"My Name is Oswald", a new song cycle telling the stories of St Oswald of Northumbria, premiered in a performance in the King's Chapel on 12 February.
Based on research by Dr Johanna Dale, Visiting Fellow in the Department of History, and Professor Sarah Bowden, Professor of German and Medieval Studies in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, the songs trace how Oswald's story spread from England to the German-speaking lands in the Middle Ages.
Liturgical and literary landscapes: the cult of St Oswald of Northumbria in the German-speaking world questions why stories about Oswald changed and multiplied when they reached mainland Europe, most notably through the introduction of a (sometimes badly-behaved) talking raven.
Composed by Hannah Conway and written by Hazel Gould, the quartet of songs follow Oswald's life as a king in England, his veneration in the German-speaking lands, and his transition to a saint of agriculture. Tim Dickinson (baritone), Peter Sparks (clarinet), Joseph Walters (horn) and Conway (piano) performed the songs alongside the Staff Choir of King's College London.
The work with Sarah and Johanna led me to ask, what happens if a character isn't developed by the internal landscape, but is created by the external landscape? The teller of the story creates the character that they need, so if you're a person of the land you create a character who may bless your crop, and in a divided country you need a character who is a holy warrior for peace. This is very different from our contemporary view of what dramatic work is.
Hazel Gould, writer
The event included excerpts from Old English and medieval German texts read by Professor Bowden, Dr Sebastian Matzner (King's), Dr Carl Kears (King's) and Professor Sebastian Coxon (UCL), which highlighted these changing tales.
The many versions of Oswald
Oswald, who was king of Northumbria in the 7th and 8th centuries, was killed in battle. After his death, his body was supposedly dismembered, with the parts spread around England. This process aided the spread of Christianity throughout England, which was not united administratively or by religion at the time.
As stories moved to the continent, they adapted for the needs of German-speaking audiences. He became particularly renowned in alpine regions, such as South Tyrol, where many towns, landmarks and churches are named after Oswald today.
What made Oswald so very important in England - his physical and miraculous connection to the place - just wasn't relevant in Germany, so he changes. He functions as an empty vessel of sanctity.
Professor Sarah Bowden, Professor of German and Medieval Studies
Everywhere you went, you weren't quite sure what Oswald you were going to find in the German-speaking Alps. Understanding how to retell the stories is a fruitful way of understanding saints in medieval culture. What happens in England is relatively conventional, but it is exceptional the way he captures the imagination in the German-speaking world.
Dr Johanna Dale, Visiting Fellow
The event also celebrated the publication of Liturgy, Literature and History. Oswald of Northumbria and the Cult of Saints in the Middle Ages, edited by Dr Dale, which includes a chapter on 'St Oswald's Raven: Sanctity, Sovereignty and Animality in the Munich Oswald' by Professor Bowden.
Watch the video below to discover more stories about Oswald.
About the Centre for Late Antique and Medieval Studies
The Centre for Late Antique and Medieval Studies at King's is a network of academics working across a variety of disciplines: late antique and Byzantine studies, all the major medieval languages and literatures, visual culture, palaeography and manuscript studies, history, music, philosophy, and theology.
