One might well be surprised to learn that a small down like Saverne could have played host to so many Alsatian musicians in the 17th century. The reason is that after the spread of the Reformation in Alsace, the Catholic authorities set up outside Strasbourg: Molsheim was chosen for the chapterhouse, and Saverne for the episcopal palace. The – lay – administrator of the diocese was none other than Archduke Leopold of Austria, a Hapsburg (who would be something of a nuisance to the French crown!), who got on with raising up the Saverne chapel by importing several musicians from Vienna like Vincenz Jelich, Bernhardin Wolck and Raimundo Ballestra. Between 1615 et 1625, these composers would distinguish themselves with many works, several shining examples of which are presented here. We hear voices, accompanied by all the instrumentation of the baroque period: sackbut, cornett, recorder, theorbo, the positive organ. Following Leopold’s departure, and above all the ravages of the Thirty Years’ War in the region, which left it devastated and depopulated for decades, musical live in Saverne was snuffed out, like these three musicians, who would all die in the 1630s. This is an excellent, vivacious performance from the Dulcify Melodia ensemble, efficiently conducted by Jean Francois Haberer.