The League music

Style summary

The League is a combination of different cultures and its performance traditions reflect that. High art in all its forms, theatre and songs laced with innuendo and hidden meaning, characters who delight in cunning and trickery, flamboyance, opera and baroque/classical stylings accompanied by flutes, guitars, and even brass, themes of playfulness, loyalty and ingenuity. Low culture: comedy song, street magic, and clever rhyming, often poking fun at someone or something.

For the high art of the League, look to European and Spanish-influenced classical music, particularly Italian and German including arias, lieder, and classical instrumental music from Argentina. For low art concentrate on songs with the theme of deals, cunning, trickery, flamboyance, or loyalty and instrumental music with an Italian, Spanish, or Mariachi sound.

Commonly known songs

Songs about notable people/entities in the League

Marching to Victory - a song about Senator Cesare. A Fool in a Crown - a comedy The Night of a Thousand Torches - a song from Temeschwar Holberg Wine - a tragedy Reuben's Brethren - popular with the mercenary companies Uncle Vyig - funny song about organised crime, very popular in Temeschwar, usually not sung in other League cities.

One for the kids

Tower Song - a silly round demonstrating League competitiveness.

Further examples

Songs

Treggajoran Wartha - song about rings and trickery Say Gentle Ladies - medium difficulty Mozart aria. A lovely English language arrangement is available to buy here Flower duet (Google it) Lovely Joan - medium song with a moral Tower Song - a funny round demonstrating League competitiveness.

Instrumentation and tunes

Recorders, flutes and whistles, classically played guitar or stringed instrument, violin, classical accordion. Elizabethan recorder music which played on any classical instrument would be appropriate for The League.

Other performance traditions

Theatre and acting. There is a lot more information about this in The League brief, in particular the page on Troupes.

How to adapt your repertoire

For 'low culture' sing in a tongue in cheek way, have a game or a joke with your audience. For 'high art' sing in an operatic way, up the drama! Have a listen to some Portuguese fado songs and copy the style. When playing folk tunes, try to pick ones that are a bit classical or baroque sounding, a good example is The Gale by Susan Conger

Our sources

Italian or German opera, Argentinian tangos and other S. American accordion music (cf. The Oxford Concert Party), classical poetry, Portuguese/Brazilian fado songs, Alejandro Toledo & The Magic Tombolinos

Here is a youtube playlist of appropriate or inspiring music.