The Master of Game: The Oldest English Book on HuntingEdward, of Norwich
History
The Master of Game: The Oldest English Book on Hunting
Edward, of Norwich
Hunting -- Early works to 1800
A _Recheat_. To recheat, Twici says, "blow in this manner,
_trourourourout, trourourourout, trourourourout_," therefore a
four-syllabled sound succeeded by an interval, blown three times. In
the "Master of Game" we find the recheat preceded or followed by a
moot, the most constantly recurring melody. When the limer has moved
the stag, and the huntsman sees him go away, he was to blow a moot and
recheat. If the stag is moved but not viewed, and the huntsman knows
only by the slot that it is his stag that has gone away, he is to
recheat without the moot, for that was only to be blown when the stag
was seen. When the hounds are at fault and any one finds the slot of
the deer, he should recheat "in the rightes and blow a long moot for
the lymerer," or if he thinks he sees the hunted stag, he should blow
a moot and recheat, and after that blow two moots for the hounds.
The _Forlonge_. A signal that the stag had got away far ahead of the
hounds or that these had distanced some or all of the huntsmen (_see_
Appendix: Forlonge).
The _Perfect_ or _Parfit_. Twici says it began by "a moot and then
_trourourout, trout, trout, trourourout, trourourout, trourourout,
trout, trout, trourourourout_," "and then to commence by another moot
again, and so you ought to blow three times. And to commence by a moot
and to finish by a moot." This was only blown when the hounds were
hunting the right line (_see_ Appendix: Parfet).
The _Prise_. Twici says, blow four moots for the taking of the deer.
According to the "Master of Game," "the prise or coupling up" was to
be blown by the chief personage of the hunt only, after the quarry. It
was only blown when the deer had been slain by strength, or hunted,
and not when shot or coursed. He was to blow four moots, wait a short
interval (half an Ave Maria), and blow another four notes a little
longer than the first four.
The _Menée_. Twici says the _Menée_ should only be blown for the hart,
the boar, the wolf, and the male wolf, but he does not give us any
analysis of this melody. In the "Master of Game" we are told that the
_Menée_ was blown at the hall-door on the return of the huntsmen. The
Master first blew four moots alone, then at the end of the four moots
the others joined him in blowing, and they all continued keeping time
together (_see_ Appendix: Menée).
The _Mort_ or _Death_ was another sound of the horn, but we have no
description of the notes. Perhaps it is synonymous with the _Prise_.
The _Stroke_ must have been another grouping of short and long notes,
but of this we have no record.
Hardouin de Fontaines Guerin wrote a poem on the chase chiefly
concerning the different manners of blowing such as obtained in his
native country the provinces of Anjou and Maine. The poem was
illustrated with fourteen miniatures showing the notes to be blown on
as many different occasions during stag-hunting.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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