The Harder Sound of the Middle Ages

When I was growing up and people would ask me the type of music I liked, my standard answer was rock in general, sometimes punk or metal in particular, but I was always open towards new styles that would spark my interest. Some of these would come and go, while others would remain to become a staple in my musical tastes. One such lasting impression was formed by the German medieval group Corvus Corax.

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The Music Came First

Before I got to experience them myself, or even just seeing a picture of the weird looking band, it was their music that got me first. It sounded primitive and powerful, drumming in a captivating rhythm, while shrill pipes whistled a simple tune in an equally inescapable manner. Underlying all this was a constant droning sound from bigger pipes with deeper sounds.

This sounded exactly like an authentic medieval fair, or how I imagined it. Not the harpsichord you'd picture at the king's court, neither the solemn Gregorian chants, we tend to be more familiar with in terms of medieval music. No, this was music for the unwashed masses, the drunkards, the jugglers, the gamblers, and the prostitutes. This was the music you could jump around to for hours, and then ask for some more. The ideal soundtrack to a mass brawl, or a bathhouse orgy.

Exploring the Profane

After a bit of looking into it, I realized that I was the not the only one Corvus Corax had this effect on. Granted, nobody knows today what exactly the music of medieval times sounded like. Unlike ecclesiastical music, the popular music has been largely ignored by its contemporaries, or at best, they were written about as an example of what to avoid. As it turns out, the studious members of Corvus Corax have spent a great deal of work researching precisely this, putting these elements into their performances. One such factor is the droning sound created with their bagpipes.

Authenticity for Ears and Eyes

To provide a fully authentic medieval experience, Corvus Corax has always made an effort to combine their sound with appropriate visual effects. The songs were mostly traditional medieval ones, written by such poets as Walter von der Vogelweide, or by unknown composers, which the group interpreted in their proper Old German, Middle German, Latin, or other respective languages. Their instruments were also mostly home-made drums and pipes of various types.

To complete the medieval image, they dressed accordingly in costumes that were supposed to given an authentic medieval feel, though in my opinion they have done a much better job at this with their music. To see this group on stage, with lots of electric lighting is one thing. But imagine them performing in a half collapsed castle tower, where the only lights are fires set around the wall, reflected flickering from the ancient walls, and the only amplification is the sound hitting back from the semicircular ruins. Meanwhile the crowd in the middle is dancing up a dust-storm...

Inevitable Changes

That was way back when, more than twenty years ago. Since then the Corvus Corax has been through a number of changes, as any lasting music group is bound to undergo. When their single Tanzwut was released, they incorporated electrical instruments into their music, which didn't sound bad, but it took a bit away from the authentic medieval experience. They also undertook a project together with a symphonic orchestra to give the old Carmina Burana a new appearance, which took them quite far from their original sound, as well as the famous interpretation of Carl Orf. In another interesting undertaking they made a recording for the pilot of the TV series Game of Thrones, which however was not included in the aired episode. Fortunately though, they did a live performance of it, which can be seen here:

All these changes are quite understandable for a band that has released thirty albums in its thirty years of existence. No matter whether they are to one's liking or not, Corvus Corax in its entirety is worth mentioning, and for me it will remain an important example of wild music to go crazy to.