Those eyes for which I die of love.
But since I see again the beauty
which consumes me,
Be gone, troubles,
leave my soul.
Heaven, seeing that her absence
Deprives me of my happiness,
Grants, because of my perseverance,
The end of my cruel torment.
But since I see again the beauty
which consumes me,
Be gone, troubles,
leave my soul.
Aux plaisirs, aux délices, bergières
Aux plaisirs, aux délices, bergières,
Il faut estre du temps ménagières,
Car il s’escoule et se perd d’heure en heure,
Et le regret seulement en demeure.
À l’amour, aux plaisirs, au bocage,
Employez les beaux jours de vostre aage.
Maintenant la saison vous convie
De passer, en ayment, vostre vie.
Déjà la terre a pris sa robe verte,
D’herbe et de fleurs
La campagne est couverte.
À l’amour, aux plaisirs, au bocage,
Employez les beaux jours de vostre aage.
Ce qui vit, qui se meut, qui respire,
D’amour parle, ou murmure, ou souspire;
Aussi le cœur qui n’en sent la peinture,
S’il est vivant, il est contre nature.
À l’amour, aux plaisirs, au bocage,
Employez les beaux jours de vostre aage.
To pleasures, to delights, shepherdesses,
You must be mindful of time,
For it flows and is lost hour by hour,
And only regret remains behind.
To love, to pleasures, to the grove,
Devote the beautiful days of your youth.
Now the season calls you
To spend your life in love.
Already the earth has donned its green robe,
The fields are covered
With grass and flowers.
To love, to pleasures, to the grove,
Devote the beautiful days of your youth.
Whoever lives, dies, or breathes,
Whoever speaks of love, or murmurs, or sighs;
If a living heart hasn’t been pierced,
It goes against nature.
To love, to pleasures, to the grove,
Devote the beautiful days of your youth.
Artist Biographies
Praised for her “nuanced vocal splendor” and “mesmerizing style” (Jay Harvey Upstage) Mira Fu-En Huang (she/her) is an early and new music specialist with extensive opera and ensemble experience. Her roles include Semele in Handel’s opera of the same name, Cupid in Blow’s Venus and Adonis, Night in Purcell’s Fairy Queen, and Belinda in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, while her ensemble credits include Apollo’s Fire, Chantry Early Music, Vox Musica, and Washington Master Chorale. When she is not steeping herself in early music, she collaborates with numerous living composers, and has been involved in multiple premieres across the US. Mira obtained an M.M. in Historical Performance from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, studying under Ah Young Hong. She also received undergraduate degrees in Vocal Performance and Psychology, as well as a minor in English, from the University of California, Davis.
For more information: mirafuenhuang.com
Sarah Shodja (she/her) is a recorder player and a trailblazer for women in Iran's concert halls. She earned a scholarship to study at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, obtaining a B.M. in Historical Performance. Beyond her solo work, Sarah collaborates with renowned groups including the Baltimore Baroque Band and the Peabody Renaissance Ensemble. A versatile and passionate collaborator, she co-founded Tehran Recorder Atelier and the Fanfare Youth Recorder Club, while performing with multiple orchestras in Iran and contributing to contemporary albums. Sarah has appeared at events such as Early Music America’s Festival and became a Mountain Collegium faculty member in 2022. She passionately promotes the recorder's versatility and beauty, inspiring appreciation for this instrument.
With a passion for experimentation and collaboration, Liv Castor (she/her) is a young musician with an ever-growing catalog of knowledge and expertise in many musical genres. While honing her skills as a classical pedal harpist at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Liv was drawn back to the lever harp and the folk and early music of her youth, genres she grew up singing, playing, and listening to. Liv draws immense inspiration from the world-class musicians that surround her (including her bandmates in Magdalena), and, alongside them, has developed her ensemble and improvisational skills to become the in-demand collaborator she is today. Liv is also a dedicated learner, speaker, and singer of Scottish Gaelic, a language that influences her playing in profound ways.
For more information: livcastormusic.com
New York-based musician Cole Manel (he/him) is a skilled multi-instrumentalist whose experience transcends genres and time periods. He has studied Historical Performance at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and the Schola Cantorum in Basel, Switzerland, and specializes in performing on modern and historical plectrum instruments, particularly the lute and guitar. An avid chamber musician and collaborator, Cole is a founding member of numerous ensembles and music projects, including Magdalena. With his varied background as a classical tuba player, he brings his passion for the unique to his craft and strives to share the magic of early music with audiences. Outside of his musical endeavors, Cole is a dedicated scholar of computer science.
Cameron Welke (he/him) spends most of his time explaining to well-meaning strangers that the lute is, in fact, quite a different instrument from the flute. He brings a passionate curiosity and a deep creative drive to all manner of historical plucked instruments, which he plays with “expert technical dexterity, consummate phrasing and endearing expressivity” (Chestnut Hill Local). Past and current engagements include performances with the Washington Bach Consort, Tempesta di Mare, the Folger Consort, the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, Early Music City, and Hesperus. In 2022, he gave the first lute masterclasses to ever take place in the Dominican Republic through La Foundation de Conciertos de la Villa de Santo Domingo. He explores repertoire for two baroque lutes in Duo Silvio with duo partner Richard Stone; the two gave the modern premiere of Stone’s reconstructions of lute duets by Sylvius Leopold Weiss in the fall of 2019.
For more information: www.cameronwelke.com
Niccolo Seligmann (they/them) is currently the most widely-heard medieval fiddler in the world, featured in soundtracks from Netflix’s The Witcher, Firaxis Games’ Civilization VI, Obsidian Entertainment’s Pentiment, and many more big-budget and indie games, film, and streaming series. Niccolo’s opera & live theatre music includes Julie Monster: A Queer Baroque Opera, An Iliad, Minerva: Times Change, and a full-length electronic dance remix of Dave Malloy’s Ghost Quartet. They perform diverse genres nationally with early & traditional music ensembles Alkemie, The Broken Consort, Concordian Dawn, Eya, Hesperus, Washington Bach Consort, and Wherligig. When not touring with their ensembles or recording soundtracks, Niccolo can be found gleefully recording harsh noise, lo-fi dance music, glitchcore, and drone metal in their home studio in the forests of central Maryland. They hold a B.M. in Viola da gamba Performance from Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University.
For more information: niccoloseligmann.com