The Early Music Club (EMC)

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Mandryka

Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

JBS

#1341
Naxos has put out one of its big compilation boxes, this one devoted to "Early Music".
[asin]B07RC8YZP3[/asin]

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.

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

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

Quote from: San Antone on June 21, 2019, 07:30:17 PM


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
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

San Antone

Quote from: Mandryka on June 21, 2019, 10:34:17 PM
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.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Harry

Quote from: Mandryka on May 21, 2019, 07:38:18 AM
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.
Quote from Manuel, born in Spain, currently working at Fawlty Towers.

" I am from Barcelona, I know nothing.............."

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

Quote from: JBS on June 21, 2019, 07:10:32 PM
Naxos has put out one of its big compilation boxes, this one devoted to "Early Music".
[asin]B07RC8YZP3[/asin]

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.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Mandryka

#1350


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

QuoteInstruments

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

QuoteO 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
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Mandryka

#1351


Is Balthasar Fritsch a great composer? He certainly wrote some charming music! .

Ukrike Hofbauer is part of The Sound and the Fury, she has a lovely voice. It's the first time I've heard her sing solo and I feel quite excited by what she does, apparently she has a large discography including madrigals and frottole which I plan on exploring.

Review here, with some interesting comments on dance style made in passing.

https://www.earlymusicamerica.org/web-articles/meet-german-composer-balthasar-fritsch/
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Mandryka

#1352
One of the bees in my bonnet, which I've developed largely as a result of Todd McComb's influence, is that I don't want my early music to sound like it's baroque opera avant la lettre. I mean,  I expect my singers to find a way of producing tones and harmonies which are not at all reminiscent of c17 music, a way of making chords which is not at all reminiscent of  common practice. In short, I want to debunk the whiggish idea that early music is a primitive form of later music - that's an idea which I see as an illegitimate occupation by the modern of the territories which Dufay, Josquin, Landini etc occupy.

Listening this afternoon to this extraordinary recording by Cappella Pratensis, I was struck by how well they incarne this idea.

Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

JBS

This arrived yesterday
[asin]B07RC8YZP3[/asin]
For convenience here are the actual CDs (Cardboard sleeves, no liner notes)
Some performers appear several times, so I use abbreviations for them
I am just providing enough information to allow finding the individual CDs on Amazon or the Naxos website.

OC Oxford Camerata
EU Ensemble Unicorn
EL Ensemble Leones
RCV Rose Consort of Viols
DM Delitiae Musicae

1 Adorate Deum (Gregorian Chant for the Proper of the Mass)  Nova Schola Gregoriana
2 Hildegard of Bingen Heavenly Revelations OC
3 Music of the Troubadours EU
4 Neidhart [Minnesinger] EL
5 Carmina Burana EU
6 Machaut Messe de Notre Dame Songs from Le Voir Dit OC
7 Argentum et Aurum [Early Hapsburg era] EL
8  Dufay Chansons  EU
9 Ockeghem Requiem Missa Prolationum  Musica Ficta
10 Music from the  Eton Choirbook  Tonus Peregrinus
11 [De La Rue] Missa Conceptio Tua  [with Gregorian antiphons and three English carols] Schola Antiqua of Chicago
12  ALaMiRe Manuscripts  Capilla Flamenca
13 Anchieta Missa Sine Nomine  Capilla Penaflorida et al
14  Frottole  Popular Songs from Renaissance ItalyRing Around  Quartet and Consort
15  Des Prez Missa L'Homme Arme etc  OC
16  Luis de Milan/Luis de Narvaez Music for Vihuela Christopher Wilson
17 Tallis Spem in Alium Missa Salve Intemerata OC
18 Palestrina Missa Papae Marcelli Missa Aeterna Christi munera OC
19 Lassus Lagrime di San Pietro Ars Nova
20 Byrd Complete Fantasias for Harpsichord Glen Wilson
21 Gabrieli Music for Brass Vol 2  LSO Brass
22 Elizabethan Songs and Consort Music RCV
23 Sweelinck Organ Works James David Christie
24  Pavans Galliards and Almains [Lute Music Vol 3] Nigel North
25 Gesualdo Madrigals Book 1 DM
26 Campion Lute Songs S. Rickards/D. Linell
27 Monteverdi Madrigals Book 5 DM
28 Tomkins Consort Music/Keyboard Music RCV with Red Byrd et al
29 Guerra Manuscript Vol 1  17th Cent Spanish Secular Vocal Music I. Monar/M. Vilas
30 Lawes Consort Music for Viols, Lutes and Theorbos RCV with others


Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

Mandryka

#1354
Quote from: Mandryka on August 22, 2019, 09:34:59 PM
Clubmedieval's concert included the complete known works of Gilles Joye (1425-1483),  who's a new name for me.  It was a concert of three halves as it were.

The first part was of motets for two or three voices which was astounding for its contrapuntal complexity, which was as disorienting as anything from Carter or Ferneyhough. I thought it was some of the most interesting music I've ever heard.

The last half was also songs and motets, and also interesting because the music was strangely static. I've never heard anything like it and I found it challenging   in a good way.

The middle half was a three voice cyclical mass presented with organ. I thought it was totally uninspired and drab, I thought I would die of boredom.

The organ had two octaves and hand bellows   first time I've seen that. I'd like to be a bellows man!

What I was completely forgetting is that a Gilles Joye recording with the mass was released about a month ago, this



I listened to it this morning, I remembered having a favourable impression before and that was confirmed by this more recent experience with it. Why I should react so positively to their account of the mass but so negatively to Clubmedieval's I cannot say -- maybe Ensemble Dionea are more imaginative with instruments, more expressive, maybe it's just a question of my mood.

By the way, the sound quality on that Brilliant recording leaves a lot to be desired.

Anyway Gilles Joye is clearly getting attention, let's hope we get a recording of the songs soon.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Mandryka



And what to make of the Gilles Joyé Sanctus? I don't think I've ever heard anything like it, either in c15 music or before or after. It's like a lullaby.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Mandryka

#1356
.   

This was released earlier this year, c15 songs in a Northern European tradition, and some recorder music, very good IMO. Recorders tuned to produce a strange quasi-modal noise, maybe too much instrumental music for me, but it's easy to cut it, singing is straight and sweet and serious, by a tenor type voice, rather fresh and agreeable. There haven't been many new minnesinger releases recently, so this is welcome.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

San Antone

Quote from: Mandryka on November 17, 2019, 05:26:54 AM
.   

This was released earlier this year, c15 songs in a Northern European tradition, and some recorder music, very good IMO. Recorders tuned to produce a strange quasi-modal noise, maybe too much instrumental music for me, but it's easy to cut it, singing is straight and sweet and serious, by a tenor type voice, rather fresh and agreeable. There haven't been many new minnesinger releases recently, so this is welcome.

I don't know if others feel as I do, but I would appreciate it if you would include in your comments information about the recording, e.g. composer, performer names or something to identify the recording, so that one could simply copy and paste the info into a search engine. Otherwise you expect us to try and read the names from the small image and type them out ourselves. 

Mandryka

#1358
Yes I think you may well enjoy this one, maybe not the instrumental music, but the vocal,  here's a link to it if that helps

https://www.amazon.com/Aventure-Songs-Gruuthuse-Manuscript-1400/dp/B07HGJ461V

The ensemble are maybe called Aventure, the front of the booklet just says

AVENTURE
Totdat de wachter heeft gezongen
Songs from the Gruuthuse Manuscript
(ca. 1400) and instrumental connections
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

San Antone

Quote from: Mandryka on November 17, 2019, 07:05:00 AM
Yes I think you may well enjoy this one, maybe not the instrumental music, but the vocal,  here's a link to it if that helps

https://www.amazon.com/Aventure-Songs-Gruuthuse-Manuscript-1400/dp/B07HGJ461V

The ensemble are maybe called Aventure, the front of the booklet just says

AVENTURE
Totdat de wachter heeft gezongen
Songs from the Gruuthuse Manuscript
(ca. 1400) and instrumental connections

Thanks for the link. I am listening to it now on Spotify.  You're right, it is very nice.