Early Voices Wales focuses on sharing the pleasures of European Medieval and Renaissance music, roughly pre-1600.
"Early Music" can be quite a flexible generic definition and sometimes this term is taken to mean the Baroque period (c. 1600-1750). However, Western culture had nearly a millennia of music before this, spanning from the beginnings of Plain Chant (also called Gregorian Chant) to the Late Renaissance. Although often less familiar to audiences, these ten centuries have bequeathed us a wealth of compositions, both sacred and secular, and vocal as well as instrumental. The music that evolved during these centuries created the basis for all the musical masterpieces of Western classical music.
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​The Early Voices Festival fosters the performance of this wonderful music, giving audiences moving and authentic experiences. From monodic medieval Cantigas to elaborate Renaissance motets, true "early music" generates huge interest for audiences worldwide, creating an evocative atmosphere that carries the listener into a different world. This music speaks to us across time, communicating our shared humanity.
