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In the Middle Ages the sounds of the orient began to enchant the occident. Eastern musical instruments, introduced into Western Europe directly from Arabian civilization, brought with them a new set of musical aesthetics. Eastern music was divided in two categories: music to be played in a closed place  with “soft” instruments, and ceremonial music to be played in the open using “loud” instruments. The Saracen ceremonial band was a well-established ensemble of wind and percussion instruments. In Medieval Europe the nobility, the church, cities, and people of high social standing sought to establish an image of stability, power, magnificence, and splendour. Music was indispensible to this image, and the “loud” instruments inherited from the Saracen ceremonial band proved to be an ideal means of projecting this image. Capable of furnishing music for functions of state, church, and court it was also to become the preferred ensemble for dance music. The captivating sound of this ensemble became immensly popular throughout Medieval Western Europe … so popular that its make-up would remain largely unvaried until the renaissance period. Trumpeter David Yacus has done a lot of research about long trumpets that are still in use in traditional music in various countries around the world (Morocco, Usbekistan, Ethiopia,...). With this program, Les Haulz et les Bas bring back to life the ceremonial elegance and festive frenzy of this extraordinarily popular ensemble.