Friday, March 13, 2009 • 8 pm
First Church in Cambridge, Congregational
In 1434 a large manuscript of music composed for the French court on the island of Cyprus arrived in Savoy among the accoutrements of Anne of Lusignan, sent from Cyprus to marry the son of the duke of Savoy. The most famous musician in Europe, Guillaume Du Fay, had recently moved to Savoy as master of the chapel, and the Burgundian court and its entire chapel, including the celebrated composer Gilles Binchois, attended the festivities. We wind up our 10th season with a program exploring all these connections, introduced by the world’s leading scholar of Du Fay.
Free pre-concert talk at 7:15 by Alejandro Enrique Planchart (Professor Emeritus, University of California) — sponsored by theCambridge Society for Early Music
The world’s most distinguished scholar of the life and music of Guillaume Du Fay, Professor Planchart is at work on what is sure to be the definitive book on the subject, as well as a new edition of the music. What’s more, he is a most entertaining and informative speaker. This talk is not to be missed.