Vision of Tondal

A note for non-members: We are honored to make our "classic" shows available to any who wishes to listen.

No membership is required. Simply click ▶️ (play) below to listen and enjoy this classic show.

To view more of our classic shows, click here.

Program: #03-01   Air Date: Jan 06, 2003

00:00

At the 2002 Holland Festival of Early Music, Katarina Livljanic and her Ensemble Dialogos recreated one of the most popular religious stories of the middle ages. The story of Tondal is of a man whose soul leaves his body, and was passed from Irish sources to a Dalmatian Benedictine monastery.

Preservation of this program is made possible by a generous grant in honor of the victims of the tragic war in Ukraine.

NOTE: The story of Tondal, where an unconscious man has a journey where his soul leaves the body, was written in the 12th century by the Irish monk Marcus. It spead across the face of Europe, including a late Medieval version dedicated to Benedictine nuns on the Dalmatian coast. This performance uses Gregorian, Beneventan, and Glagolithic chant known in Medieval Dalmatia. Glagolitic liturgy is in the vernacular Coratian-Slavonic, but follows the Roman Catholic rite of mass.

These performances from the Holland Festival of Early Music at Utrecht 2002 are by the Ensemble Dialogos directed by Katarina Livljanic. They are supported in part by Radio Nederland and the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Washington, D.C.

  1. Invocation to Tondal: Gospodin, smiluj se/Kyrie eleison (Glagolitic).
    Zac noge tvoje sada u tanci ne igraju.
  2. The soul of the Knight Tondal descends into Hell:
    Introit: Venite, benedicti patris mei (Beneventan).
    Tractus: Qui habitat in adiutorio altissimi (Gregorian, from the
    "Dubrovnik Missal" in the Bodelian Library, Oxford).
  3. The Valley of Abomination:
    Viruju u jedinoga boga/Credo (Glagolitic).
    Gospodine, pomiluj/Kyrie eleison (Glagolitic).
  4. Into the depths:
    Gospin plac (Lament of the Virgin—Glagolitic).
  5. Lucifer, lord of Hell:
    O janjce bozji/Agnus Dei (Glagolitic).
  6. The Golden Seats
    [After Tondal has followed the angels into hell and walked the thin bridge across the stinking chasm, he sees the golden throne, and wonders why he cannot sit]
    Obrativ se Tondal za angelorum.
    Citaje knjige Otkrivenja {Glagolitic—book of the Apocalypse}.
    Dodji, duse presveti/Veni, sancte spiritus (Glagolitic).
  7. The Knight's Soul returns to his body
    [When Tondal awakens, he assumes he has been gone for years, only to find all his adventures lasted less that one-millionth of a second]
    Cuvsi toj; Salve Regina; I toj reksi vaze ga za ruku; Svet/Sanctus.
    Acclamation: Exaudi Christe.

Note: The contact information in this episode may be out-of-date. You can contact us at this current link.

Thank you for listening to this show! If you enjoyed what you heard, click here to become a subscriber.

You’ll support our continuing mission to showcase early music, and you’ll gain access to our vast and unique selection of shows.