Mediaeval Baebes

Formed in 1996, Mediæval Bæbes is a British female musical and vocal ensemble founded by Dorothy Carter (vocals, dulcimer, autoharp, and hurdy-gurdy) and Miranda Sex Garden’s Katharine Blake (vocals, percussion, violin, keyboards, and programming). The group, whose line-up would change from album to album, was formed to bring medieval songs – secular and sacred - to life and introduce a new generation to an oft-forgotten form of classical music. Their repertoire consisted of traditional medieval songs mixed with poetry set to music. The group sings in a variety of languages including English, French, Latin, German, Manx Gaelic, Italian, Russian, and Swedish. Their debut album, Salva Nos (1997), was a success, rising to Number 2 on the UK’s Classical Albums chart and Number 62 on the UK Albums chart. Their second album, Worldes Blysse (1998), was even more successful, climbing to Number 1 on the Classical Albums chart. The group’s reputation in the industry grew and their next album, Undrentide (2000), was produced by iconic rock musician (and former The Velvet Underground member) John Cale. Founding member Dorothy Carter died on June 7, 2003, at the age of 68. Shortly after her death, Maple Bee (Melanie Garside) joined the group’s line-up. Six months later, the Mediæval Bæbes released their holiday-themed collection Mistletoe & Wine. In 2005, they provided vocals for some of the music for the BBC television series The Virgin Queen. They also collaborated with electronic music outfit Delerium in 2006. The group formed their own label and released the albums Illumination (2009), Temptation (2010), The Huntress (2012) and Of Kings and Angels (2013). In 2016, Mediæval Bæbes celebrated their 20th anniversary with a concert in London, England which featured appearances from 17 of the group’s members, past and present. They continued to issue a series of well-received albums including A Pocketful of Posies (2019), Prayers of the Rosary (2020), Mydwynter (2022) and the compilation Tales of Love and Loss (2023), which reached Number 24 on the UK Classical Albums chart.