of the history of the area and its musical identity. The songs, melodies, and stories
they take home with them are inspiration for their new musical endeavors. Candice
lightheartedly describes the “Blackmore-izer”, or the process by which a folk or tra-
ditional melody they like becomes the seed for a new Blackmore’s Night song. They
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may take the melody and add or remove notes, change the rhythm slightly, or use
only a section of the original material in their new creation. Making these changes is
similar to the Medieval musical technique called troping. In the Middle Ages, when
the Catholic Church dominated the musical landscape, a limited set of Gregorian
chants were prescribed for every musical occasion. The composers of the day, want-
ing new music but having to hold to the prescribed chants, would trope them in one
of three ways. They might add text to long sections of music that were voiced on a
single syllable, thereby matching the notes to syllables of the new text. They could
also take a similar section of music and add new music to it, extending the vocaliza-
tion on a single syllable with the new music. They could also trope by simply adding
new words and music to an existing chant. By collecting traditional melodies and
tunes and reinventing them in a new and unique way, Blackmore’s Night is continu-
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though. They used early and folk music as inspiration for their own kind of music,
combining new and old instruments, melodies, and songwriting techniques, and
ignoring genres and classifi cation. Blackmore’s Night is about a love for the Medi-
eval and Renaissance periods; the music, clothes, castles, and history; and having the
freedom to explore your own path.
ing a long respected, though somewhat forgotten, musical practice.
You can hear this process evidenced clearly in “Locked within the Crystal
Ball” from their album Secret Voyage. Candice plays a shawm (a woodwind with
a double-reed that was popular in the Middle Ages) in a solo on that track in which
the new melody is clearly stated. The traditional melody they began with was writ-
ten by King Alphonse X and was originally a Canta di Santa Maria, but with a few
changes it serves as the melody for the Blackmore’s Night track. Ritchie writes all
of the compositions and does the arrangements, while Candice writes the lyrics and
provides the vocals. Currently they are performing with a six-piece minstrel band,
but Candice plays seven different traditional woodwinds, and Ritchie is profi cient
on a host of Medieval and Renaissance string instruments including the nickel harp
and the hurdy-gurdy. Their music spans from instrumental to ballads, pop songs, and
medieval tunes. One European promoter described their performances as concept,
not concert.
Blackmore’s Night did not set out to be a commercially successful enterprise.
Ritchie and Candice both had an interest in early music, even in the Deep Purple
days, and they decided to start exploring that interest. They didn’t want to be purists,
2
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