Strange, familiar, songs of Spain

Eerie sounds of the double-reeded shawm, resounding hand-drums, tingling finger cymbals and chorused voices chanting open intervals in a dead language, all will echo in the spacious sanctuary of the Cathedral of Christ the King this weekend during a performance of songs from the deep past.

"The Pilgrim Trail: Miracle Songs from Medieval Spain," is a revival of sorts, bringing back music performed by Camerata Atlanta and the choir of Christ the King during shows in the late 1990s.

Of course, the songs go further back than the '90s.

The 14th century songs were recovered courtesy of choirmaster Kevin Culver,  working from clues left at a Spanish monastery in Montserrat, perched in the craggy, 4,000-foot mountains near the French border. "This was a center of art and culture in northern Spain," said Culver

The spot was a regular stop for pilgrims throughout Spain and Europe, famous for apparitions and healings associated with its statue of the Black Madonna. Many of the songs, gathered in a folio called "The Red Book," are clearly adapted from dance tunes traded by troubadors of the period -- pop tunes overlaid with sacred lyrics.

Pilgrims probably entertained themselves with these tunes as they journeyed over days and weeks, said Culver, and the monks at Montserrat found ways to work the tunes into a religious framework.

"It's interesting how these tunes were adapted," said Culver. "There's more than a little connection with North Africa, which is right across the straits there."