Mark and Audrey

Mark and Audrey, known in the SCA as Einar and Serena, were married April 14. They are both longtime members of the DisSonatas, and while their move to Topsham (not to mention planning a wedding) has made it more difficult for them to participate, their influence lingers and they are always welcome. I know very few couples who have seemed so right for one another from the beginning. They've weathered a lot (including Mark's deployment to Iraq with the National Guard) and I wish them calm sailing, prosperity and every kind of joy together. That's Lee, our Fearless Leader, just to the left of Audrey, laughing uproariously. (Photo shamelessly stolen from Lee and John's photo page from the wedding.)

Come join us!

A small selection of DisSonatas joined members of the SCA and a local young people's recorder group for a demonstration today at the Casco Library. Though rain threatened to cancel the fighting, it held off and the fighters were able to demonstrate their skills to a crowd of respectable size. Also on display were period arts and sciences, a small selection of refreshments (lemonade, wheat bread, honey butter and handmade mustard), and of course, music.

An enthusiastic young lady named Keziah even coerced some friends into doing a little dancing, and we were able to perform the dreaded Maltese Bransle Contest, in which the music gets just a little faster every time through the dance until the dancers or the musicians fall apart.

Andrea AskenDunn did a marvelous job, coordinating the refreshments, co-managing the event and performing with the musicians as well. Mike Mowlesworth brought his beautiful Celtic Harp, and Andrea's mom Beatrice performed beautifully on the viola da gamba. Also assisting us were Keziah, her sister Mariah, and Andrea's daughter Sorrel. The Bridgton News had a reporter/photographer in attendance, and I expect you'll see some of these faces on its pages in the near future.

If you're in the Harrison/Raymond area of Maine (loosely speaking) and want to play early music, I encourage you to get in touch with Andrea, who is trying to get more medieval and Renaissance music going near her hometown. She's at askendunn at gmail dot com.

If you're in the Portland area or York County, you'll probably find it easier to come to our regular practices, which are the second and third Monday of every month at Trinity Episcopal Church in Saco at 7 p.m. The fourth Monday of the month at 7 (and the fifth, if there happen to be five Mondays in a month) is Dance Night, where you can learn to do Renaissance dances -- no partner needed! -- and/or play dance music for dancers. If you play a recorder or other period instrument (or if you own a tambourine or small hand drum and can keep a beat), we'd love to have you! E-mail Lee for more information.

A brief history of the DisSonatas

Once upon a time there were a few recorder players in southern Maine who wanted to play medieval and Renaissance music, but also to have fun. Some of them had tried playing in university and conservatory ensembles, but found the whole scene rather stuffy and anxiety-making and expensive. In 1996, they started playing together once a week, on Monday nights.

I believe it was Carol who came up with the name DisSonatas. Officially, it's a reference to the dissonance that is often present in Renaissance music. Unofficially, it may have had something to do with the fact that we didn't always sound absolutely perfect.

At first they met in people's houses. One of the members, Lee, was involved with the Society for Creative Anachronism, and the local chapter was conveniently lacking a music group to perform in period style. So the DisSonatas and the Musicians' Guild of the Province of Malagentia, while officially unrelated, grew to include many of the same people.

Over the years the DisSonatas have grown and shrunk and grown again, have established regular Renaissance dance teaching nights (last Monday of the month, 7 p.m., Trinity Episcopal Church in Saco), spun off a singing group, and best of all, have kept on going. We've played at weddings and parties, at the Maine Mall, at demonstrations for kids, at nursing homes and church services.

We've amassed a large library of music, some of it arranged by Barry, harp player and Lone Deranger. Lee is our official conductor and dance mistress, Peter is our librarian and I am the slacker webmistress. Here we plan to offer notices of upcoming events, random musings related to period music and dance, and photos of our group in action.

You're invited! If you're in southern Maine and play any period instrument (recorder, harp, doumbek, bodhran, violin, viola da gamba, bassoon, lute, mandolin, and many others), or if you'd like to play, or if you'd like to learn Renaissance dances, or if you'd like to sing with us, e-mail info@dissonatas.com and we'll get you set up!