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Silver Jubilee Programmes
A Medieval Grand Tour
Arts Ancient and Modern
At the Court of the Virgin Mary
Bruno of Toul
Champagne and Burgundy
Christmas
Echoes from an Old Hall
The Combat of Life and Death
The Pilgrimage of Man
The Testament of St Gregory
The Tournament of Love
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You are listening to:

Ab ora summa nuncius (anon) English, late 13th century from our Masters of the Rolls cd.
Flos floriger (anon) from The Earliest Songbook in England cd.
O Jerusalem (Hildegard) from the Jerusalem: Vision of Peace cd.
Joieux de cuer (Solage) from The Medieval Romantics cd.
Missa Caput - Agnus Dei (anon) from The Spirits of England and France - 4 cd.
A solis ortus (anon) from The Spirits of England and France - 5 cd.
Ave, generosa by Hildegard of Bingen from the cd A feather on the breath of God.
The Kyrie from Missa de Feria by Pierra de la Rue from the cd Pierra de la Rue: Missa de Feria, Missa Sancta Dei Genitrix.
Dueil angoisseux (Binchois) from The Castle of Fair Welcome cd.

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Puer natus est - A child is born

Medieval music for the Christmas season

The twelve days which make up the Feast of Christmas are particularly rich in musical possibilities. We present a programme featuring some of the gems of the medieval repertoire for the season.

The first half covers the period from the Annunciation through Advent to Christmas Day itself; the second half concentrates on the Feasts of the following twelve days: St Stephen, St John the Evangelist, the Holy Innocents, St Thomas of Canterbury, New Years's Day (the Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord) and the Epiphany.

Within this short period there is an immense variety, ranging from the joy of the birth of Christ through the tragedy of the massacre of the Holy Innocents by King Herod and the martyrdoms of St Stephen and the English St Thomas à Becket (cut down on the altar steps of Canterbury Cathedral) to the Adoration of the Magi as Christ is shown forth to the Gentiles at Epiphany. Piety and celebration, drama and entertainment - all the essential ingredients of a medieval Christmas.

You can listen to the following pieces from this programme:

  • A solis ortus cardine    Lower quality, phone modem   Higher quality, broadband
  • Magno gaudens gaudio    Lower quality, phone modem   Higher quality, broadband

Nowel syng we bothe al and som

A version of our Christmas programme for five singers

The addition of an extra singer allows us to include two very special and quite substantial medieval pieces in this concert: Pérotin's great conductus-motets Viderunt omnes and Sederunt principes.

First performed around the year 1200 at Notre Dame de Paris, these works represent the summit of composition in this genre in their fusion of the old conductus and new motet forms. Imitation, voice exchange and melodic variation are employed, all of them brand-new techniques in medieval composition, and the fast-moving, rhythmic polyphony of the higher voices is contrasted with the elongated plainchant of the Tenor (lowest voice). Both pieces are based on plainchant Graduals, respectively for the Feasts of Christmas and St Stephen the Martyr (26th December), and are performed in this programme on either side of the interval.

The concert concludes with Jacob Handl's magnificent five-voice motet for Epiphany, Omnes de Saba.