RONDELLUS:programmes

PROGRAMMES

Rondellus' repertoire includes both sacred and secular music ranging from Gregorian chants to love and drinking songs and instrumental dances, including music of the trouvères and troubadours, works by Hildegard of Bingen, Guillaume Machaut, Francesco Landini, Guillaume Du Fay, Gilles Binchois, Josquin Des Pres and others.

The number of musicians will vary from two (lute-song) to six (medieval polyphony, renaissance consort music) depending on the type of programme. These programmes are flexible and can be tailored according to specific requirements. On the following pages are examples of some of them we have recently performed and also programmes currently in developmental stages.

SACRED UP

Rondellus 1. CELESTIS SYMPHONIA - music by Abbess Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179). This was a special programme for 1998 as it was the 900th anniversary of the birth of this most renowned historical figure, whose music and writings have become extremely popular in recent decades. As we consider Hildegard's music one of our specialities, we recommend this programme for forthcoming years also.

2. SALVE STELLA - sacred music from the Middle Ages associated with/dedicated to Our Lady (Gregorian chant, Anonymous composers, Hildegard von Bingen, Italian laude spirituali, etc.). We have prepared this particular programme for several reasons. First, we are from Estonia, a country that since the Middle Ages has been called "Maarjamaa" - meaning Mary's Land (in honour of Our Lady). Secondly, a large portion of the finest music dedicated to the Virgin Mary has come to us from the Middle Ages. We have taken our favourite selections and collected these into a unique programme.

3. CARMINA SANCTORUM - sacred music from the Middle Ages associated with/dedicated to medieval saints (Anonymous composers, Hildegard von Bingen, music from Florence Manuscript, Codex Calixtinus, etc.). A CD of this programme is available.

4. MUSIC FROM THE FLORENCE MANUSCRIPT (XIIIth c.) AND ITALIAN LAUDE SPIRITUALE (XIIIth c.)

5. NOVA GAUDIA - A special programme for the Advent season. Christmas songs of the Middle Ages from all over Europe: England, France, Germany, Poland and Bohemia (from Florence Manuscript, Bamberg Codex, Carmina Burana, etc.).

6. MYSTERIA DOLOROSA - MYSTERIA GLORIOSA - A special programme of Medieval music for the Passion and Easter period (from Florence Manuscript, Cracow Manuscript, Carmina Burana, Gregorian chant, etc.).

SECULAR UP

1. SABBATUM - songs of the rock legend Black Sabbath arranged in the 14th century style sung in Latin language. The CD Sabbatum (Beg The Bug, 2002) has been extremely succesful all over the world.

2. LE VOIR DIT (A True Story) - music by the greatest medieval French composer and poet Guillaume de Machaut(1300?-1377)

3. FRENCH MUSIC FROM THE XIV-XV C. - music by Guillaume de Machaut, Guillaume Du Fay, Gilles Binchois and their contemporaries. This programme could be enlarged to include XVIth century French music also.

4. ECCO LA PRIMAVERA - a lively programme of love songs, drinking songs and dances from the XIIIth to XVIth century from Italy, France and England.

PROGRAMMES WITH DANCERS UP

Saltatores Revalienses 1. IL GRATIE D'AMORE - the programme consists of dances and music from the XVth to XVIth century.
As is now, dancing was a favourite entertainment in the Renaissance period. The oldest descriptions of choreography in European history derived from dance instructions found within manuscripts originating from XVth century Burgundy and Italy (the Broussel Manuscript, a manuscript by Michel Toulouse (1495) and manuscripts by the Italians Guglielmo Ebreo and Domenico de Ferrara). During the XVIth century in the upper classes, dancing became an elaborately sophisticated art. It demanded years of practice by people of fashion, who wanted to attain generally acceptable levels of good manners and education, a component of which was dancing. Thoinot Arbeau's "Orchesographie" (1589), Fabritio Caroso's "Il Ballarino" (1581) and "Nobilta di Dame" (1600) and Cesare Negri's "Il Gratie d'amore" (1602) are the main sources of descriptions of XVIth century dances. Common people had their own differences in dancing style, which are no less interesting and vivid to observe and listen to today.

The performance of Saltatores Revalienses, an historic dance group from Tallinn, provides an overview of the above mentioned periods and styles. Dances are alternated with songs from the same period. These are performed by Rondellus.

FINE 5

2. An experimental programme in collaboration with dancers from a modern dance studio - FINE 5, which brings together medieval sacred music and modern choreography.