Music from the Days of the Cathars

Here is a Russian singing group, the Consolament Ensemble, which has recreated songs from the era of the Albigensian crusade in the thirteenth century. They appear to be wearing the Cross of Toulouse, which has little or nothing to do with Cathar spirituality, since the Cathars despised the sign of the Cross. The music is lovely and reflects the rich culture of the South of France, where the troubadours flourished.

The following ballad is supposed to be an encoded hymn about the fall of the Cathars under the guise of being about cattle herders. It is a splendid sample of the music from that time and place.

My novel about the Cathars:

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