The Swiss Ensemble Peregrina and Ensemble Gemma from Sweden breathe new life into the tradition of simple polyphony that arose from the Middle Ages onwards among women in monastic communities. Their repertoire, independent of trends but rich in inspiration, bears witness to the active musical life behind the walls that separated the nuns from the outside world. Although traces of it can be found all over Europe, the practice resonates most strongly in the Low Countries, where there was a long tradition of female devotion. For this programme, the musicians sought out the sounds of 15th-century manuscripts, probably used in a convent in Utrecht and at the convent of the Poor Clares in Brussels: silent witnesses to a forgotten slice of music history.
This project is linked to a residency at the House of Polyphony (Alamire Foundation) and has benefited from the support of the Swedish Arts Grants Committee.
Program
Anonymous hymns from manuscripts D-B MS Germ. 8º 190 and B-Br MS 1870
Performers
Agnieszka Budzinska-Bennett, Hanna Järveläinen, Lorenza Donadini, Ida Zackrisson, Hanna Schröder, singers | Karin Lagergren, singer & artistic leader
