All songs on this recording come from the Koning Manuscript, which is presently kept in the Royal Library of Brussels (ms II 270). It is a two-part manuscript, the songbook portion of which was compiled around 1500; in addition to the 29 polyphonic songs, it contains the verse text for an antiphon, songs without musical notation and spiritual poetry in Latin and Middle Dutch, and has been enriched with a number of illustrations. Whoever compiled the Koning Maunscript made a Songbook for the Dutch urban society, which has earned a place within the European tradition. The late medieval faithful often submitted themselves to feelings of self-chastisement and the longing for death. The songs on this CD show the macabre side of the Koning Manuscript. The instrumental pieces on this CD are all arrangements of the songs written in a 15th Century style.