Musique médiévale pour Saint-Nicolas
Gaudeat ecclesia rondellus
Sanctissimo pontifici
Nicholaus pontifex
St. Godrich songs
Nobilissimis siquidem alleluia
Incomparabiliter
Ave presul alme
Gaudens in domino/Jube domne
Benedicamus regi sydereo
Alleluia. Tumba sancti Nycholai
Nicholaus inclitus
Ora pro nobis, beate Nicolae
Ex eius tumba V. Catervatim
Salve cleri/Salve iubar
Sancto Dei Nicolao
Gaudens in domino Stampede
Exultemus et letemur
Alleluia. Fac veniale tuis alleluia
Nicholai presulis
Nicholai sollempnia
Celica siderei
Qui cum audissent V. Clara quippe
Benedicamus Domino
Benedicamus devotis mentibus

Ensemble Peregrina
Agnieszka Budzinska-Bennett, direction

In the middle ages, the reverence for Saint Nicolas was not limited to the Christmas season, as it is today. It is unlikely that he would have become the patron saint of sailors and other professions, had this been the case. TACET's new CD will come out before December 6th, but it is certainly not meant to be limited to that date. Thus it is not surprising that ensemble Peregrina found a great number of songs on their search for Nicolas. In putting together this program it was a great advantage to have within the ensemble, which has already received an ECHO for its work, and within its network musicologists who know where to look, how to read and interpret the sources and how to perform the music. The music of the middle ages is strangely fascinating. Often appearing seemingly simple, monodic or reduced to basic rules of polyphony, it can induce a calm in the listener that can hardly be found anywhere today. Complicated things all of a sudden seem senseless. Of course one can try to use WhatsApp at the same time. However, the hectic typing is likely to slow down and eventually stop altogether in view of the strong attraction of these ancient sounds and the enormous spaces of time. How many generations have passed since the creation of these melodies? It is to be hoped that many listeners will turn on this music. It is impossible to turn it off anyway.