Litva (Lithuania) is an historic name of Belarus, and Litvins is the old name of the Belarusians.The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) was the Litvins' nation-state. Viĺnia (Vilnius) was the capital of the old Litva. The Litvins' treasures are spiritual works of both local and West European origin.
Renaissance is the Golden Age of the Old Belarus (Lithuania) that started in the 16th c. from a wide interaction of the Old Belarusian and West European cultures. It ended with the Deluge, the catastrophic war in the middle of the 17th c.
The Polack Notebook (1, 4, 9, 10) is a collection of the aulic chamber music of the late 16th - early 17th c. It was compiled in Belarus from popular Belarusian and West European songs and dances of that time (adapted for the local traditions).
Bitva pad Voršaj (Battle at Vorša) (3) is a martial song of the 16th c., written to honor the battle of Vorša (1514). According to another legend, the song was written by the King's order in 1614 for the 100th anniversary of the battle of Vorša. The words are noted down by Vaclaŭ Lastoŭski in 1916, the music is folk music from Michał Federowski's collections (19th c.).
U karalieŭskim vojsku (In King's Army) (6) is an instrumental performance of a Belarusian martial song of the 16th c., written in honor of King Stephan Báthory's campaign to liberate the Poles. Its other title is Stephan The Waywode.
Vilnia Notebook (11) is a collection of aulic chamber music, written by an unknown composer and compiled in 1600 in Viĺnia. One of its probable authors is Diomedes Cato, Belarusian composer of the late 16th c., who lived and worked in Viĺnia.
Dubravačka (Oakery) (13) is an instrumental performance of a Belarusian ballad of the 16th-17th c. about a soldier's heroic death.
Rycar zbrojny (Armed Knight) (16) is a knight song of the 17th c. from Michał Federowski's collections (19th c.) with a typical folk melody.
