Recordings to accompany Hoppin's Medieval Music

This page is intended to provide both a different gloss on the medieval repertory and an opportunity for interested readers to obtain current recording references for Richard Hoppin's Medieval Music (1978) volume (ISBN: 0393090906) from the Norton Music History Series. This remains a popular text from which to learn the basic developments of medieval music, as it surveys the entire period and comes with detailed examples. It is, however, somewhat dated at this point.

In many cases, unfortunately, either no current recording is known for a specific individual citation, or the only recording is quite obscure. Beyond this, availability of recordings differs from country to country. Some explanatory notes will be offerred for choices, when possible. In cases where either no recording or only a more obscure recording is offerred, more citations are very welcome. This is particularly true for the plainchant citations (#1-23), where I have very limited coverage. In other cases, I have provided alternate suggestions which I believe to be as good in terms of representing the salient developments, but obviously the specific examples in Hoppin would need mental modification.

As always, the links for individual CD selections point to files containing full information, as well as frequently to suggestions for similar programs or recordings by the same performers. Since these links jump into the middle of other presentations, following the "page of FAQ citation" links at the bottom can be especially profitable for finding alternatives. For the present page, the link has been placed with the title only, and full catalog information is available in the individual file. This is done to preserve the flow of the chronology.

The list of specific pieces from Hoppin was provided by Peter Chubb. Valuable advice and recording research was provided by Pierre-F. Roberge. More clarifications were provided by Robert D. Reynolds.

Selections as numbered from the book...

1. Hermannus Contractus, Alma Redemptoris Mater (Liber Usualis [LU], p273)

   • Ockeghem: Cathedral Sounds
   • Old Hall Manuscript
   • Creator of the Stars
   • Amor de lonh
   • Comments:
     • This is a very popular antiphon, and the cited recent releases all include it in a program focusing on other music, mostly polyphonic. They reflect rather different performance traditions.

2. Anon, Vota mea Domino reddam (Second Antiphon for Monday at Vespers, with Psalm 115 - LU, pp281 & 163)

   • (none listed)

3. Christe Fili Dei (Responsory at Prime during the Year - LU, p229)

   • (none listed)
   • Comments:
     • There is a famous polyphonic setting by Josquin Desprez, in such renditions as that by the Orlando Consort.
   Erue a framea (Responsory at Terce on Palm Sunday & Passion Sunday - LU, p239)
   • (none listed)

4. Aeterne rerum conditor (Two tunes: I - Antiphonale Sacrosactae Romanae Ecclesiae, p6; II - Reese, Music in the Middle Ages, New York 1940, p105)

   • Hymnen

Solemn Mass for Easter Day

5. Introit - (LU, p777)
6. Kyrie - (LU, p16)
7. Gloria - (LU, p16)
8. Collect - (LU, pp778 & 100)
9. Epistle - (LU, pp778 & 104)
10. Gradual - (LU, p778)
11. Alleluia - (LU, p779)
12. Sequence - (LU, p780)
13. Gospel - (LU, p781 & 108)
14. Credo - (LU, p64)
15. Offertory - (LU, p781)
16. Preface - (LU, pp8 & 109)
17. Sanctus - (LU, p18)
18. Pater Noster - (LU, pp6 & 110)
19. Agnus Dei - (LU, p18)
20. Communion - (LU, p781)
21. Postcommunion - (LU, pp782 & 100)
22. Ite, missa est - (LU, p19)
• Chants de la Cathédrale de Benevento (There were many regional chant traditions, and this CD illustrates one of them. Using only the Liber Usualis as a source, it is basically impossible to make these distinctions, so this CD would not be quite what Hoppin intends.)
• Comments:
  • For a more basic interpretation, Robert D. Reynolds reports that the Solemn Mass of Easter Day has been recorded on an Archive disc, variously numbered 2088 and 3090, and 3088-3090 (1958). This may be part of the collected 4CD reissue for which I do not have full contents.

