The Lauda, a musical-poetic genre first developed by Saint Francis of Assisi, is historically the oldest and remains one of the most remarkable expressions of Italian popular musical culture from the Middle Ages to our day.

In this double CD set La Reverdie presents a rich and varied anthology of Italian monophonic Laude from the two principal sources of this repertoire: the manuscripts of Cortona (ca. 1270) and Florence (ca. 1320), centered on the main themes common to both: the cult of the Virgin Mary and the devotion of the Saints.

Along with recorded performances of many pieces from the Florence manuscript never before recorded, the two CD set includes a presentation booklet with detailed introductory essays illustrating the methods of musicological research involved in the reconstruction of this repertoire, as well as its continuing social, historical, cultural and religious significance, upon which La Reverdie has founded its unique interpretative approach.