Topic: The Early Music Club (EMC)

[Mandryka]

An another very fine Capilla Flamenca youtube

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/Vx6FHFQPxYI" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/Vx6FHFQPxYI</a>

[JBS]

Naxos has put out one of its big compilation boxes, this one devoted to "Early Music".

I ordered it, although I am sure I have a couple of the CDs already. (I presume the Tallis is Summerley's recording, the Dowland from the series by Nigel North, etc.

[San Antone]

The Road to Compostela
The Rose Ensemble

John Eliot Gardiner has also recorded this music, and in fact, I might like his recording better.

[Mandryka]

The Road to Compostela
The Rose Ensemble

John Eliot Gardiner has also recorded this music, and in fact, I might like his recording better.

I know a recording by Gardiner called Pilgrimage to Santiago but as far as I recall it doesn’t have much if any music in common with the one in the pic by The Rose Ensemble

[San Antone]

I know a recording by Gardiner called Pilgrimage to Santiago but as far as I recall it doesn’t have much if any music in common with the one in the pic by The Rose Ensemble

You're right, same concept but different music; Gardiner includes many later composers including Victoria, Clemens non Papa, Dufay, Lassus, Morales, Mouton and Palestrina. Although the Codex Calixtinus selections might have some overlap. 

The Rose Ensemble's disc uses music mainly from the 12th century, and earlier.  I suppose I should have said that the concept was similar more than the musical program, but I posted before comparing the contents.

[Mandryka]

This has the wonderful Sabine singing with various male voices, which presents her in a rather different light IMO. Released yesterday so I’ll refrain from making any further comment other than it’s quite well recorded, as you’d expect.

["Harry"]

It's not a question of capturing the magic, it's a question of capturing the sound. I have come to the conclusion -- the wisdom of experience -- that music in performance is sound. If you can't hear the sounds the artists have made then you perceive what they do through a glass darkly.  In some cases it's not a deal breaker, there's enough going on to make the experience entertaining independently of the sound -- the energy of the pulse, the tension of the counterpoint etc. And even here, there are those things, but less so than in other music. Here, I think, the art of Sequentia is to a very large extent, about sound.

I could not have said it better, no decent HIFI, best not attempt to do some serious listen.

[San Antone]

A new group for me:



The Lamentabile Consort is described as a Swedish Male Quintet and the above recording is of Renaissance music.  This recording dates from 1994 and they don't appear to have recorded anything after that.  There are two earlier recordings; I can only assume they disbanded. Unfortunate.

[aligreto]

Naxos has put out one of its big compilation boxes, this one devoted to "Early Music".

I ordered it, although I am sure I have a couple of the CDs already. (I presume the Tallis is Summerley's recording, the Dowland from the series by Nigel North, etc.

There is a lot of good music and performances in there which you should really enjoy.

[Mandryka]

On this recording there's a performance of Penalosa's Sancta mater istud agas which I find very inspiring.  Generally I think it may be a recording worth exploring.

[Mandryka]

I think this is probably worth thinking about. Characterful singing, music which is far from routine, the central piece being a mass by Gilles Joye, never recorded before. Historically informed performances by a group of scholar musicians who seem to me to have made interesting decisions both in terms of the authenticity of the interpretation and  in terms of the pleasure to be gained from listening. For example

Instruments

For this recording we decided to use only two ranks of male voices for the Missa.
There are various elements in the original manuscript suggesting that the vocal
ensemble consisted of at least two singers for each voice: for example, the double
notes or the canons where the word “duo” is indicated in the same part.
To keep as close as possible to the original codex, we decided to use instruments in
the sections completely devoid of text, especially at the Contratenor and Tenor.
Considerable controversy surrounds the question of the use of instruments during
religious services in the middle ages. Although it went against Church law, there is
plenty of evidence to show that instruments were in fact used in combination with
the voices: we know from Egidio di Zamora that in the 13th century the trumpet
was used to arouse the congregation to worship God; and André Pirro has drawn
attention to payments made to instrumentalists during the most important religious
ceremonies.

However, there is evidence to show that it was during the 15th century that
musical instruments were used more widely in religious services. In Burgundy, during
the reigns of Philip III the Good and Charles the Bold, there were various sacred
compositions where the trumpet was specifically indicated for performing the parts
of the Contratenor, a practice that spread fast throughout central Europe. In fact
the first reference to the use of a Cornet during the Mass dates back to 1501. As
for the Trombone, there is evidence that the instrument began to appear in religious
ceremonies even earlier: for instance in Naples in 1487, or in 1495 when Francesco
Gonzaga brought his private chapel to sustain the voices during the Mass held to
celebrate victory at the battle of Fornovo. In the very years in which the Trent Codices were compiled, the Bishop of Trent had a consort of trombones that he often hired
out for events and celebrations.

As for the Chansons, we decided to use female voices accompanied by a mixed
instrumental ensemble in order to recreate the sound conjured up by the figurative
tradition of the period, for example in the “Angel Musicians” painted by Melozzo
da Forlì and Memling. By the same token, we have also avoided the concept of
a homogeneous ensemble of the sort that became common practice during the
Renaissance.

I like myself the way they sing, the noise they make.


Music is

O Rosa Bella
Mass by Gilles Joye and Chansons by Dunstable and Bedyngham
John Bedyngham c.1422 - 1460

1. O Rosa bella T.89, ff. 119v 3’54
Anonymous

2. O Rosa bella o dulz anima mia
T.90, ff. 369v 3’07
Gilles Joye c.1420 - c.1483

3. Missa Super O Rosa bella:
Kyrie T.90, ff. 421r 10’49
Alan Hert (XV sec.)

4. O Rosa bella
T.90, ff. 444v- 445r 4’00
Johannes Ockeghem?
c.1410/1425 - c.1494

5. Alius discantus Super O Rosa bella
T.90, ff. 444v- 445r 2’08
John Bedyngham

6. Gymel O Rosa bella o tu mi maria
T.90, ff. 361v-362r 2’07
Gilles Joye

Missa Super O Rosa bella
7. Gloria T.90, ff. 421v-423r 6’15

8. Credo T90, ff. 423v-426r 9’10
John Dunstable c.1390 - 1453

9. O Rosa bella
T.90, ff. 362v-363r 1’57
John Bedyngham

10. O Rosa bella, Concordancie
o rosa bella cum alius tribus...
T.89, ff. 119v-120r 1’56
Gilles Joye
Missa Super O Rosa bella

11. Sanctus T.90, ff. 426v-427r 6’27

12. Agnus Dei T.90, ff. 427v-428r 4’50
John Bedyngham

13. O Rosa bella, Concordancie o rosa
bella cum alius tribus...
T.89, ff. 119v-120r 2’12

14. Gymel O Rosa bella o tu mi maria
T.90, ff. 361v-362r 1’59