All medieval music is glimpsed from a great distance, but no repertory is so hard to see as that of England in the Middle Ages. The English musical heritage is scattered and faint: much was destroyed when the monasteries were disbanded, and much more has suffered from the ravages of time. The fragments that have come down to us, though, speak in astonishingly vivid voices. This CD offers a garden of English delights, from the earliest surviving vernacular songs to the refined delights of fourteenth-century French-influenced polyphony. Included are many of the surviving monophonic and two-part songs in English, as well as some wonderful examples of Latin sacred music that feature the characteristic English sound of parallel sixths and thirds. While life in 13th and 14th-century England was doubtless hard and painful, this sweet music, with its intense devotion to the intercessory power of Mary, must have made up for some of the hardships of daily existence. On this CD, you’ll hear it performed beautifully by the musicians of Fortune’s Wheel.

Reviews:
“Fortune’s Wheel takes its medieval music seriously and then transforms the music at hand and voice into living, breathing art.” -- The Cleveland Plain Dealer
“…skilled musicians who are engaged with the music, with one another, and with the audience…electrifying…”
-- Milwaukee Journal Sentinal

Tracks: Track 1. Mirie it is 3:19 Track 2. Scottish piper’s tune 2:04 Track 3. Edi beo þu, hevene-queenë 4:54 Track 4. Ave celi regina virginum 2:44 Track 5. Virgo salvavit 3:32 Track 6. Ave mundi rosa 3:49 Track 7. Stantipes 3:47 Track 8. Ar ne kuth ich sorghe non 5:47 Track 9. Fuwëles in the frith 2:48 Track 10. Man mei longe him liues wene 7:09 Track 11. Bryd one brere 4:21 Track 12. Estampie from Robertsbridge Codex 5:27 Track 13. Rosa delectabilis-[Regali ex progenie]-Regalis exoritur harp 2:41 Track 14. Criƒt and ƒainte Marie 2:53 Track 15. Sainte Marie virgine 1:25 Track 16. Sainte Nicholaes 1:13 Track 17. Alleluia — Ave dei genitrix 2:27 Track 18. Worldes bliƒƒ, have god day 2:09 Track 19. Stand wel moðer under rode 7:49 Track 20. English dance 2:56 Track 21. Solaris ardor 3:27 Total Time: 76:41 Texts and Translations in 8 ½” by 11” Format Texts and Translations in CD Sleeve Insert Format Note: Best output as 2-sided laser prints, trimmed as shown, stapled and cross-folded for insertion into CD sleeve.