What a little book Engelenspel is! Author Rens Tienstra couldn't have chosen a better title for a book about art—both religious and secular—from primarily the late Middle Ages, so thoroughly interwoven with the music of that era.
The music is positively angelic, just think of Gregorian chant and everything that flowed from it, filling churches, cloisters, abbeys, and chapels with sublime sounds. Then look at the altarpieces, the paintings whether on wood or as frescoes (so many of which have vanished) that adorned the walls, the sculptures, the metalwork and all manner of other treasures that glorified saints, bishops, nobles from kings to knights, with reliquaries, tombs, and so much more. Orders of chivalry like the Order of the Golden Fleece represented not only worldly power but also emphasized it through both image and sound.
Tienstra illustrates his highly instructive and richly detailed, yet eminently readable book with a series of remarkable artworks, both grand and modest, as well as reproductions of Gregorian and other musical scores. We all know the panel of the Lamb of God with The Singing Angels by the Van Eyck brothers, but there's certainly much more than that. Thankfully so. Once there was far more, but wars waged in God's name or otherwise, fires, uprisings, and simple decay caused tremendous loss and destruction, not to mention thefts. Despite all that violence, there's still plenty to see and hear and perform. The latter ideally in a fitting setting, such as a Gothic church, for instance.
This little book reminds me of a reproach I once received from a renowned (or notorious?) musician of international standing: "You write about that church, about the remnants of the frescoes and sculptures and such, and then you claim the music is more beautiful? How can you possibly listen properly when you're just sitting around looking at things?" Well, my distinguished friend whose name I shall not mention, do read this book 'Engelenspel – Medieval Masterpieces and Their Musical Companions.' You can't convince me that the author doesn't feast his eyes while listening to, say, Gregorian chants. Oh yes, it goes absolutely together, it belongs together, it is one.
And now, dear readers, two tasks remain: 1) be sure to buy this book and 2) be sure to read it. To anyone who teaches music, I also recommend using it with students and pupils aged 7 to 107.
Title: Engelenspel, Medieval Masterpieces and Their Musical Companions
ISBN: 97894645511747 – €20
