Mediæval Bæbes: Biography

• Overview
• Discography
• Biography
• Related Artists

• Miranda Sex Garden
• Dead Can Dance
• Bel Canto
• Anonymous 4

• Katharine Blake

Genres:

World & International Music, Classical Music, Choral Classical Music, Medieval Classical Music

Decades Active:

1990's|2000's

Artistic Quality

Low

Cultural Impact

Low

Ratings Guide

The Mediaeval Baebes are one of world music's treasures. The vocal ensemble's exquisite storybook beauty came to life in 1996 when exMiranda Sex Garden chanteuse Katharine Blake aimed to set her fascination with the Middle Ages to music and theater. She and 11 additional musicians and singers Miranda Sex Garden's Teresa Casella, Audrey Evans, comic writer Marie Findley, Nicole Frobusch, Ruth Galloway, Karen Lupton, Claire Ravel, Australian native Cylindra Sapphire, Carmen Schneider, Nichole Sleet, and New Zealander Rachel Van Asch defined a contemporary musical approach while incorporating Middle Ages Paganism and spiritual moods and sentiments. Their 1997 debut, Salva Nos, was the fastestselling debut on Virgin's classical distributor, Venture, and became one of the most fantastic classical recordings of the year. Two years later, Worldes Blysse was released and that, too, became a success on the British charts. Third album Undrentide, which called upon production from the Velvet Underground's John Cale, was issued in fall 2000. Frobusch, Lupton, and Sleet had also left the Baebes family, and Blake's vision had scaled down to nine women. The newly downsized group kept on, scoring the music for the 2000 black comedy American Psycho. A fourth album, The Rose, followed in spring 2002. Named in honor of the Mediaeval symbol of love, the Baebes' linguistic wizardry was also tweaked. Aside from singing in Italian, Latin, German, Middle English, and Mediaeval French, the Baebes added Mediaeval Welsh and Russian to their musical palate. In fall 2003, the John Caleproduced and the group's first ever holiday album, Mistletoe and Wine was released, their fifth for Nettwerk.

- MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide