Medieval - A Musical Fantasy (Instrumental)

( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EjbqzbUHX0 )

‘Medieval’ - the word brings images of extensive wars, brutality, famine, plague, superstitions, and difficult times to mind. But this piece tells a story of happiness - people singing, dancing, merry-making, and old times. I was at a loss about how to make a video that captured these contradictory moods. Of course, as life went on, people must have found joy and happiness in those times, as we do now. After all, that is the essence of being human.

With these in mind, we started to search for what was available in the public domain. There were a lot of photos of medieval structures, but we wanted some glimpses of life in the olden days. As you would have it, most of the images were either religious or of a dark mood. Then, after some digging, we came across the beautiful paintings by Flemish Renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, especially the “Children’s Games,” and we knew we had finally got it. Even though these may not be strictly “medieval” (we are not creating a history lesson after all!), they captured ordinary people doing everyday things. Exploring more, we learned about Pieter Bruegel the Younger, David Teniers the Younger, and many more. Thanks to the digital collection of the New York Public Library and Wikimedia Commons, we found some beautiful paintings of the common man. I chose the works that depict music and dancing by the peasants on social occasions like weddings, their daily chores, and children playing. If I may, I tried to spin a fantasy tale of my own with these beautiful works (notice the dragon flying on the left-top side of the Field of the Cloth of Gold). 

We would love to hear from you. Please comment. Also, please help us spread the word by sharing the link to our video.

- Kavita

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Credits
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Music Composed & Arranged by Subhadip Mitra
Video by Kavita Mitra
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Image Credits (in the sequence they appear)

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All images are in the public domain.

Tarantella Dancers 
Artist unknown 
From the New York Public Library’s Public Domain Archive 
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/6dfa2c20-07cd-0133-dab7-58d385a7b928 

Spanish Dancing 
Jacques Grasset de Saint-Sauveur 
From the New York Public Library’s Public Domain Archive 
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/7da84450-07c6-0133-c679-58d385a7b928 

Celebrating Peasants 
Artist unknown 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unbekannter_Meister_18-19_Jh_Feiernde_Bauern.jpg 

The Wedding Dance 
Pieter Bruegel the Elder 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Bruegel_de_Oude_-_De_bruiloft_dans_(Detroit).jpg

Peasant Wedding Dance 
Pieter Bruegel the Younger 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Brueghel_the_Younger_-_Peasant_Wedding_Dance_(Paris,_Louvre).jpg 

The Peasant Wedding 
Pieter Bruegel the Younger 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Brueghel_the_Younger_-_The_Peasant_Wedding_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg 

Peasants Merry-making 
David Teniers the Younger 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:David_Teniers_(II)_-_Peasants_Merry-making_-_WGA22096.jpg 

The Harvesters 
Pieter Bruegel the Elder 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Bruegel_the_Elder-_The_Harvesters_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg 

The Hay Harvest 
Pieter Bruegel the Elder 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Die_Heuernte.jpg 

A Barn Interior 
David Teniers the Younger 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:David_Teniers_(II)_-_A_Barn_Interior_-_WGA22062.jpg 

The Ham Dinner 
David Teniers the Younger 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:David_Teniers_II_-_Le_dejeuner_jambon.jpg 

The Peasant Dance 
Pieter Bruegel the Elder 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Bruegel_The_Peasant_Dance.jpg 

Peasant Wedding 
David Teniers the Younger 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:David_Teniers_de_Jonge_-_Peasant_Wedding_(1650).jpg 

The Peasant Wedding 
Pieter Bruegel the Elder 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Bruegel_the_Elder_-_Peasant_Wedding_-_Google_Art_Project_2.jpg 

Field of the Cloth of Gold 
Artist unknown 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:British_-_Field_of_the_Cloth_of_Gold_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg 

Woodcut of Buda (Budapest) from the Nuremberg Chronicle 
Michel Wolgemut, Wilhelm Pleydenwurff 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nuremberg_chronicles_-_BVJA.png 

Children’s Games 
Pieter Bruegel the Elder 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Bruegel_the_Elder_-_Children%E2%80%99s_Games_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

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