The repertoire of the Estonian ensemble HORTUS MUSICUS includes music from Gregorian chants and medieval liturgical dramas to late Baroque compositions. Under Andres Mustonen's baton the "Hortus Musicus Academic Orchestra", which has been active since 1972, performs large-scale works on modern instruments; playing music from the late Baroque period as well as Classical and Romantic symphonies.
This record presents the music that Hortus Musicus most often plays on tours, i.e. society music from the late Renaissance or Humanist age (ca 1520-1620) which at that time spread extensively across Europe. This is not the dignified and ascetic ars perfecta which was characteristic of the Netherlands church music, and which had strong spiritual links with medieval liturgical music. It belongs to the world of the modern man, a man free and cheerful in spirit, who delights in creating beauty in his environment.
This music is a genuine expression of the Renaissance spirit and embodies the sensuality of man in harmony with the universe. In its time it was like an axis mundi - the axis of the world - demonstrated in ancient fertility rites by the Maypole; a tree trunk trimmed of its foliage and topped by a wheel to which rainbow-coloured ribbons were fastened. A ritual dance around this symbol signified the male and female principles and represented the renewal and rebirth of life.
You can listen to titles of the following collections:
CRISTOPH DEMANTIUS: CONVIVIORUM DELICIAE, NÜRNBERG 1608
ORLANDO DI LASSO: LIBRO DE VILLANELLE, PARIS 1581
MORITZ LANDGRAF VON HESSEN-KASSEL
PIERRE ATTAINGNANT: TRENTE ET UNE CHANSONS MUSICALES, PARIS 1529
PIERRE PHALÈSE: RECUEIL DE DANSERIES, ANVERS 1583
