Trinity and Quadrivium

Idrîsî Ensemble explores the interweaving of science and the sacred through geometry, arithmetic, and symbolism in a programme of rare, endangered and never-recorded medieval trios and quartets.

Medieval writers often spoke of music in three interlocking dimensions: musica mundana (cosmic order), musica humana (the harmony of the human being – body and soul), and musica instrumentalis (the audible music of voices and instruments). Music was not merely something we make; it was also something we are inside of.

The cosmos has order; the human has order; sounding music is a mirror and a training ground for both. To sing or play was therefore not only to perform, but to rehearse a way of being in tune – with oneself, with others, and with the world. For this performance, Idrîsî Ensemble director Thomas Fournil leads a group of six singers to explore the concepts of trivium and quadrivium.