Cambridge Villages Tour

The English in Europe – Part 2

The Gesualdo Six explore the transmission of sacred choral traditions in Renaissance Europe, shaped by patronage, pedagogy, and cultural exchange. At its core is the Contenance Angloise—a distinctive English style of rich consonance, flowing melodies, and controlled dissonance that influenced continental composers like Binchois and Brumel.

Walter Frye’s Ave Regina caelorum may have even appeared in artworks featuring sheet music, highlighting the interplay of music, architecture, and visual art. Paired Tota pulchra es settings by Forest and Mouton showcase Marian devotion as a vehicle for stylistic exchange, while settings of Sub tuum by Dunstaple and Brumel further reflect English influence on continental practice.

“Their sound seemed to float in mid-air before reaching the ears of the rapt audience… every line,
every gorgeous texture was radiantly clear.”

The Times

PROGRAMME
Jean Mouton - Tota pulchra es
Walter Frye - Ave Regina caelorum (Modena B)
John Forest - Tota pulchra es

John Dunstaple - Sub tuam protectionem
Antoine Brumel - Sub tuum praesidium

Gilles Binchois - Asperges Me
William Byrd - Infelix Ego