Bellum & Pax

Psallentes, Oltremontano, Capilla Flamenca

Three individual ensembles have signed up for this performance: Psallentes for the Gregorian music, Capilla Flamenca for the polyphone pieces and Oltremontano, conducted by Wim Becu, for the instrumental parts.

During the Renaissance, music was mostly conceived as a narrative, a musical evocation of worldly events. Therefore, war and peace were important themes for both secular and religious renaissance music. This cd offers some of those compositions, whether it be a musical retelling of a battle or a prayer of gratitude for peace after the end of a war. At the heart, we find the song 'L'homme armé', a popular medieval composition that was to become the basis (de cantus firmus) for a series of motets by various 15th century composers.