23. Alleluia: Dicite in gentibus (Paleographie Musicale [PalM] X111, 173 fol. 87, LU p801)

    • (none listed)

24. Kyrie Deus genitor (PalM XV, fol. 277; LU p62)

    • (none listed)
    • Comments:
      • There is an organum based on a similar piece in Campus Stellae.

25. Eia Syon (Trope of introit for Epiphany, Ecce Advenit - PalM XV, fol. 31v; LU p459)

    • (none listed)

26. Alleluia: Suscipe laus angelorum (Alleluia & Sequentia with partial text - Paris, Bibl. Nat., lat. 1121, fol. 69v, & lat. 1136, fol. 95v.)

    • (none listed)

27. Rex caeli (Sequence with double cursus - Handschin, "Über Estampie und Sequenz," Zeitschrift für Musikwisenschaft XII, 1929/30 pp19-20)

    • Gregorian Chant: Sequences
    • Comments:
      • The same two lines of sequence in organum style have also been printed in K Marie Stolba's Text AND Anthology of The Development of Western Music, volume 1, No. 10 c, and recorded on the accompanying CD, Disk 1, track 22, which comes from Musica Antique of Ames, Carl Bleyle, Director. The same is continued in her 3rd edition, Anthology No. 11c p. 21, and same recording on the accompanying CD. - Robert D. Reynolds
      • This particular parallel organum was recorded often in the past (not on CD, so not listed), but not so often recently.
      • For all of these tropes & sequences, the recent Musique et poésie à Saint-Gall program provides reasonable alternatives, although admittedly not the exact citations.

28. Fleury: Lament of Rachel from "Slaughter of the Innocents" (Greenberg, The Play of Herod, New York 1965, pp94-6)

    • The Play of Daniel / The Play of Herod (This is a classic reissue, still difficult to find, by Greenberg himself.)

29. Laude jocunda (Beginning of Sequence to St Peter & St Paul, Melismatic Organum, School of St Martial - Paris, Bibl. Nat., lat. 3719, fol. 53)

    • Polyphonie Aquitaine
    • Forgotten Provence

30. Omnes curet homo (Versus in Discant Style, School of St Martial - ibid, fol. 79v)

    • St. Martial de Limoges

31. Huic Jacobo (Responsory for Matins in the Office of St James, with melismatic organum - Codex Calixtinus, fol. 188)

    • Codex Calixtinus
    • Le grand livre de saint Jacques de Compostelle

32. Nostra Phalans (Versus in Discant style for the Feast of St James - ibid, fol. 185)

    • Codex Calixtinus
    • Le grand livre de saint Jacques de Compostelle

33. Leonin (?): Alleluia: Nativitas (Notre Dame Organum with Substitute Clausulae - Florence, Bibl. Medicea Laurenxziana, plut. 29,1. PMMM 10 & 11, fols. 129. & 182)

    • Perotin
    • Mystery of Ancient Voices
    • Notre Dame I (This rendition is apparently unavailable, but superb...)
    • École de Notre Dame (This performance uses a controversial & unconventional ornament technique.)
    • Deller: Machaut / Notre Dame (An older recording...)
    • Perotin & Ars Antiqua (Mail order...)
    • Comments:
      • This piece has presumably switched attributions from Leonin to Perotin. I do not know the history of this point, so cannot be fully certain.
      • It is unknown whether any of the present citations present the substitute clausulae, but the first & third at least use the normal one.

34. Ex Semine (Clausulae. Two tunes: from ibid, fol. 176v. & fol. 168)

    • Mystery of Ancient Voices
    • Comments:
      • These tunes are extracted from the previous piece, so that those recordings can suffice, although the present citation contains the extraction followed by a motet based on it (item #38/2 below)
      • There is no known program to illustrate the extraction of clausulae in detail, showing variety, etc.

35. Perotin: Sederunt (Organum Quadruplum, Gradual for St Stephen's day - ibid, fol. 4)

    • Perotin
    • Music of the Gothic Era (A classic rendition...)
    • Deller: Machaut / Notre Dame (An even older classic...)
    • Perotin & Ars Antiqua (Mail order...)

