6 April 1327. In a small church nearby Avignon, a glimpse of a woman named Laura ignited a lingering passion in the renaissance poet and humanist Francesco Petrarca. His rime sparse or scattered verses took the form of 366 sonnets that later would be called ‘Canzoniere’. This songbook is full of platonic love declarations and cryptic references to his unattainable beauty. It almost reads as Petrarca’s own psychoanalytical notepad.

For centuries these sonnets have formed an inspiration for numerous poets. They were set to music by excellent composers such as da Bologna, de Rore, Lassus, Monteverdi, Liszt and Schönberg. The historical music ensemble Zefiro Torna and Frank Vaganée Trio continue this tradition. They edit the music of medieval, renaissance and baroque madrigals, romantic songs and avant-garde music. Above that they wrote new songs on Petrarca’s immortal verses. Polyphonic tissues, obsessive rhythms, sound chemistry, painful punches, wordless scatting and healing harmonies form the elements of a timeless tribute.

The album Scattered Rhymes will be released on 11 December 2015 at Homerecords, in coproduction with Brosella Folk & Jazz.




1. Sigismondo d’India (c.1582-1629) - Voi ch’ascoltate in rime sparse
2. Els Van Laethem (°1973)* - Mille piagge
3. Guillaume Du Fay (c.1397-1474)* - Vergine bella
4. Cipriano de Rore (1515/16-1565)* - Io canterei d’amor
5. Els Van Laethem* - Una candida cerva
6. Els Van Laethem* - La gola
7. Frans Liszt (1811-1886)* - Pace non trovo
8. Jacopo da Bologna (fl. 1340-c.1360)* - Non al suo amante
9. Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)* - Zefiro torna
10. Claudio Monteverdi* - Vago augelletto
11. Jurgen De bruyn (°1971)** - Een jonge vrouw

* arrangement Frank Vaganée
** arrangement Ensemble