The Ensemble Arte Minima takes us on a musical journey to Coimbra, the former capital of the Portuguese kingdom: the Augustinian monk and canon Francisco...

The Ensemble Arte Minima takes us on a musical journey to Coimbra, the former capital of the Portuguese kingdom: the Augustinian monk and canon Francisco de Santa Maria worked at the three musical centres of the city in the 16th century - the Santa Cruz monastery, the cathedral and the university. The ensemble Arte Minima, consisting of a four-part recorder consort and four vocalists, is committed to bringing back to life the lost musical treasures of the Portuguese Renaissance. This CD presents the Missa "O beata Maria" by this hitherto completely forgotten composer. Francisco de Santa Maria used the motet of the same name by Pedro Guerrero as a model for his mass, which opens the programme. The Ensemble Arte Minima intersperses instrumental works by Antonio Carreira and Pedro de Escobar.