First Assignment

And with that, here is the first assignment... this was actually emailed out to Ambra about a week or so ago:

Ok, here is your first assignment, and it’s a duzy. Consider this like me being a knight testing his squires fighting ability on the field.

You are going to write a song about the Battle of Lepanto. I have specifically NOT gone in depth about the history of it beyond knowing enough to steer you on how in-depth and detailed, and important this battle was.

A short Synopsis:  Europe at the end of the 16^th century was threatened by the Ottoman empire, which for all intensive purposes had made the Mediterranean sea a Muslim lake. The Ottomans at this point were threatening to overrun eastern Europe and take back the progress the Spanish had made in the Reconquista. See Map Below:

Philip II (you know, that guy who later would try to send an Armada to England) along with some Italians and the Papal League (including the some of the old military orders like the Hospitaller Knights) drew up an armada of 212 ships with 13,000 sailors and 28,000 troops to meet a numerically superior force of the Ottomans consisting of 13,000 sailors, 34,000 troops and over 278 ships. This battle would decide the fate of Europe and in retrospect was the turning point of the beginning of the European (and the West in general) superiority that lasts to this day.

For the next two weeks I want you to start researching this battle, and the times around it. Who were the major players on each side (both countries and specific people)? What was the political atmosphere? What struggles and battles led to this confrontation? What church is decorated and can be seen today with the gold taken from the Ottoman Fleet? Where can you still see the Ottoman battle standards displayed to remember the victory? Where are they now? Why was this battle so important? What exactly happened in the battle that led to the Christian victory? How much was religion involved, and how important was it? What religious aspects of this battle survive today? Why was the Rosary considered a weapon in the battle? What other fun cool facts have I not found out about by briefly skimming the internet, not just about the battle but the people involved and everything else? I want you to write me a report of the whole history surrounding this battle, with a reference page. Think of it as a college paper, and it should be at least 6-8 pages long.

For the following two weeks, you are going to write a song about it in 3^rd person or a mix of 3^rd/1^st but not totally 1^st person. I am not concerned about period style, but more about this being a popular sing-able song. A pattern you might consider, but you should not feel restricted to, is the basic battle formula of build-up (why this battle happened/who was involved {either just by country and/or personalities}) – Engagement and what those people/groups did in battle – Aftermath… Some examples of this are “The Bloody Sarks”, “Stirling Brig”, “Roland”, “Montgisard Victoris”,  and “Blue Lion of Percy”.

I also want you to place the religious aspect of this battle into the song. This was not just a secular battle, but a battle for the supremacy of Christendom. It was so important, religion HAS to be at least a part of, if not the center of this song. 

A sing-able draft will be due October 7^th, the  437^th anniversary of the battle, also known as the feast of “Our Lady of the Rosary” by the Catholic Church to this day (and in the paper, why is this?). After that we will polish the Paper and the Song.

The end product, even if it’s not a  SCA top 40 hit, will be your first (or at least I think it will be your first) “educational” song, that will include as part of the performance a rundown of the history to your audience, since no one really knows much about it. And part of A&S excellence is teaching of historical fact to everyone.

 This is not the easiest challenge, and really I am not sure it should be the first assignment, but you have the mad skills.  I am giving you a month, but do not procrastinate! I am judging you on commitment, research and paper writing skills, and song writing skills (to include acapella performability not only for you but the rest of the world). Do your best, that’s all I ask *grin*