Ja Nus Hons Pris - Michael Kelly - (period - King Richard I)

Описание: This ancient french song was written by King Richard I of England, also known as Richard the Lion-Heart, duke of Normandy, Aquitaine, and Gascony. Richard spoke both French and Occitan (a language heard mostly in the southern half of France, Monaco, and smaller parts of Italy and Spain), but it isn't known to what extent he understood or used the English language.. for although he was born in England and was well educated, Richard spent most of his adult life either living in the south of France or on crusade.

The song was written during Richard's years of imprisonment in Dürnstein Castle, and was addressed to his half-sister, Marie de Champagne, expressing the feeling that he had been abandoned by her and his barons to an unfair fate. Richard had been en route home from the crusades when he was captured near Vienna by Leopold, the duke of Austria. This was very unfortunate for Richard, as there was an ugly history between himself and Leopold. While on crusade, they had quarreled fiercely over Richard's occupation of Cypress and imprisonment of the island's previous ruler, Isaac Komnenos (who was related to Leopold's mother).

Although it was against the law to imprison a crusader (and Leopold was later excommunicated by Pope Celestine III for the act), Leopold held Richard accountable for suspected involvement in the murder of Leopold's cousin, Conrad of Montferrat, who had been assassinated just before he was able to be crowned as the king of Jerusalem. Previously, Richard had openly supported Guy of Lusignan, a rival of Conrad, in return for support from Guy and various princes of the Holy Land in his taking of the island of Cypress.

Richard was later handed over to the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VI, who demanded a ransom of 100,000 pounds of silver for his release.. which was more than twice the annual income of the English Crown. In a famous act of sibling backstabbery (yes, I know that's not a real word. I'm using it anyway), while the ransom was being raised by his mother and regent, Eleanor of Aquitaine, his brother John conspired with King Phillip of France to pay Henry VI a ransom of 80,000 marks (about 54,000 pounds of silver) to KEEP him in prison. Henry refused, and Richard was less than happy with his brother when he finally gained his freedom.

Like many of my medieval period covers, my arrangement of the song is adapted from the version performed by the late, great Owain Phyfe. In his absence, I am doing my best to see that some of the beautiful music that he introduced to us continues to be sung and heard.

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On a technical note, with the exception of a guitar track that I'm planning on using in a video sometime in the future when my rig is properly set up for multi-track recording, this is the last video that I've recorded using my old Microsoft Lifecam. Starting with next week's release, all of the video will be recorded using my new Logitech c920.

As for the little glance off to the side that I do about halfway through the song.. I don't really remember what that was. I think I might have heard a noise outside of my window and was trying to figure out whether it was a dog or a person. I'll admit it's a little funny looking.. but it was otherwise a very clean recording of a tricky song to play.

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"JA NUS HONS PRIS" - Written by King Richard I, 1194

Ja nus hons pris ne dira sa raison
adroitement, se dolantement non;
mes par confort puet il fere chancon.
moult ai amis, mes povre sont li don;
honte en avront, se por ma reancon
sui ces deus yvers pris.

Ce sevent bien mi honme et mi baron,
Englois, Normant, Poitevin et Gascon,
que je n'avoie si povre compaignon,
cui je laissasse por avoir en prixon.
Je ne di pas por nule retracon,
mes encor sui je pris.

Ja nus hons pris ne dira sa raison
adroitement, se dolantement non;
mes par confort puet il fere chancon.
moult ai amis, mes povre sont li don;


English translation:

No prisoner ever tells his story objectively;
rather, it is cloaked in sorrow.
To comfort himself, however,
he may write a song:
I have many friends, but their gifts are few.
Dishonor will be theirs if I remain in prison
these two winters; my ransom unpaid.

My men and my barons,
from England, Normandy, Poitou, and Gascony,
know that I would never forsake
even the least of my friends.
I do no say this as a reproach.
Still... I remain a prisoner.