The Road to Renaissance: from brilliant Brumel to brand new Barnard

Antoine Brumel was a 15th-century musical superstar whose works were performed throughout Europe and enjoyed by Luther and the Pope alike. When Jacob Obrecht died in Ferrara, one of Europe’s main cultural centres, Brumel was offered his highly-paid post for life. His compositions combine medieval rhythms with smooth polyphony, picked up from his teacher Josquin des Prez, and adds complex canons to impress his contemporaries (and us!). This blend helped create the rich language of the Renaissance, to which Brumel’s Franco-Flemish contemporaries added their voices, distributing their enlightened compositions throughout Europe...

...and on to Britain where, in 2022, composer Richard Barnard took inspiration from Brumel’s Da pacem to produce an even more canonic companion piece, dedicated to Lucy Goddard and Orlando Chamber Choir.

Join us on our Road to Renaissance – and beyond!