"Music for the Canterbury Tales" - the album

“Fresh and vital” - Early Music America. Read the full review HERE

Texas Renaissance Festival has used tracks from this album as background music for some of their promo:

Bookmark “Music for the Canterbury Tales” on Bandcamp, Apple Music,  Spotify, or right here on this page. Not sold on Am*zon!

Step into the Canterbury Tales

The listener encounters, among others:
- a scholar, Nicholas, wooing his landlord's wife with angelic song
- the pious schoolboy tragically murdered in the Prioress' Tale
- the devil in disguise, savagely deceiving a pilgrim out of his own life, from the Friar's Tale
- Perkyn, the dissolute apprentice from the Cook's Tale, who is fond of dancing
- the corrupt Pardoner, selling fake forgiveness
- Chanticleer the Rooster
- Geoffrey Chaucer himself
​and is transported to such settings as:
- a shipwreck at the coastal village of Penmarc'h, Brittany
- the grisly martyrdom of St. Cecilia in Rome
- the battle for a princess' hand in ancient Athens
- The Tabard Inn, the actual tavern where the fictional pilgrims gather
Join us as we render the tales in the language of music from:
- The Robertsbridge Codex
- John Cooke
- John Dunstable
- Soulage ("Jean Soulage")
- Le Chansonnier du Roi
- 4th-century Syriac liturgy
- the Harley Manuscript
and much more. 

Ensemble Benedictus:
Elisabeth Ellison - vielle, medieval percussion
Tina Chancey - producer, vielle, rebec, percussion
Al Cofrin - lute, citole, oud, shawms, crumhorn, arranger
Stephanie Gudeman - recorders, shawms, naker
Martha Gay - harp
Cayla Cardiff - mezzo-soprano
Ben Kerswell - baritone
Maxwell Magallon - soprano
Paul Ellison - double bass
Barry Sills - narration
Brian Baker (Sound Arts Recording) - engineer

Contributors:
Cantor Abby Gostein (my cousin!): Hebrew syllabification
Ari Ryan "The Turnip of Terror:" inspiration and genesis of the project per his podcast series of a reading of the full Canterbury Tales.
Paul Ellison (my husband!): saintly tolerance for wild-hare ideas

Al Cofrin: the use of numerous settings from his published books
Nick Cooper : CD cover

Music for the Canterbury Tales

Ensemble Benedictus

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CD Download

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A programmatic, 23-track collection of medieval and ancient music selections illustrating scenes, characters, and themes from Geoffrey Chaucer's classic work, written ca. 1390. Produced by Tina Chancey. Performed by Elisabeth Ellison and a roster of hyper-creative medieval music experts.

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  1. 1
    Track 01 The Tabard Inn 1:23
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  2. 2
    Track 02 Edi Beo Thu, Hevene-Queene 1:05
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  3. 3
    Track 03 English Dance (English Estampie) 3:54
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  4. 4
    Track 04 Gwerz Penmarc'h 2:34
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  5. 5
    Track 05 La Quarte Estampie 2:35
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  6. 6
    Track 06 Angelus Ad Virginem 3:34
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  7. 7
    Track 07 Estampie Retrové 5:49
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  8. 8
    Track 08 Fauvel, Cogita 1:55
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  9. 9
    Track 09 Stella Celi 1:17
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  10. 10
    Track 10 Qolo Dedauso 2:36
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  11. 11
    Track 11 Nota_Ductia 1 1:27
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  12. 12
    Track 12 Nota_Ductia 2 1:02
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  13. 13
    Track 13 Nota_Ductia 3 1:29
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  14. 14
    Track 14 Fumeaux fume par fumée 4:56
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  15. 15
    Track 15 Battle March 2:08
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  16. 16
    Track 16 Non é Gran Cousa (Cantiga 26) 2:29
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  17. 17
    Track 17 Procurans Odium 0:57
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  18. 18
    Track 18 Alma Redemptoris Mater 1:16
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  19. 19
    Track 19 Psalm 19 3:24
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  20. 20
    Track 20 Miri It Is While Summer Ilast 2:00
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