Bonus Post: The Sounds of Chaucer's England

NOTE: Don't be confused--the questions for "The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale" are below this one...

For those of you interested in probing a bit deeper into the sights and sounds of Chaucer's England, here's a brief clip showing the world Chaucer would have 'heard' in his day. Music was the chief means of transfering ideas from one land to another, since it required no translation and was immediately recognizable and enjoyable. Also, it was an even more effective way than literature of spreading the craze for secular languages, since you could learn a song in English or Italian and start singing it almost immediately, even if you barely knew the language. We don't have time in class to cover music or many other art forms, but here is a clip of an Italian 'Saltarello,' a famous dance that was imported throughout Europe and would be just as recognizable to Chaucer's ears. It's performed on period instruments by a German early music group called Ensemble Unicorn. Listen to it as you read "The Wife of Bath's Prologue" and be transported to another age...