36. Procurans odium (Notre Dame Conductus - ibid, fol. 226)

    • Paris 1200
    • Carmina Burana
    • Carmina Burana

37. Soli nitorem (Notre Dame Conductus with Caudae - ibid, fol. 327v)

    • (none listed)
    • Comments:
      • There is an excellent recent program featuring these conductus pieces, Vox Sonora, but it does not include this particular item.

38. Ex Semine Abrahe, Ex Semine Rosa, Se j'ai ame, Hyer mein trespensis
    (Motet texts added to Perotin's Clausula, Ex Semine)

    1. ibid, fol. 403v
       • (none listed)
    2. Montpellier, Faculté de Médecine, H 196 (Facsimile in Rokseth: Polyphonies du XIII siècle, Vol. 1) fol. 100v
       • Mystery of Ancient Voices
    3. Wolfenbüttel, Herzog August-Bibl., 1099. facsimile in PMMM 2, fol. 247v
       • (none listed)
    4. ibid, fol. 233v
       • (none listed)
    • Comments:
      • In general, Clemencic's Motetus program is excellent for illustrating the present phenomenon of construction, building layers from tunes of Perotin's era into 2- 3- & 4-voice motets.

39. Olim sudor Herculis (Monophonic Conductus in Sequence form with refrain - Florence, Bibl. Medicea Laurenxziana, plut. 29,1. facsimile in PMMM 10 & 11, fol. 417)

    • Paris 1200
    • Carmina Burana
    • Carmina Burana

40. Sic Mea Fata (Latin love song - Carmina Burana)

    • Carmina Burana - Poetry & Music
    • Carmina Burana
    • Songs & Dances
    • O Fortuna
    • Carmina Burana

41. Jaufre Rudel: Quan lo rius de la fontana (Troubador vers - Paris, Bibl. Nat. fr 22543, fol. 63v, facsimile in Beck, La musique des troubadours Pl VII, p65)

    • Distant Love
    • Amor de lonh
    • Jaufré Rudel

42. Bernart de Ventadorn: Non es meravelha s'eu chan (Troubadour vers - Beck M op cit, p182)

    • Le fou sur le pont
    • Songs of the troubadours and trouveres
    • Testament of Tristan

43. Marcabru: L'autrier jost' una sebissa (Troubador Pastorela - Paris, Bibl. Nat. fr 22543, fol. 5v)

    • Troubadours / Cantigas
    • Proensa
    • Medieval Monodies
    • Bestiarum

44. Bele Doette (Chanson de Toile - Le Chansonnier de Saint-Germain-des-Pres)

    • Romance of the Rose
    • Trouvères
    • Trobairitz
    • Chansons de Toile (A recording difficult to obtain, but a classic performance...)

45. Jehans Erars: Au tems pascor (Trouvere Pastourelle - Le Chansonnier de l'Arsenal)

    • Venus' Fire
    • Medieval Monophonies

46. Gillebert de Berneville: De moi dolereus (Rotrouenge - Beck, op cit, p159v)

    • Kalenda Maya (A rather obscure choice...)
    • Amar e Trobar (A mail order label...)
    • Troubadours - Trouvères - Minstrels (A classic reissue, hopefully available...)

47. Penser ne doit vilenie (Chanson with refrains - ibid, p161v)

    • Music of Medieval France (instrumental)

48. Neidhart von Reuenthal: Ine gesach die heide (Minnesinger song: Summer song - Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Österreich 71, Jg 37/1, Lieder von Neidhart, p7)

    • Neidhart von Reuental

49. Neidhart von Reuenthal: Owê, lieber sumer (Winter song - ibid, p17)

    • Neidhart von Reuental
    • Gothic Music in Bohemia (An even more obscure choice...)
    • Comments:
      • Although Hoppin evidently favors Neidhart, Oswald von Wolkenstein is much better-represented today, with dedicated programs including that by Sequentia.

50. Laude novella sia cantata (Italian lauda - Liuzzi: La Lauda e i primordi della melodia italiana, Rome 1935, Vol I, facing page 261)

    • Fragments
    • Dante Troubadours
    • A Medieval Christmas
    • Terra Adriatica
    • