Mission Statement

The Bergen Medieval Music Days (BMMD) aims to present the foremost artistic and academic research on medieval music – to a general audience no less than to specialists. BMMD will also highlight the medieval city of Bergen while showcasing Bergen as a Scandinavian centre of artistic and academic research on, and high-class performance of, Medieval music. The program therefore consists of concerts, lectures, exhibitions and walks through Bergen’s medieval sites. Drawing on contributions by a range of excellent local and international performers and academics, BMMD will establish a meeting point for research in and performance ofall lovers of medieval music.

The BMMD takes place in September each year, and is a collaboration under the auspices of the ensemble Currentes, the University of Bergen (throughand its Centre for Medieval Studies and the the Grieg Academy), and the Bergen city Museum.

Buildings

Bergen boasts the highest density of Medieval ruins and buildings in Norway. The most prominent building is Håkon’s Hall, medieval Norway’s largest secular building and the main arena for the Bergen Medieval Music Days. A more suitable venue would be difficult to imagine. 2011 marks the 750th anniversary of Håkon’s Hall, a jubilee which will be celebrated throughout the year, not least during the Bergen Medieval Music Days in September.

The first recorded use of Håkon’s Hall was in 1261, when Håkon Håkonsson held a banquet for the wedding and coronation of his son Magnus (Lagabøte). (He married the Danish princess Ingeborg.) Twenty years later, in 1281, the Hall hosted another wedding-banquet was held again in Håkon’s hall. This time, Lagabøte’s son, the 13- year- old king Eirik Magnusson, was married to the Scottish princess Margareta – a woman twenty years his senior. The earliest secular song transmitted in a Norwegian manuscript was composed for this occasion: the Latin homophonic song "Ex te lux oritur o dulcis Scocia", or "Carmen Gratulatorium".

At ‘Holmen’ – the medieval name for present-day Bergenhus – there were several other imposing medieval buildings at this time. The largest was Christ Church (Kristkirken), the city cathedral in the Middle Ages. Close by stood a smaller wooden church. Three apostolic churches were also to be found at Holmen. These churches functioned as private chapels for the kings. Finally, the Episcopal residence and a Dominican monastery were situated here. One can imagine the intensity of sound as all the bells rang for masses or the Hours. All the buildings were torn down in the 16th century. Today, a hedge indicates the ruined walls of the Christ Church.At ‘Holmen’ – the medieval name for present-day Bergenhus – there were several other imposing medieval buildings at this time. The largest was Christ Church (Kristkirken), the city cathedral in the Middle Ages. Close by stood a smaller wooden church. Three apostolic churches were also to be found at Holmen. These churches functioned as private chapels for the kings. Finally, the Episcopal residence and a Dominican monastery were situated here. One can imagine the intensity of sound as all the bells rang for masses or the Hours. All the buildings were torn down in the 16th century. Today, a hedge indicates the ruined walls of the Christ Church.

Around 1300, there were as many as 20 churches and chapels, and five monasteries, in Bergen. No other Norwegian city had that many ecclesiastical institutions. There are three medieval churches left today: St. Mary’s church, the Franciscan St Olav’s church (today a Lutheran cathedral) and the Church of the Cross (Korskirken). Close to the railway station are the remains of the chapel of Nonneseter convent. Between St. Mary’s church and Bryggen’s Museum one can see the ruins of yet another medieval church: The Lavran-church.