In sessions that took place in the House of Polyphony, they examined twenty chansons together—about a third of Binchois’s presumed output in the genre. The focus was primarily on songs that have rarely been performed, including two that have come down to us without text. These sessions were part of the Strategic Basic Research project New Perspectives on Medieval and Renaissance Courtly Song, funded by the FWO.

Testing the editions in performance was particularly useful for identifying errors or inaccuracies that can only be detected by ear, for resolving ambiguities, and for verifying previously introduced corrections. Among other things, the participants assessed whether the often ambiguous text underlay in the original sources is workable in performance. The question of chromatic alterations—such as added flats or sharps—was also considered. In addition, for several chansons the musicians explored whether tenor parts that at first glance appear to demand instrumental performance could in fact be sung.

For Metcalfe, the four-day session was both encouraging and inspirational: “Even the simplest-looking song is elegant and beautifully crafted, and many of them have striking features that reveal how Binchois’s imagination, creativity, and sensitivity to the poetic text makes each song setting unique, even given the rather narrow stylistic parameters controlling the composition of a rondeau or ballade at the court of Philip the Good.”