Listen to what the Normans are singing.

A performance blending the presentation of medieval instruments, lutherie, and Anglo-Norman and Sicilian music with Arab influences during the time of the Norman kings.

Les Prieurales and their emblematic ensemble Quarte&graal highlight a remarkable Norman instrumentarium developed over the past twelve years with the support of the City of Le Havre. This project values a musical heritage reconstructed from historical sources, notably sculptures and medieval iconographies related to Norman history.

Among these instruments is a reconstruction inspired by a sculpture from the abbey of Graville, made by Giuseppe Severini, a luthier based in Randazzo, Sicily. He is also known for his restitution work on the instruments depicted in the paintings of the Palatine Chapel in Palermo. Built during the reign of Roger II, heir to the Norman conquest of Sicily, this monument witnesses the meeting of Norman, Arab, and Byzantine cultures. Its decorations showcase numerous instruments such as the oud, rebab, qitara, santur, and zamar, which are today reinvented and performed by Giuseppe Severini and his wife Marilena.

The meeting between the Norman instruments of Quarte&graal and those from Sicilian Arab-Norman culture gives rise to a unique musical dialogue. The sounds from Normandy, England, and the Mediterranean converse through the voices and instruments of the artists gathered for this occasion, illustrating the richness of cultural exchanges that shaped European history in the Middle Ages.

For this exceptional program, the ensemble Quarte&graal features:
Evelyne Moser: bowed vielle, voice
Leah Stuttard: rote, voice
Marilena Severini: large tambourine, derbouka, voice and dance
Giuseppe Severini: oud, rebab, santur, zamar, mezwed, vieras, voice
François Montaufray: guiterne, citole, qitara, voice

The proposal is structured in two parts: a presentation of the instruments, their origins, historical representations, and the manufacturing techniques that enabled their reconstruction, followed by a concert. Anglo-Norman songs, Sicilian repertoires, and works from Norman trouvères intermingle to bring to life an exceptional musical heritage at the crossroads of the influences that marked the history of Normandy and the Mediterranean space.

Practical information:
All audiences
Duration: 1h30
Paid
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