Castrum Alemorum

The Castle of Allymes, “castrum Alemorum”, located on a hill in the centre of the seigneury of Allymes (France) is an historic castle dating back to the fourteenth century, rebuilt in the sixteenth century and restored in the nineteenth. 

This piece evokes an image of the castle, its beautiful location within the surrounding landscape and its importance for the rural district of Ambérieu-en-Bugey. Combining beautiful melodies with rhythmical sections and modern sounds with passages in a renaissance style, this work of Jacob de Haan is an impressive musical challenge that is both fun to play as well as appealing for your audience: as you listen you can almost see the castlebefore your eyes.

Jacob de Haan: “It may be interesting to know how I shaped the thoughts of this castle using measure numbers. The beginning of the work imbues us with the magnificence of the castle and its inhabitants throughout the ages. What follows is the evocation of a mysterious past in the imagination of a visitor (23). 

A pleasant theme, written in a characteristic rhythm, then traces the history of the inhabitants of Allymes over time (40). The pace accelerates and suddenly becomes combative, highlighting the strategic function that the castle had until 1355 (68). Then a lyrical theme presented in a slow tempo, describes the magnificent environment of the castle (91), before a slightly faster movement takes us down towards the picturesque town of Ambérieu-en-Bugey (112). 

A change of style leads us on a festive march which depicts the castle and its community (126). We hear once again an echo of the past, with the re-exposure of the martial and combative element. The work concludes with a return of the lyrical theme of the central part, a hymn to the Château des Allymes and its surroundings (185).”