These select programmes are available for booking:
Le Parler et le Silence
The “new” instrumental music of the 17th century: fantasias, ricercars, and canzonas for 3-and 4-part consort; ensemble and solo airs de cour from Paris (probably the last vocal form to be adopted by the flute consort); and then, crossing the bridge to the 18th century, pieces for two and three early baroque flutes, with theorbo –the lingering echo of the consort principle.
The Musical Heart of Luther
This programme weaves congregational song (in which the listeners are invited to join us!) in among polyphonic works of sacred and secular origin, and celebrates creative cross-fertilisation between different musical cultures and social groupings of sixteenth-century Europe, in folk songs, hymns, motets, and lute songs, largely (but not entirely) in instrumental renditions.
Madame d’amours
Music from the golden age of the renaissance transverse-flute consort, from the courts of Henry VIII, the Holy Roman Emperor Kaiser Maximillian, François I of France, the House of Hapsburg, and Medici Florence. This programme presents music from manuscripts and the earliest printed music for consort, from London, Nuremberg, Madrid, Paris, Florence, and Rome.
Ren-Pop: 16th-Century Hits from Court to Pub
A playlist of some of the most popular melodies of the Renaissance. Our program traces their use in different musical forms, from stately dances, to intricate polyphony, to florid instrumental fantasies. The 16th century’s best tunes are presented as they might have been experienced in venues as varied as the royal courts, powerful churches, humble homes, city pubs, and lively market squares.
“Ridono i prati, e ’l ciel si rasserena”
Nature can be a metaphor, representing new life or a coming death; it can be a mirror, faithful or contrary to one’s state of mind; it can inspire contemplation in motionless silence, or it can overwhelm with its power. With a program including madrigals, frottole, chansons, and fantasies, the Attaignant Consort focuses on the different ways man and woman relate and respond to nature.
O magnum mysterium
Drawing inspiration from miracle and mystery, The Attaignant Consort blends their sound with a group of singers, exploring with a rich color palette all of the events surrounding the Christmas story. Compositions range from florid solo diminutions by Giovanni Battista Bovicelli highlighting the glory of the messenger angels, to a three-part motet by Guillaume Dufay praising Mary, the “flower of flowers,” to the eight-part “Hodie Christus natus est” by Giovanni Palestrina, mirroring the jubilation of those who have found hope in the Christmas story.