In the Middle Ages, the image of the rose was a symbol not only of the Virgin Mary, but of romantic love as well. This new program presented by Ensemble Scholastica traces musical texts and settings from 11th-century plainchant to early 15th-century polyphony, exploring the imagery of the rose from very different points of view.

This program juxtaposes Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)’s ecstatic chant Vos flores rosarum with ars antiqua (13th c.) motets based on Latin texts invoking the rose. Machaut’s famous rondeau Rose, liz is contrasted with the well-known early 15th-century song O rosa bella. The text of O rosa bella, written by the great Italian poet Leonardo Giustiniani, was set by the Flemish composer Johannes Ciconia and the English composer John Bedyngham. These works were subsequently quoted in many other versions.

This program was created by one of Ensemble Scholastica’s exceptional colleagues, Annette Bauer, who will also be directing the concert. Annette is a Montréal-based German musician who has performed with us as a guest instrumentalist on several occasions. She is a great and rare specialist in medieval music and has also studied and performed Indian classical music. An accomplished artist on a wide variety of historical and world instruments, Annette’s performing and teaching have taken her all over the world. We are delighted and proud to have Annette Bauer collaborating with Ensemble Scholastica for this upcoming concert in her adopted city.