Il Trecento
Workshop and concerts, Sept. 30th and Oct. 1st
Westmount Park United Church
Il Trecento (1300’s): aside from the mid-century devastation of the Black Death, this was a bold and thriving century
on the Italian peninsula. The great cities such as Florence and Venice were booming and culture flourished. By the 1320’s
Dante Alighieri had initiated a new literary movement with his passionate argument for the use of vernacular Italian
(as opposed to Latin) and his incorporation of the courtly love ideals of the troubadours into a new Italian poetic style.
Generations of poet-composers such as Francesco Landini, Jacopo da Bologna and many more, were inspired to their
own trecento masterpieces. Their innovations in musical notation have left us a legacy of musical manuscripts full of
beautiful works, which collectively gave rise to a distinctly Italian musical heritage.
With their period instruments and clear voices, Les Reverdies de Montréal presents a few selections of this astonishing
trecento repertoire.
