Early music still rings true

Elaine Schmidt, special to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, reviewed last night's performance by The King's Noyse in the Early Music Now series.

the ensemble of four vocalists and seven instrumentalists, playing period instruments, gave a spirited reading program of robust Spanish music written from the 15th through the early 18th centuries.

The program had been first performed a week earlier in Madison. One piece, we were told, was probably being performed for the first time since the 16th century.

One of the treats of the evening was found in the translations provided in the printed programs. The songs' lyrics, whether bawdy or poetic, were translated into modern, vernacular English that captured the earthy, very human qualities of the stories the songs told.

Some bawdy enough that I won't quote them here.