The Cantigas de Santa Maria date back to 13th-century Spain and are dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that era, Spain was a remarkable crossroads of ideas and cultures, where Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities coexisted and served at the court of King Alfonso the Wise.
The music of the Cantigas is unlike any other medieval repertoire; earthy and grounded, yet a cry to heaven. Where Gregorian chant is ethereal, this music was vibrant and embodied, performed with voice, drums, rattles, and all manner of instruments. It is hypnotic, and in a word, magical.
To film this project, we used a DJI Mini 4 Pro drone which is light yet stable and a joy to fly in the open spaces of Pennsylvania. Much of the natural beauty was also captured on my iPhone during walks near our home.
One technical challenge emerged along the way: I discovered that my videos were not recording in 4K due to full iCloud storage! Sorting and backing up years of media became quite the task (accompanied by many cups of tea).
Sound recording is also evolving. A folding screen draped in blankets now helps prevent sound reflections, and I’ve added soundproofing behind the mic. I continue to refine mic placement and settings in GarageBand which is no small feat at a desk that also serves as my teaching, writing, and recording space.
Each of these music videos has become a beloved creative outlet, an opportunity to bring this beautiful repertoire to life in harmony with the natural world.
This project features an arrangement of three medieval dances: The Horses Brawl Staines Morris Kettle Drum
We filmed much of this video at Willow Creek Farm Preserve, a beautiful spot just 30 minutes from home. Having the freedom to fly the drone through the landscape and to bring out my viola and play for the sheep made it an especially joyful day of filming.
Earlier that summer, we also attended Strings Without Boundaries, a workshop in Massachusetts led by my fiddle teacher, Julie Lyonn Lieberman. While staying at the charming Old Mill Inn, we captured additional footage by the water which was a perfect complement to the rustic feel of these dances.
Learning the art of creating music videos remains a journey, but having these seasonal projects to look forward to has brought such joy and creative inspiration.
I am already dreaming of the next chapter: Autumn.
The Magic of Spring marks the third video in this series. Nonesuch is a charming melody from the 1600s, likely even older, though first published during that time. I loved the idea of using this timeless tune to call in the coming of spring.
My husband and I made a point of pausing to observe the shifting seasons, watching as the last traces of ice and snow gave way to the tiniest buds on the trees, and the first little purple flowers peeked through the grass.
Here in Pennsylvania, the transition to spring often comes with dramatic skies and moody weather. Then, quite suddenly, you step outside one day and find that spring is in full bloom. Birdsong fills the air, and every flowering tree transforms even the most ordinary street into something dazzling.
This video was a celebration of the wondrous turning of the season, the quiet magic of nature reawakening. A joy to witness and to share!
Goddesses is a beautiful old English country dance tune, found in John Playford’s English Dancing Master, first published in London in 1651. It has long been a favorite in my studio. It is simple to play, and timeless in its charm.
For this video, I performed the melody in a different key to match the tuning of my harp (C minor).
We filmed on a brisk January day in 2024—it was just 15°F outside! The things we do for the sake of art! This was also our very first time using a drone. Over Christmas, I decided to purchase the DJI Mini 4 Pro and it has proven to be worth every penny. It’s like having a professional videographer at your fingertips.
I hope you’ll stay tuned for more music films to come, another one is already in the works for spring!
Masters in the Hall was the very first music video my husband and I created together.
We filmed on a crisp autumn day in 2023, when the forest was absolutely glowing with magical light. It was a delight to venture out and play among the fall leaves.
The project was the culmination of nearly a year spent acquiring audio equipment and learning how to use it (still very much a learning process). Over the past two years, I had also been capturing little video clips of the changing seasons during walks through the forest and nearby areas.
At this early stage, we had not yet figured out how to sync live playing with pre-recorded audio, so that's why I'm not actually playing along in this video.
The melody itself comes from the French composer Marin Marais, from his opera Alcyone,1706, where it appears as Marche pour les Matelots (March for the Sailors). Today, it is more commonly known as the beloved Christmas tune Masters in the Hall.