Many of the Dutch polyphonic compositions from around 1400 survived only as fragments because the manuscripts were cut up and 'recycled' as fly-leaves and book bindings in the early modern era.
Instruments
The organ pieces were recorded on the Van Straten organ at the Orgelpark in Amsterdam, which is a unique reconstruction of a late fifteenth-century instrument from Utrecht.
Historical Context
The fragments of manuscripts containing this music likely originated from the Dutch language-area, possibly around the court of the county of Holland in The Hague or the bishop's residence in Utrecht.
Interpretation
The chants on this album are performed in a late-medieval fashion, 'enriched' with chromatic musica ficta (unwritten accidentals) and simple, improvised polyphony.
Interpretation
Organist Jacques Meegens improvises on the antiphon O crux gloriosa, based on a 1390s document from Utrecht describing such an improvisation after mass.
Composition History
Some of the incomplete pieces on this album were digitally restored by musicologist Eliane Fankhauser and others were reconstructed ('recomposed') by ensemble leader Niels Berentsen.
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