Madrigal dinner
Encyclopedia
A Madrigal Dinner or Madrigal
Feast is an American
form of dinner theater
often held by schools and church groups during the Christmas
season. It is set in the Middle Ages
and is generally comedic in nature. The meal is divided into courses, each of which is heralded with a traditional song. A play is performed between the courses and a concert of choral music concludes the festivities.
genre of music, many other styles can be heard. Christmas carol
s are also featured.
Several selections performed at the presentation of the meal's courses are traditional to the madrigal dinner genre. These include The Wassail Song and the Boar's Head Carol
. Although they may incorporate small phrases of Latin or French, the presentation songs are primarily sung in English. Each madrigal dinner has a complement of presentation music which is used every year.
The play is performed either after the main course has been served, or in small acts between the courses. The theme is lighthearted and romantic, reminiscent of the King Arthur
legends and often revolves around the marriage of a prince or princess. Many characters are canonical, including the King, Queen, and Court Jester who appear in every play. Other characters may be minstrels, thieves, wizards, knights, visiting royalty, Greek gods and goddesses, enchanted princesses, or many other mythical figures. The audience is invited to play a role in the proceedings, either as members of the royal court or as guests at a royal event, such as a wedding or Christmas celebration. Audience participation is often used to enforce this role.
In addition, many madrigal dinners employ roving entertainers, who perform for the guests at their tables alone or in groups. These may be jugglers, poets, beggars, instrumentalists, comedians, or singers. At some shows, the singers will break into small groups and entertain among the audience - a practice known as wenching. The songs performed here are usually modern medievally-styled tunes, Christmas carols and other traditional tunes. Most wenching songs are upbeat and quick and many are bawdy.
or drinks course, salad, a main course and dessert. Although the Boar's Head Carol is the most popular madrigal song to announce the main course, the most popular meat for the main course is chicken, often specifically Cornish game hen
.
During the song which accompanies each course, a symbolic object may be carried to the kings throne
by two or more ceremonial guards. A boar's head is the universal symbol of the main course. However, since the head is not actually part of the meal and will be used for many years, most madrigal dinners use an imperishable head. Sometimes this is the head of a real boar
, pig
, or javelina, preserved by taxidermy
and sometimes it is a replica, made from papier-mâché
or plaster. The Boar's Head Carol equates the presentation of the head with the presence of Christ
in the festivities.
Madrigal (music)
A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently from three to six....
Feast is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
form of dinner theater
Dinner theater
Dinner theater is a form of entertainment that combines a restaurant meal with a staged play or musical. Sometimes the play is incidental entertainment, secondary to the meal, in the style of a sophisticated night club, or the play may be a major production with dinner less important, or in some...
often held by schools and church groups during the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
season. It is set in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
and is generally comedic in nature. The meal is divided into courses, each of which is heralded with a traditional song. A play is performed between the courses and a concert of choral music concludes the festivities.
Music
The music performed at a madrigal dinner is usually mixed choral music from the medieval to renaissance periods. Both popular and sacred songs from the renaissance are common, although modern music with renaissance or biblical texts can often be heard. Most selections are in English, Italian, German, or French. Although the dinner takes its name from the madrigalMadrigal (music)
A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently from three to six....
genre of music, many other styles can be heard. Christmas carol
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
s are also featured.
Several selections performed at the presentation of the meal's courses are traditional to the madrigal dinner genre. These include The Wassail Song and the Boar's Head Carol
Boar's Head Carol
The Boar's Head Carol is a macaronic 15th century English Christmas carol that describes the ancient tradition of sacrificing a boar and presenting its head at a Yuletide feast...
. Although they may incorporate small phrases of Latin or French, the presentation songs are primarily sung in English. Each madrigal dinner has a complement of presentation music which is used every year.
Dramatics
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
legends and often revolves around the marriage of a prince or princess. Many characters are canonical, including the King, Queen, and Court Jester who appear in every play. Other characters may be minstrels, thieves, wizards, knights, visiting royalty, Greek gods and goddesses, enchanted princesses, or many other mythical figures. The audience is invited to play a role in the proceedings, either as members of the royal court or as guests at a royal event, such as a wedding or Christmas celebration. Audience participation is often used to enforce this role.
In addition, many madrigal dinners employ roving entertainers, who perform for the guests at their tables alone or in groups. These may be jugglers, poets, beggars, instrumentalists, comedians, or singers. At some shows, the singers will break into small groups and entertain among the audience - a practice known as wenching. The songs performed here are usually modern medievally-styled tunes, Christmas carols and other traditional tunes. Most wenching songs are upbeat and quick and many are bawdy.
Food
Although intended to imitate a meal that might have been served during the Middle Ages, the food at a madrigal dinner is often regional and will vary from show to show. Courses usually include a wassailWassail
The word Wassail refers to several related traditions; first and foremost wassailing is an ancient southern English tradition that is performed with the intention of ensuring a good crop of cider apples for the next year's harvest...
or drinks course, salad, a main course and dessert. Although the Boar's Head Carol is the most popular madrigal song to announce the main course, the most popular meat for the main course is chicken, often specifically Cornish game hen
Cornish game hen
In the USA, a Cornish game hen, also sometimes called a Cornish hen, poussin, Rock Cornish hen, or simply Rock Cornish, is a hybrid chicken sold whole. Despite the name, it is not a game bird, but actually a type of domestic chicken. Though the bird is called a "hen", it can be either male or female...
.
During the song which accompanies each course, a symbolic object may be carried to the kings throne
Throne
A throne is the official chair or seat upon which a monarch is seated on state or ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the monarchy or the Crown itself, an instance of metonymy, and is also used in many expressions such as "the power behind the...
by two or more ceremonial guards. A boar's head is the universal symbol of the main course. However, since the head is not actually part of the meal and will be used for many years, most madrigal dinners use an imperishable head. Sometimes this is the head of a real boar
Boar
Wild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...
, pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
, or javelina, preserved by taxidermy
Taxidermy
Taxidermy is the act of mounting or reproducing dead animals for display or for other sources of study. Taxidermy can be done on all vertebrate species of animals, including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians...
and sometimes it is a replica, made from papier-mâché
Papier-mâché
Papier-mâché , alternatively, paper-mache, is a composite material consisting of paper pieces or pulp, sometimes reinforced with textiles, bound with an adhesive, such as glue, starch, or wallpaper paste....
or plaster. The Boar's Head Carol equates the presentation of the head with the presence of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
in the festivities.