Le Roy Engloys - Medieval French Song

Vocals and arrangement by Farya Faraji. Le Roy Engloys is a song found in the Bayeux Manuscript which comprises about three hundred songs. It was collected at the beginning of the 16th century, but the songs were composed at the end of the 15th century, only a few decades after the end of the Hundred Year’s War. This song is essentially a propaganda like celebration of the end of English presence after the war. It contains some historical fallacies, like mentioning the death of the English king at Saint-Fiacre-en-Brye, even though it was in Vincennes. The Captain Prégent mentioned at the end of the song is Prigent VII de Coëtivy, a Breton noble who fought for the Kingdom of France against the English. For the instrumentation, I chose to employ an instrumentation befitting the time in which the song is set: the song would have been performed during the Renaissance, since it was compiled in the early 1500’s, but I wanted a martial, Medieval sound that would fit within the 1400’s when it was written, therefore this rendition is largely heterophonic, and not as polyphonic and sophisticated as the later musical forms that would develop during the Renaissance. I also wanted to reflect the vocal quality, which, compared to earlier medieval songs I arranged, features melismatic production far less, as that kind of melismatic production began dying out in Western Europe by the 1200’s. Lyrics in Middle-French: Le Roy Engloys se faisoit appeler Le Roy de France par s’appellation. Il a voulu hors du païs mener Les bons François hors de leur nation. Or est-il mort à Sainct-Fiacre en Brye, Du pays de France ils sont tous déboutez. Il n’est plus mot de ces Engloys couez. Mauldite en soit trestoute la lignye ! Ils ont chargé l’artillerie sur mer, Force biscuit et chascun ung bidon, Et par la mer jusqu’en Bisquaye aller Pour couronner leur petit roy Godon. Mais leur effort n’est rien que moquerie : Cappitaine Prégent lez a si bien frottez Qu’ils ont esté terre et mer enfondrez. Mauldite en soit trestoute la lignye ! English translation: The English King named himself The King of France by his own designation. He wanted to throw out of the country The good French people out of their nation. But he died in Saint-Fiacre in Brie, From the country of France they’ve all been thrown. No more is spoken of these English tails. May their whole lineage be cursed! They have charged the artillery to the sea, Lots of biscuit and each one a tummy, And by the sea up to Biscay they go, To crown their little Godon king. But their effort is nothing but mockery: Captain Prégent fought them well And they’ve been buried on land and sea. May their whole lineage be cursed!