Istanpitta: danses florentines du Trecento

The history of the estampie is clouded by time. Music and dance historians have struggled over the years to piece together just how the dance and its accompanying music were performed. Fortunately for musicians, many written scores of estampies have been preserved and are available for interpretation. Henri Agnel and his quintet have brought to life a collection of Italian estampies from a late fourteenth-century manuscript housed at the British Museum. Agnel's arrangements play up the probable Middle Eastern connection to the music. Using Indian, Turkish, and Persian instruments as well as period European instruments, he creates a sound that is ancient at its essence yet has a modern appeal.