La Rose et la Plume
between faith and art

SMAM presents an interpretation of the Eton Choirbook that is both intense and profound

October 8, 2025

With La Rose et la Plume, the first major concert of its 51st season, the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal (SMAM) invites us on a captivating journey into the unique and timeless world of the Eton Choirbook. This precious legacy of late 15th-century English sacred music miraculously survived the ravages of Henry VIII’s Anglican Reformation, delivering to us the radiant echoes of a sacred tradition.

Each page of this treasure offers an intense spiritual elevation, where the devotion of the late Middle Ages entwines with the optimistic momentum of a budding Renaissance. These ancient voices rise as a bridge between worlds, allowing us to hear the sonic beauty and mysticism of an era when art was more than creation—it was an act of faith.

An intense spiritual elevation, reflecting late medieval piety and the budding optimism of the Renaissance.

The Eton Choirbook, compiled between 1490 and 1501 for the liturgical services at Eton College, was designed as a jewel. This manuscript transcends mere notation to become the guardian of a musical tradition unlike any other. In an era when Latin sacred music was on the verge of extinction, this collection stands as a tangible miracle, a sanctuary of voices and melodies that have arrived intact, an offering to time itself.

Its works, sung after prayers to the Virgin Mary, convey fervour in every note — a blend of softness and power that invites contemplation. John Browne, the collection’s most prolific composer, enchants with long melodic lines and innovative vocal combinations. Alongside him, other hidden artisans connected to the spiritual heart of Eton College form a symphony that is both human and divine.

In the concert La Rose et la Plume, symbolism is more than decoration; it is essence. The Tudor rose, a fleeting emblem of unity after turbulent conflict, dances with the ostrich feather, symbol of the Prince of Wales. Together, they weave the historical and sonic fabric that underlies this musical celebration. Here, England’s fragile history — with its upheavals and hopes — melds with the sublime grandeur of the liturgy.

These composers built sound architectures where divine majesty meets Marian devotion. Their works blend intimacy with collectivity, the surge of prayer with the depth of elegy. The Eton Choirbook offers a polyphony of rarely matched richness, marked by a quest for meaning and a transcendence embodied by devotion.

‘The Eton Choirbook offers a polyphony of rarely matched richness, marked by a quest for meaning and a transcendence embodied by devotion.’

The concert La Rose et la Plume is an invitation, almost a call, to relive this pinnacle of English polyphony, a suspended moment of pure beauty, vibrating with memory and emotion. It is also a victory against forgetting, for this manuscript, having escaped the flames of history, allows us today to hear the voices of ancient, powerful, and intensely alive individuals.

The event is scheduled for Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at 7:30 p.m., at Salle Bourgie—a perfect setting for this sonic resurrection. A unique moment where history, culture, and music unite to celebrate a heritage of inestimable value.

Before the concert at Salle Bourgie, SMAM invites you on a musical journey to Estrie, where twelve a cappella voices will resonate in the unique atmosphere of the Abbey of Saint-Benoît-du-Lac. On Saturday, October 18, 2025, at 2 p.m., the jewel of 15th-century English polyphony, the Eton Choirbook, will come to life in this exceptional setting, between sacred fervour and the splendour of illuminations. This stage precedes the Montreal performance and offers a comprehensive experience of the spiritual and historical dimensions of these majestic works, in a setting imbued with silence and reflection.

Under the direction of Andrew McAnerney, let yourself be carried away by an experience where every note is an invitation to contemplation and wonder.