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Harmonia Mundi HMC 90 396 (CD)
compilación 1987
[ HM 396]
1. ANONYME (fin 12e. siècle)
A l'entrada del temps clar [2:42]
voix mixtes, viéle, chitarra saracenica, tintinnabulum, tambour, tambour à grelots
2. PEIROL (avant1180—après 1222)
Quant Amors trobèt partit [3:21]
voix, tambour
3. PÈIRE VIDAL (avant 1183—après 1204) [17:40]
1. Vida et Razos
récitant, luth, flûte de berger, galoubet, cornemuse, tambour, tambourin, crotales
2. Barons de mon dan convit
ténor, luth, tympanon, flûte à bec
4. BERNART DE VENTADORN (avant 1147—après 1170)
Quan vei la lauzeta mover [10:21]
chant, bûche
5. RAIMBAUT DE VAQUEIRAS (avant 1180—après 1205) [11:59]
1. Vida
récitant, vièle, rubebe
2. Calenda maia
chant, vièle, rubebe, bûche, tambour-calice
[ HM 397]
6. LA COMTESSA DE DIA (vers 1160) [14:50]
1. Vida
récitant
2. A chantar
soprano, vièle, tympanon, rubebe, tambour
Sources: Biblioteque Nationale, Paris: Fonds frs. 844, 846, 12615,
20050, 22543
CLEMENCIC CONSORT
René Clemencic
Pilar Figueras, soprano
René Zosso, chant et vielle à roue
Frederick Urrey, ténor
René Clemencic, flûte de berger, galoubet, flûtes à bec
Michael Dittrich, vièles
Andras Kecskés, rubebe, chirarra saracenica
Anne Osnowycz, bûche, tintinnabulum
Frantisek Pok, cornemuse, tambour à grelots
Esmail Vasseghi, tympanon, tambour-calice, tambour
RÉCITANT: Yves Rouquette
Harmonia Mundi, Ⓟ 1977
Enregistrement en juin 1977 en l'Eglise de Palaja
Prise de son et montage: Alberto Paulin
Traduction française des Chansons des Troubadours et
transcription des Vidas en occitan moderne: Yves Rouquette ©
Harmonia Mundi
Illustration. Jongleurs. Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris. Ms latin
1118, f. 112
Maquette: Relations
In the second half of the 11th century an important literature of
secular vocal music in the vernacular of the South of present-day
France came into existence. The language of these lyrics was
Provençal, also called “Langue d'Oc” or Occitanian
after the word for “yes”: “oc”. A somewhat
modified version of this language is still spoken in the regions of the
Languedoc, Provence, the Limousin, and the Auvergne.
The poets of this school, who often composed the melodies for their
songs, were called Trobadors, or Troubadours: “Finders”,
“Inventors” of words andt unes. By the middle of the 13th
century the peak of Troubadour art was already past. The tragic
political events of the day (Albigensian Wars, Crusades, and the
incorporation into France of this autonomous cultural area) had
contributed to the decline of the Troubadours. But they had made their
influence felt in many parts of Europe where they were imitated and
that art adapted. Dante was a fervent admirer and wrote verses of his Canzoni
in Provençal and parts of Spain and Italy were inspired by the
art of the Troubadours. Versions of it are found in the Northern French
Trouvères and the Minnesänger in Germany imitated it in
Middle High German.
The main theme of these verses and songs is love, but a form of love
which is difficult to define and has little to do with the later
Romantic concept. It contains elements of the primeval, of magic,
feudalism, mysticism, etc. Physical possession of the beloved and the
sanction of marriage play no part in this idea of high love (Fin
Amors). And yet, in spite of its apparent strangeness and
incomprehensibility, many of its features are still accessibly familiar
to us today. “Courtesy” towards a “Lady” (dompna
in Provençal), “courtliness”, “honour”,
and the “worship” of the beloved are words which have
remained current in our languages.
The Troubadour love-song is called the Canso. It is in several
stanzas each of which usually has the same rhyme-scheme. In addition to
the Canso there are other types of songs dealing with subjects other
than love: the Sirventes (literally: vassal-songs) generally
“borrow” their melodies from the Canso, but are generally
political or moralizining content. The Enueg has affinities
with the Sirventes, and is a song of invective, often coarse in
character (enueg = discontent, vexation).
The Tenso is a kind of dispute between two parties. The Alba
is an aubade (the second Act of “Tristan and Isolde” is an
Alba of gigantic proportions), with the word “alba” at the
end of each stanza. The Balade and the Dansa are
dance-songs with a refrain. The Pastorela is a curious type of
narrative song with a stereotype situation: a knight endeavours,
usually in vain, to seduce a shrewd farm girl or shepherdess.
The Troubadours came from virtually every social class; we find among
them kings, princes, aristocrats of all ranks, middle-class burghers,
servants, jongleurs, monks, bishops, etc. The composer of the songs was
a Troubadour, while whoever performed them for payment was called a
joglar (jongleur = player). The one did not exclude the other, however;
there were Troubadours who only composed, and others who had a fine
voice or were good players on instruments who also performed songs,
just as there were joglars who also composed. It was not an exclusively
masculine society either: there were a number of female Troubadours and
jongleurs. The most famous Trobadora is the Comtessa de Dia.
The “Vidas” and “Razos” which have survived
from the 13th and early 14th centuries were employed by the joglars as
introductions to performances of songs. They were sometimes
historically accurate, and at others contained legendary features. The
performances were usually a part of a lively social occasion. There is
a description of such an occasion in an early 13th century
Provençal verse Romance (“Flamenca”): after the
banquet “the jongleurs came in, and each one of them wanted to be
heard... Whoever could play a new tune on the fiddle, or sing a new
Chanson, Descort, or Lai, did so as best he could... One played the
harp, another the flute, and another the pipe... One told a story,
while another accompanied him, yet another played the bagpipe, and
another the mandora... Someone caused puppets to dance, and someone
else juggled with knives... One recited the verses of Macabru, while
another told about Daedalus”.
In the interpretation of the Troubadour solo-song the influence of
Spanish-Moorish practices was noticeable. The troupes of jongleurs at
Spanish court celebrations consisted almost entirely of Arabs, Jews,
and Christians, and the musically important Abbey of St. Martial at
Limoges disposed of Moslem slaves. Through the Crusades, too, the
Troubadours and jongleurs came into contact with Arab music and
instruments.
Dr. René Clemencic