A Marriage of England and Burgundy
The Binchois Consort, Andrew Kirkman (conductor)
CDA67129
The celebrations surrounding the marriage in 1468 of Margaret of York, sister of Edward IV of England, and Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, constituted one of the undisputed pinnacles in the history of the Court of Burgundy. To judge from the extent and enthusiasm of surviving testimony, outstripping those of any similar 15th-century state occasion, this was the marriage of the century. It was also an opportunity for display on a grand scale with numerous musical events and celebrations.
Although we don't know exactly what was performed, there is a manuscript—the 'Burgundian Court manuscript'—whose contents may well have been performed at ceremonies associated with the wedding. Some of the music from this manuscript, such as that by Antoine Busnois (an employee of the Court of Charles the Bold) is performed on this disc.