Think subtilior


Instrumentation: Voice, Organetto, Recorders, Lute, Viella


Ars: art

Subtilis: subtle, fine, precise, homespun, unsophisticated, delicate, tender


Ars Subtilior music makes use of slender means to achieve its goal: to convey emotion. The auditor is not bombarded with sound effects, dynamic extremes, dramatic harmonies or drastic changes in tempo but experiences musical miniatures, in which the finest detail contributes to the poetry of the whole. Imagine looking into a kaleidoscope: if we pay attention, we can allow the ever-changing perfection that is created by the movement of tiny, individual beads to transport us into an abundant world of colour and shape. Ars Subtilior makes use of the same mixture of precision and complexity to bring forth a delicate beauty that would almost seem accidental, were it not so meticulously crafted. There is a subtle interplay between continuous musical lines flowing into one another, forming shapes of rhythmic complexity and creating soft dissonances. Nonetheless the sounding result is rooted in tranquillity which lifts us out of the rush and bustle of the everyday towards a moment of pure contemplation.


"the listeners enjoyed a musical journey into a long forgotten world, though the sheer artfulness of the performance made it seem not so distant after all..." 


(Gerd Klingeberg, Weser-Kurier, 31.05.2016)




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Baude Cordier: Tout par compas

Chantilly: Bibliothèque du Musée Condé 564, fol. 12