There were two types of singer at large in 13th century Germany: aristocratic dilettantes who paid tribute to courtly love in ‘Minnesang’, and professional artists whose ‘Spruchsang’ entertained the audience while holding up a mirror to society. Ensemble Céladon – the mediaeval specialists who celebrated their silver jubilee in 2024 – map the contours of this artistic landscape with work by no fewer than six of the twelve ‘old masters’. Composers such as Walther von der Vogelweide, Frauenlob and Tannhäuser were the superstars of their time: travelling virtuosos who incorporated political, philosophical and moral themes into technically and poetically perfect songs. Eight centuries later, they have lost none of their storytelling power.
