In Cambrai, France, the Médiathèque Municipale holds four marvellous songbooks that have been preserved in an almost perfect state, and with some persuasion you can even cast a glance on them. The first page doesn’t leave any doubt about the origin and the first owner of this treasure: ‘This book belongs to Zeghere van Male, bookseller living in Bruges 1542’. Amazing is not only the undamaged appearance of the volumes, but also the high quality of the music and the unique drawings. How the books eventually travelled from Bruges to Cambrai remains a mystery, as well as the precise motivation of the Bruges merchant to acquire such a musical treasure trove. By contrast, there is no secret about the splendid works of this songbook and the quality of the performers that AMUZ has selected: Ensemble Clément Janequin – regular and most welcome guests at Laus Polyphoniae – with figurehead and crowd puller Dominique Visse!

Performers
Dominique Visse, artistic direction

The combination of different melodies is not as intensely developed in any other music culture than in ours. However, it is very exacting to let our ears find their way in this polyphony. The enabling condition for you to become a connoisseur of polyphony is this survey and the listening to selected samples. Musicologist Simon Van Damme leads you through centuries-old manuscripts and illustrates the origin and development of polyphonous pieces during five centuries of music history.

Please note: this course offers new information in comparison with former editions. If you happen to have already participated in the Polyphony for dummies courses, you should not refrain from enrolling again!

In collaboration with Universiteit Vrije Tijd Davidsfonds

Professor
Simon Van Damme

Included:syllabus, programme brochure, coffee, access to the noon concerts on 23, 24 and 25 August, as well as access to the evening concert of 23 August.
Optional concert: nocturnal concert by the Huelgas Ensemble on 26 August at 10:15 pm. Price: €16 on top of enrolment fee.
Enrolment in advance required: +32 (0)16 31 06 70 |  www.davidsfonds.be.
 

The combination of different melodies is not as intensely developed in any other music culture than in ours. However, it is very exacting to let our ears find their way in this polyphony. The enabling condition for you to become a connoisseur of polyphony is this survey and the listening to selected samples. Musicologist Simon Van Damme leads you through centuries-old manuscripts and illustrates the origin and development of polyphonous pieces during five centuries of music history.

Please note: this course offers new information in comparison with former editions. If you happen to have already participated in the Polyphony for dummies courses, you should not refrain from enrolling again!

In collaboration with Universiteit Vrije Tijd Davidsfonds

Professor
Simon Van Damme

Included:syllabus, programme brochure, coffee, access to the noon concerts on 23, 24 and 25 August, as well as access to the evening concert of 23 August.
Optional concert: nocturnal concert by the Huelgas Ensemble on 26 August at 10:15 pm. Price: €16 on top of enrolment fee.
Enrolment in advance required: +32 (0)16 31 06 70 |  www.davidsfonds.be.
 

The festival Laus Polyphoniae takes a close look at a choice selection of manuscripts, illustrating the evolution of polyphonous music over 500 years. This singing class will connect with the festival by focussing on the first printed sources of polyphony: The Petrucci Files. Coached by members of the Cappella Pratensis participants will learn how to sing polyphonous masterpieces on the basis of original notation.

Professors
Stratton Bull, Christopher Kale & Arnout Lems

Included in the course are tickets for the festival concerts on MON 23/08 13.00, TUE 24/08 13.00, WED 25/08 22.15, THU 26/08 20.00, FRI 27/08 13.00 en FRI 27/08 20.00.
Familiarity with old notation is useful, but not a prerequisite. The selection of participants will be based on their curriculum vitae.

In collaboration with Musica, Impulse Centre for Music

Info & enrolment: www.musica.be

The festival Laus Polyphoniae takes a close look at a choice selection of manuscripts, illustrating the evolution of polyphonous music over 500 years. This singing class will connect with the festival by focussing on the first printed sources of polyphony: The Petrucci Files. Coached by members of the Cappella Pratensis participants will learn how to sing polyphonous masterpieces on the basis of original notation.

Professors
Stratton Bull, Christopher Kale & Arnout Lems

Included in the course are tickets for the festival concerts on MON 23/08 13.00, TUE 24/08 13.00, WED 25/08 22.15, THU 26/08 20.00, FRI 27/08 13.00 en FRI 27/08 20.00.
Familiarity with old notation is useful, but not a prerequisite. The selection of participants will be based on their curriculum vitae.

In collaboration with Musica, Impulse Centre for Music

Info & enrolment: www.musica.be

Capilla Flamenca, a guest always warmly appreciated at Laus Polyphoniae, offers in this concert a serene and well-balanced whole of polyphonous and Gregorian sounds with Pierre de La Rue’s Missa Ave Maria as a guideline. This late work of the Burgundian court composer refers not only textually, but also musically to the Gregorian antiphon Ave Maria which is annually sung at Annunciation Day. The story of the angel Gabriel who announces to Mary that she is the one chosen to give birth to the Saviour was put to music by de la Rue in a moving way. Concurrently the composer manages to play along very creatively with the depth of the ideas in the texts. In short: the polyphonous language of the early 16th century merges here in a sublime way with the type of Gregorian that was then current, transmitted by the Antifonarium Tsgrooten and other sources.

Performers
Marnix De Cat, countertenor | Tore Denys, tenor | Lieven Termont, baritone | Dirk Snellings, bass & artistic direction