ANON: Secrets in Gold

Anonymous Treasures from the Workshop of Petrus Alamire ANON invites you to a world of secrets… Five centuries ago, a mysterious musician travelled between the great courts of Europe, carrying some of the most magnificent music books ever made. His clients included kings, emperors, duchesses and popes, and his manuscripts were extraordinary objects, filled with exquisite music, elaborate illustrations, royals coats of arms, and glittering gold. His name was Petrus Alamire. Or was it?! The man we call Alamire was a man of many secrets. Behind his respectable business as a musician and manuscript-maker, he became entangled in the dangerous world of international espionage, secretly gathering intelligence for Henry VIII while moving amongst the King’s enemies. The books he left behind are every bit as mysterious as the man who made them. Their pages are filled with puzzles, hidden messages and musical riddles. Voices are concealed within other voices. Biblical quotes become clues. Canons reveal their secrets only to those who can decipher them. Yet, the greatest mystery is the music itself. These magnificent manuscripts proudly proclaim the identities of the powerful people who commissioned them, preserving their names in gold. But so many of the astonishing works contained in them have survived for centuries without anyone knowing who composed them. In SECRETS IN GOLD, ANON opens these extraordinary books and brings their music to life, as we follow Alamire through a world of dynastic ambition, religious devotion, artistic brilliance and dangerous secrets.Join us at Beverley Minster on 20 February for an evening of musical mystery, as we uncover the stories hidden within some of the most beautiful manuscripts ever made.