Llibre Vermell de Montserrat: The Music of Ancient Pilgrims on the Way to Santiago de Compostela

For over a thousand years, the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela has been followed by travellers from across Europe, serving as a meeting point between diverse cultures. Along these roads, in the Middle Ages, a unique musical repertoire was born — collected in the famous Llibre Vermell de Montserrat — which still today bears witness to a remarkable fusion of different musical traditions.Roberto Tardito, who has dedicated an entire album and numerous concerts across Europe to this repertoire, retraces in this essay the traditional routes of the pilgrimage, recounts the adventurous history of the Red Book, and offers a detailed analysis of the musical structure and lyrics of each piece — presented in their original version alongside a previously unpublished translation. Read more