Composer Of The Week

This week, Donald Macleod marks the beginning of the season of Advent by exploring Christmas music and stories from the Middle Ages. Christmas celebrations encompassed a great variety of colourful traditions and musical occasions during medieval times. Peasants and nobles alike could look forward to many weeks of festivities, from Advent at the start of December, right through to Candlemas on 2nd February. Some of those customs we still recognise and celebrate today. Many are now lost or significantly altered. Donald is joined by early music expert, William Lyons, to examine how Christmas might have felt and sounded to our medieval ancestors.Music Featured: Gaudete Personent hodie; Gaudete; Omnis mundus jucundetur Perotin: Alleluia Nativitas Miri it is while sumer ilast Blowe, Northerne Wynd (arr. William Lyons) Seint Nicholas was borne in the citee of Patras; Cantu mirro, summa laude; Sainte nicholaes; Salve cleri speculum - Salve iubar presulum Dufay: Ce jour de l'an Orientis partibus The Play of Daniel (Lu