Hyperion Records

Christopher Page writes: 'The name Jerusalem means 'Vision of Peace', or so medieval writers believed. Their longing for that peace was directed towards both Jerusalem in Palestine and to the heavenly Jerusalem, 'where God shall wipe away all tears'. Devotion to the Holy City found its keenest expression in acts of pilgrimage, and the most momentous pilgrimages were the armed expeditions, undertaken at papal behest, which we have come to call (in accordance with later medieval usage) 'the Crusades'. Prophecies from Christian lands predicted that there would be universal peace and harmony after a successful crusade to Jerusalem, with the Ishmaelites (i.e. the Saracens) conquered and all people living in harmony. This was a 'vision of peace' indeed'. This recording features a collection of songs and plainchants that were probably composed in northern France during the time of the Crusades. Each work reflects the tragedies of war, the longing for peace and devotion to the Holy City.