Germanies

The Revolt of the Brotherhoods: Military Music and Culture in 16th Century Europe.Music and war have been linked together since time immemorial. This relationship can be traced from the simple drum and bugle calls performed by army musicians at the height of battle, to communicate orders or to engender courage (or fear) in the combatants, to the more elaborate pieces composed to instill patriotism, such as military marches, songs of victory and compositions for triumphal parades, staged works and dances such as choreographed sword dances.
In the religious sphere the impact of war, always wrapped in a solemn, moralising tone, has been similarly noteworthy. This CD serves to commemorate the Fifth Centenary of the Revolt of the Brotherhoods, a popular uprising against the nobility – and also against the monarchy itself owing to an increase in taxes – which was instigated by the craftsmen’s guilds in the kingdoms of Valencia and Mallorca between 1519 and 1523.