A selection of recordings with medieval music I've done over the years. See each track for a description.

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Medieval music

An anonymous three-part Latin motet from the early 13th century, recorded in the French Montpellier Codex. I play this on three shawms.

Alle Psallite Cum Luya

Two conducti from the Ludus Danielis, a French mystery play of the 12th century. The first is called "Astra tenenti cunctipotenti", the second "simul omnes gratulemur" and refers to many different types of instruments that would presumably have been used in this context.

Astra tenenti cunctipotenti
Turba virilis et puerilis
Contio plaudit
Simul omnes gratulemur,
resonent et tympana;
citharistae tangant cordas,
musicorum organa
resonent ad ejus praeconia.


Astra Tenenti Cunctipotenti

A love song by the troubador Bernart de Ventadorn (c. 1130-1190).

Can Vei La Lauzeta

Villancico from Cancionero de Upsala, 1556. Despite the name it is a Spanish song collection with many great songs usually in 4 parts, which is the case here. I play a combination of shawms and crumhorns, as well as percussion. The track actually starts with another tune, "All Voll", from the German Glogauer Liederbuch, ca 1480. The wonderful lyrics go:
Bist du voll, so lege dich nieder / steh früh auf und fülle dich wieder
das ganze Jahr / den Abend und den Morgen / All voll, all voll, all voll / all voll, all voll, all voll.
Not exactly a song for the teetotaller, since it means:
If you are drunk, then lie down, but get up again early and start drinking again, the whole year, in the evening and in the morning. All drunk, all drunk, etc.

This recording was featured in the soundtrack to the computer game "Dominions 4" by Illwinter Game Design (www.illwinter.com).

Rey Aquien Reyes Adoran

A song about spring, from Piae Cantiones (1582). I play harp and Härjedalspipa in low D (a traditional Swedish folk whistle), made by Gunnar Stenmark.

Lyrics:
In vernali tempore ortu lætabundo,
Dum recedunt frigora nunciat hirundo,
Terræ, marries, nemoris decus adest deforis,
Renovato mundo
Vigor redit corporis cedit dolor pectoris,
Tempore iucundo.

This recording was featured in the soundtrack to the computer game "Dominions 4" by Illwinter Game Design (www.illwinter.com).

In Vernali Tempore

Originally a 3-part conductus of the Notre Dame school, this tune is also found in the medieval song collection Carmina Burana. I play two shawms and bass cornamuse (a type of straight crumhorn).

This recording was featured in the soundtrack to the computer game "Dominions 4" by Illwinter Game Design (www.illwinter.com).

Procurans Odium

An Italian medieval dance melody from the late 14th century, one of the few examples of notated secular dance music that has survived (one of only a handful of examples). This is quite sophisticated and complex solo music that implies a very rich tradition of instrumental music making of which very few examples have survived. I play this on a reconstruction of a 13th-century organetto, also known as portative organ. Anna Rynefors plays percussion. (From the CD "Figs, fiddles and fine play".)

Medieval music

Erik Ask-Upmark