Cover Story

During the Middle Ages and Renaissance music travelled across Europe. Sometimes it travelled with the musicians themselves as they journeyed from one employer to another, or to the great "minstrel schools". Often held during Lent, these were conferences of the best musicians where melodies could be swapped and the latest techniques and harmonies learned. Music also traveled in written manuscripts that were copied, gifted and exchanged between musicians and patrons.

In some cases the musical material remained completely intact, with virtually identical versions appearing at opposite ends of the continent. Other tunes underwent a series of adaptions, expansions and cover versions: new words were fitted to old melodies, or new melodies to old words, ornaments and countermelodies were written, adaptions for specific instruments were made, dances became songs and songs became dances in a fascinating web of musical connections. Musicians being musicians there were also a fair few puns and in jokes.

In this programme Blondel trace connections between pieces and demonstrate the evolution of some of them on their shawm, bagpipe and recorder trios. Includes works by Machaut & Wolkenstein, Bedyngham and Binchois.