Gothic Music in Bohemia
13th-15th century
Gothic Music in Bohemia
13th-15th century
The compositions selected
for this recording show the musical past of
Bohemian music. To a large extent there was a cosmopolitan style that
was shared by musicians throughout Europe. But at the same time there
were regional styles whose individual characteristics were also
borrowed eventually to appear beyond their native area. Nowhere is this
mixture of the cosmopolitan and regional better represented than in the
Czech lands of the Middle Ages.
In the 13th century the last of the Přemyslide rulers strengthened the
political position of the Czech lands within the framework of Europe.
This was also a time when music flowered, particularly at the Prague
courts. Several prominent minnesingers resided there, notably Neidhart
von Reuenthal (1190-1240) and Tannhäuser
(1200-1266). Medieval musicians, minstrels and joculators included not
only love songs (#1, 2, 3) but also dance music in their repertoires. Ductia
(#4) is one of the oldest preserved polyphonic dances of that time.
Czech music was influenced by the love songs of the troubadours, and by
that of trovčres, as transmitted eastward by minnesingers. The love
song Dřievo sie listem odievá (#5) and the song Otep
myry mieť moj milý (#7) show these influences. At the same
time Otep myry mieť moj milý combines
in a remarkable way the themes of earthly and spiritual love by
paraphrasing extracts from the biblical Song of Song. Two similar dance
tunes of the joculatores, one of them is called "czaldy waldy"
(#6) in manuscript, have also been preserved in Czech sources. Several
polyphonic compositions with sacred texts (#8, 9, 10, 11) show clearly
that the influence of the European "ars antiqua" could also be seen in
the music of Bohemia.
Even though renowned French composer Guillaume de Machaut
(1300-1377) spent many years in the service of the Czech King John of
Luxembourg (until the year 1346), we do not find any influences of his
compositional style on Czech music of that period. Nevertheless
Machaut's music, as well as that by other composers of the French "ars
nova", was known in Bohemia during the second half of the 14th century.
Ars nova influences can be traced in the motet Ave coronata
(#14) and in the song Que est ista (#15), as well
as in the student song Compangant omnes iubilose
(#16) and the bi-textual Christmas carol More festi querimus
(#17).
No Czech secular music from the late 14th or early 15th century has
been preserved. But we know that world music was cultivated in the
university milieu and in educated society generally. The richness of
this repertoire is represented by several works (#18–25). Delight was
taken in musical puns and complexity of all types. The roundeau Vaer
rouve in dander (#18) has a canon in its lower voices (tenor
and contratenor). The virelai Je porte mie blemant
by Donato da Firenze (#20) is preserved in three
different sources, performed in succession here. A rondeau Amis
tout dous (#24) by the Parisian composer Pierre de
Molins exists also in two instrumental paraphrases, both
known as Amis douls vis (#23 and 25), but each in a
different metre. Two virelais (#21 and 22) also offer an interesting
comparison, a three-voiced and four-voiced version of the same tune.
Tne passionate italian temperament is evident in the ballata Poche
partir (#19) by the blind Florentine organist Francesco
Landini (1325-1397).
One of the towering musical figures of the 15th century was Guillaume
Dufay (1400-1474), whose music represents the summation of
medieval practice (L'alta bellezza tua #26) and the
incipient renaissance style (Vergene bella #27). His
influence is especially evident when one compares the Gloria
"ad modum tubae" (#28) and the Gloria "amore dei"
(#29). Both works imitate the blowing of trumpets, imitation of musical
instruments as well as other sounds (e.g. Palmiger a vernulis
#31) was a popular programatic device at that time. The song Modulisemus
omnes (#30) reflects the style of Dufay and his
contemporaries and shows characteristics of the transition to the new
incipient style — Renaissance.