Ensemble Gemma

S:T Sigfrids Officium: Celebremus Karissimi Ensemble Gemma

Around 1200, at the turn of the century, chants were composed for Sigfrid. The chants of the vespers urge the honour and celebration of the saint, while other antiphons represent more general tributes. The legend was presented in words and music in the form of an Office or historia, the services which in a monastic context were spread evenly throughout the day. The combination of recitation from the saint's legend and chants about the saint. The ensemble Gemma strives for a flexible, text based song where the accentuation of the words forms the foundation for the melodic line. In this recording we have used a pronunciation of the Latin as it is believed to have sounded during the High Middle Ages in Sweden.