Flyleaves
Medieval Music from English Manuscripts

Once frequently sung in the monasteries and cathedrals of medieval England, much of this music has survived through the ages as fragments, solitary flyleaves, and endpapers hidden in the bindings of unrelated manuscripts—virtually lost to the ages. This program resurrects these once-lost treasures, focusing on several of the period's most influential centers of musical activity: Durham, Fountains Abbey, Norwich, Bury St. Edmunds Abbey, and the cosmopolitan court of Edward III.

REVIEW OF OUR RECORDING OF THIS PROGRAM:
“The singing is responsible, tasteful, and unfailingly artistic, with lovely balancing and blending of voices. Those who may regret the dismantling of Anonymous 4 would do well now to embrace Liber unUsualis. . . . This plucky little ensemble is a treasure to nurture.” — American Record Guide

PROGRAM (subject to change):

Kyrie, Cuthbert prece (Durham)
Benedicta et venerabilis V. Virgo Dei genitrix (Durham)
Iesu fili dei/Ihesu fili virginis/Iesu lumen (Durham)
Veni mater gracie/Dou way Robin (Adel, Yorkshire)
Doleo super te/Absolon, fili me (Norwich)
Kyrie: Kyria Christefera (Norwich?)
O lux beata trinitas (Norwich?)
Gabriel fram heven-king (solo: East Anglia?)/(duet: Adel, Yorkshire)/(trio: Dublin)
Barbara simplex animo (Meaux Abbey)
Patris superni gracia / Pia pacis inclita (Meaux Abbey)
Ave mundi rosa (Fountains Abbey)
Novi sideris lumen resplenduit (Bury St. Edmunds)
Pura, placens/Parfundement plure Absolon (Bury St. Edmunds)
Veine pleine de ducur (Bury St. Edmunds?)
Ar ne kuth ich sorghe non (London?)
Generosa Iesse plantula (Royal Chapel of Edward III)
Gaude virgo immaculata (Royal Chapel of Edward III)
Singularis laudis digna (Royal Chapel of Edward III)

PROGRAM NOTES:

Like many of the great Abbeys of Medieval England which now stand in ruins, much of the music from this time has also been scattered and lost to the ages. Fortunately, however, a small number of these works survive simply because the vellum on which it was inscribed was of considerable value. Often, these ornately illuminated musical manuscripts were dismantled and reused as bindings and endpapers for later books of daily accounts, sermons, letters, and scholarly writings. “Forgotten Flyleaves” resurrects a selection of these once-buried pieces from the great monasteries, courts and cathedrals of Medieval England.

The program is divided into sets which represent several of this period’s most influential centers of musical activity.

Durham
The monastic community at Durham was founded on the banks of the River Wear, in honor of St. Cuthbert. The shrine at Durham’s grand cathedral was a popular pilgrimage destination, remaining intact until 1539 when its treasures were finally confiscated by the crown.

Fountains, Kirkstall, and Meaux Abbeys
Fountains Abbey was established in the desolate wilderness of twelfth century Northern England, by exiled Benedictine monks from St. Mary’s Abbey in York who wished to follow the more austere Cistercian order. However, though founded on principles of asceticism, in later years the community became quite wealthy. Between 1132 and 1150 the monastery established eight abbeys, including Fountains and its daughter-houses, Kirkstall & Meaux Abbey,

Bury St. Edmunds
Founded by King Canute in 1020, Bury St. Edmunds housed the shrine of the martyred King Edmund, killed by marauding Danes in 869 AD. As a destination for pilgrims, Bury St. Edmunds was second only to Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain.

Court of Edward III (r.1327-77)
Edward’s reign is marked by the monarch's claim to the French crown and the ensuing Hundred Years War. At home, however, much of Edward’s rule was characterized by good relations with the nobility, who profited from his successful campaigns abroad, and with the middle class, who enjoyed increasing wealth and gained representation in Parliament. Edward’s court supported the literary genius of Geoffrey Chaucer and Jean Froissart.

© Carolann Buff