Medieval Paris
Music of the City
Purcell Consort of Voices · Praetorius Consort

medieval.org

1973
Turnabout TV 37086
Candide Vox CE 31095

A

1 - Adam de la HALLE: Du cueur pensieu   [1:34]
2 - Chançonnette   [1:09]
3 - Jehannot de L'ESCUREL: Amours, cent mille merciz   [2:22]
4 - Hocquet   [1:21]
5 - Dieus! Qui porroit   [3:07]
6 - Danse real   [1:55]
7 - Ave, virgo regia   [2: 18]
8 - Colin MUSET: Quant je voi yver retorner   [2:50]
9 - Adam de la HALLE: En mai, quant rosier   [1:03]


B

10 - Ductia   [1:50]
11 - O Maria, virgo davitica – O Maria, maris stella   [1:34]
12 - Quant voi l'aloete   [1:48]
13 - PÉROTIN: Alleluya posui adjutorium   [6:01]
14 - Un hocquet   [1:09]
15 - Amours dont je sui espris   [1:30]
16 - Estampie royal   [2:10]
17 - Pierre de la CROIX: S'amours eust point de poer   [2:49]
18 - Veris ad imperia   [1:22]






Purcell Consort of Voices
Grayston Burgess

Eileen Poulter • soprano
Elaine Barry • mezzosoprano
Grayston Burgess • countertenor
Martyn Hill • tenor
Ian Partridge • tenor
Ian Thompson • tenor
Geoffrey Shaw • baritone
Christopher Keyte • bass

Praetorius Consort
Christopher Ball

Christopher Ball • recorders, alto cornemuse
Nel Romano • alto cornemuse
Paul Arden Taylor • oboe, recorders
Nigel North • lute, citole
Alison Crum • rebec
Peter Vel • bass viol

Other instruments:
psaltery, medieval pipe, soprano, tenor, bass crumhorn, sopranino rauschpfeife
gemshorn, regal, bells, tabor, tambourine, drum, cymbales, nakers









Medieval Paris – Music of the City

The history books dealing with medieval music more often than not discuss the musicology of the subject – how to cope with the difficulties of notation, the musical construction and so on – rather than its emotional qualities; and so it always comes as a surprise to me to find how lyrical much of it is when heard in performance. And especially in performances, as on this record, where the emphasis is not on rhythmically obvious dance music but on song, which often relies on highly decorated melody, having no accompaniment to bolster its weaknesses. (When you begin to notice the devices etc. which editors feel compelled to add, something is usually wrong.) If you want to test this, listen to Muset's lovely Quant je vois yver retorner, musically sung and played here (I will not venture to say by whom since the system of identification used on the sleeve is so confusing that I might well get it wrong), with its gentle rhythms and attractive movement that fix it firmly in the memory for days. But if this is the most beguiling song on the disc, there is a great deal else to prove my point, and the selection will please anyone with an open mind.

The performances in general are very pleasant. The massive Alleluya of Pérotin is perhaps the least successful, not because it is not skilfully sung but partly because it doesn't sound shaped by any positive direction (there are other performances of Pérotin which show how this can be done), partly because the acoustic of the plainsong and solo music appear different, as though they had been recorded separately. For the rest, the playing is musical, the singing sweet; and if some will prefer the heavier tread of, say, Musica Reservata, I find it quite satisfying. The recording, with the above exception, is good, the sleeve-note by Howard Brown informative; but again one must lament the lack of words, which are not only essential for understanding the music but are interesting in themselves.

D. A.
Gramophone, February, 1977