Bruges 2002, Part 5

Program: #02-15   Air Date: Apr 15, 2002

Preservation of this program is made possible by a generous grant in honor of David Ethan Stein.

Music from the Beguines

I drew so close to Love that I began to understand
How great the gain of those who give themselves wholly to Love...
                —Hadewijch of Brabant  (1210-c.1290)

NOTE: This program and others this spring celebrate the
beautiful city of Bruges as the European Cultural Capital 2002.

For more information on Bruges 2002 you may visit their website at: www.brugge2002.com, and for more information on visiting Belgium,  you may contact the Belgian Tourist Office at: www.visitbelgium.com.

All of this music is from the recording Zingen en spelen in Vlaamse steden en begijnhoven, featuring music from Flemish cities and Beguinages 1400-1500. The performers are Capilla Flamenca, and the recording is on the Belgian label Eufoda, CD # 1266.

The Beguine movement began in the 12th century in Flanders. It was the only religious community controlled entirely by women. Often wealthy women would join these communities, who devoted themselves to spiritual purity and acts of charity. At the peak of the movement, larger cities featured dozens of beguinages: Cologne, for example, had over 100 houses where 15% of the city's adult women lived.

...in the depths of pure humility, O Lord
I cannot fall away from you.
For the deeper I fall, the sweeter you taste.
                     —Mechthild of Magdeburg (1212-1297)

Composer Info

JOHANNES RONDELLI (fl. 1436), ARNOLD de LANTINS (fl.1430), JOHANNES de SARTO (fl. 1390-1440), NICOLAUS GRENON (c.1380-1456), ARNOLDUS de RUTTIS (fl. 1420), JOHANNES FRANCHOIS (fl.1378-1415).

CD Info

CD # 1266.