Live performance during our Secret Life of Lutheran Chorales tour in November 2017, with Agnethe Christensen. The Easter sequence depicts the women finding the empty tomb, what they saw there. An archaic two voice version is found in a manuscript used by the nuns in the royal monastery of Las Huelgas in Burgos which I visited on Good Friday (in the snow) during my 2012 pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

Victime paschali laudes

live in a little church in Denmark not far from Roskilde, a solo from a duo concert with Agnethe Christensen....the piece is an instrumental version of a popular song from the late 15th century. it's found in the Lochamer Liederbuch which was written down as the cherished collection of a monk at the Augustinian abbey of Windsheim in around 1452-5. the instrumental music has associations with the school of Conrad Paumann, an ultra famous multi instrumental virtuoso from Munich. the melody of the original song is to be heard in the low tenor notes with embellishments above.....

Mit Ganczem Willen Wünsch Ich Dir

This piece from the Mass is taken from a fragment of a manuscript that belonged to Flitcham Priory, a cell of the Augustinian Priory in Walsingham, a major place of pilgrimage before the Reformation and a place I have walked to as a pilgrim myself. The music was in a big book that was broken down to be used as wrappers for other more important book contents once the music was no longer in use (fashions change so fast!) The parchment it was written on was too expensive to be wasted and was suitably sturdy to be used to protect a register of landed property, ending up in the Norfolk Record Office in Norwich.

Kyrie from Flitcham Priory

From my new recording with Agnethe Christensen, a little suite of three pieces newly composed by me based on little melodies in the Rostocker Liederbuch, a collection of fragments containing poetry and music on themes from the Blessed Virgin Mary to how best to get rid of your old nag of a wife. The first of these melodies has a short text about not wanting to go to school and the final one is a sweet lullaby.

14 Vader Myn, Ik En Wil Nicht Mer - Tenor - Ligge Stille, Ligge Stille

A sweet delight of a song in medieval Dutch about love for a lady who is noble in her very nature. This comes from a songbook known as the Lochamer Liederbuch. First you hear the vocal version and this is followed by an instrumental taken from another German manuscript, the Buxheimer Orgelbuch. I play a lot of music from there - even if it says it's for organ, there is no big harp music book, so I don't care about stealing repertoire from organists!

Ein Fröulin Edel Von Natuer

this is a 4 minute summary of a 13 1/2 minute long medieval Danish ballad, a disquieting and somewhat mysterious story of two friends who disagree about whose horse is best. One dies and the other becomes an outlaw, disappearing into the forest begging the Virgin Mary for help.

Oluf Strangesons Dystridt

For my dearest friend and music wife, Agnethe Christensen, whose generosity and musicality will always be an inspiration.

In paradisum deducant te angeli, in tuo adventu suscipiant te martires, et perducant te in civitatem sancta Iherusalem.

In Paradisum Aldgate Processional

The opening of our recent concert as part of the 'Early Monday' series in Copenhagen: Book of H/ours. The song 'Ave regina celorum' was super popular, meaning it's in loads of manuscripts, meaning people cared enough to take the trouble to write it down. In addition, the song appears transformed into an instrumental version probably created by an organist who enjoyed messing around with songs as well as hymns. Here you can hear me playing it on my buzzing harp. The morning psalm is from Sternhold and Hopkins printed book of metrical English versions that appeared in 1562.

Ave Regina and the morning psalm 51

a text from the convent of St Brigit in Valdstena in Sweden, written down in the 14th century, with an improvised melody and improvised polyphony at the end, just an extract here, the last two verses. The hymn is meant for the morning, and asks for forgiveness and protection, trusting in the Virgin Mary, that mild rose who helps every man. It finishes with an ecstatic vision of nature's wonder, heard in this extract.

Then Signadhe Dag

A taster from my new project with Agnethe Christensen, recorded in March 2015 in the beautiful Koncertkirken http://www.koncertkirken.dk/, an anonymous composition based on the tenor of the song by Binchois, Je loe amours et ma dame mercye.

Jeloemors

A taster of my new solo project "Sacred fragments" two pieces from the entirely fragmentary and reconstituted codex Worcester Cathedral MS Additional 68, made up of bits and bobs that were put to various other uses after the music had gone out of fashion. Beata Viscera for me is particularly iconic, but the rich and sweet harmonies of O Sponsa Dei Electa, full of thirds and triads, one after another, are also a sign of just how incredibly insular the British Isles were in the 13th century. There just was no music like this anywhere else.

O Sponsa Dei Electa - Beata Viscera

with minimal material, the spell of English medieval music is woven, repeating and circling back and repeating again, then enlarging and circling around again and repeating again. this music is taken from 16 flyleaves, cut from their original manuscript home, trimmed and inserted into a new manuscript as reinforcement and protection. it belonged to the Cistercian Abbey of Meaux, not far from Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Stella Maris Nuncuparis

a suite of 3 pieces from the collection of fragments that make up a factitious codex from Worcester Cathedral, including a rare 4 voice motet Candens lilium columbina - Candens crescit. repetition creates a meditative swirling quality I think, as you revisit the same melodic nodes over and over.....

Alme Veneremur - Alleluya Psallat - Candens

An evening meditation live in Copenhagen in October 2015

Den Lyuse Dag - O Lux Beata

Also known as Gentil Madona. This is a ballade for three voices which was super popular in the 15th century. George Cely learnt two other songs by this same composer which is why I decided I could include it in my programme focusing on his account notebook about his bray harp lessons.

Fortune elas by John Bedyngham

Recorded live at St Paul's Church Harringay on Saturday 4th February. This was a stately dance in which one had to master a gently flowing up and down wave-like motion to accompany the slow and controlled steps. The improvisation I play weaves around the popular folk tune that was transformed for the dance into a long stream of equal length 'tenor' ('held') notes.

Basse danse Filles a Marier

Three dances from a notebook written in Derbyshire in the 15th century (which also contains a treatise on chiromancy and various prayers in Latin as well as a list of dance titles and notes on how to dance several dances) followed by a song that Thomas Rede taught his willing pupil, George Cely for the fee of 5 shillings (or about £300 in modern money!)

Bayonn-La Duches-Ly bens distonys; Myn hertis lust and sterre of my confort

15th century improvisation for basse danse.....sounds very esoteric but it just means I try to make a beautiful and interesting melody above a 'tenor' line.....recorded during a session in August at the Centro Studi Adolfo Broegg in Spello - a full CD will be ready by the end of the year 'The Wool Merchant and the Harp'

Orlyanse - 15th century basse danse improvisation

My medieval harp this time, fluffy and angelic, no brays in sight. I'm playing a two part piece from the Las Huelgas manuscript (which I visited during my pilgrimage to Santiago earlier this year, in the snow). Recorded during a session with ensemble Micrologus when we produced a disc of music from the dance show 'Myth' choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, though it didn't make the final cut!

Surrexit de tumulo

a track I recorded many moons ago.... during the recording session for the CD we made to accompany the tour with Micrologus that I did in 2007-9 with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui's dance group and the show, 'Myth'

the piece is anonymous, in the Las Huelgas Codex

Myth Mireille recording 

an antiphon for matins on the feast day of St Thomas of Canterbury from a manuscript in Paris at the Bibliothèque Nationale, fonds latin 1090

Cultor Agri

Leah plays a slightly surprising sounding gothic bray harp and has been messing with medieval music for more than 15 years including working with Jordi Savall (for those who care). She cares about making beautiful music and bringing creativity to that process.

Leah Stuttard

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