El Llibre Vermell: 14 th century Songs

C apella de Ministrers , under the direction of Carles Magraner, was created in 1987 in Valencia . Since then they have concentrated on pre-1800 music, faithfully interpreting the music of each era and using historic instruments. The ensemble has given concerts all over Spain and participated in many festivals.

The practice of dancing and singing in church was a deep-rooted custom of the middle-ages, which many synods and Church councils reacted against vehemently. As a prime example, in the canons of the Council of Valladolid in 1322, the bishops were united in severely condemning the tradition of bringing Moors and Jews into churches for nights of singing and playing musical instruments. In the course of another synod that took place in Seu d’Urgell in 1364, priests were banned from dancing outside of their own houses, an allusion to the fact that priests and deacons sang and danced on certain occasions inside their churches during the antiphons, prayers for the deceased, homilies, and even during the Kyries and Sanctus.

In the same era, El Llibre Vermell, a body of work for the faithful, was put together that contained exceptional pieces: ten sacred songs in Latin, Catalan and Occitan, amongst which several were dances.

This precious manuscript of religious miscellanea was largely copied by one person in the course of the last decade of the 16 th century.

The design of the book is explained in detail in a note in Latin which correlates to a note in the Brevis exortatioad sermonicandum of the same Llibre Vermell, in which pilgrims are advised of their duty to avoid vain, disreputable songs and dances during their journey to and stay at Montserrat .