Codex Faenza
The vocal and instrumental ensemble Mala Punica was founded in 1987 by Pedro Memelsdorff. It focuses on fourteenth-century Italian music, ranging from the Tuscan masters to the legendary Ars Subtilior, a repertoire that has been described as ‘the avant-garde of mediaeval Europe’.
Codex Faenza is a manuscript dating back to the early fifteenth century. It contains transcriptions for piano of sacred and secular vocal music from the Ars Nova, presented by Mala Punica in a version for voice, piano and a small ensemble. The Codex gives us a fascinating picture of the rich ornaments or diminutions with which composers embellished their music.