Listen to what the Normans are singing.

A show combining the presentation of medieval instruments, stringed instrument making, and Anglo-Norman and Sicilian music with Arab influences during the time of the Norman kings.

Les Prieurales and their iconic ensemble Quarte&graal showcase a remarkable collection of Norman instruments built up over more than twelve years with the support of the City of Le Havre. This project highlights a musical heritage reconstructed from historical sources, notably from medieval sculptures and 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 work in restoring 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 reflects the meeting of Norman, Arab, and Byzantine cultures. Its decoration features numerous instruments such as the oud, the rebab, the qitara, the santur, and the zamar, which are today reinvented and interpreted by Giuseppe Severini and his wife Marilena.

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

For this exceptional program, the Quarte&graal ensemble brings together:
Evelyne Moser: vielle à archet, vocals
Leah Stuttard: rote, vocals
Marilena Severini: grand tambourine, derbouka, vocals and dance
Giuseppe Severini: oud, rebab, santur, zamar, mezwed, vieras, vocals
François Montaufray: guiterne, citole, qitara, vocals

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

Practical information:
For all audiences
Duration: 1h30
Paid
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