TEXTUR 2026 - The Codex Calixtinus

Description

How were medieval songs transmitted before they were written down? In this workshop, participants will learn one or two songs from the famous Codex Calixtinus under the guidance of Paloma Gutiérrez del Arroyo – entirely according to medieval tradition through oral transmission. They will gain fascinating insights into the history of this important manuscript from the 12th century and into medieval singing practice. Only at the end will the manuscript be consulted, so that the sensory experience of learning through the ear is complemented by the joy of the eye, as the musical notations were artistically executed and richly decorated at the time. Course languages: French, English, hands and eyes. Paloma Gutiérrez del Arroyo is a singer and psaltery player. Since its founding in 2015, she has been part of the ensemble Cantaderas, which is dedicated to traditional Spanish music and some related repertoires of early music. Recently, she founded the EVOCA project (Exploración de la Vocalidad y la Oralidad del Canto Antiguo), which aims to explore the oral tradition in medieval practice forms of monodic and polyphonic singing and held an artist residency in 2021 and 2022 at the Aula de Música de l’Universidad de Alcalá de Henares. She also performs in a duo with multi-instrumentalist Bill Cooley, harpist Manuel Vilas, and singers Catherine Schroeder and Élodie Mourot, and collaborates with Spanish, French, and Italian ensembles and projects: Ars Combinatoria, Malandança, Rosace, Contrafacta, La compagnie Orion, Le jardin des délices, Dialogos, La Frottola, and La Reverdie. She has also worked as a musician in theater with the Spanish group Los hedonistas and the French group Théâtre 5, as well as in a duo with actress Carole Visconti. She made a foray into contemporary repertoire with "Sponsus," an oratorio by composer Sasha Zamler-Carhart (Toulouse 2012). Contributing artist: Paloma Gutiérrez del Arroyo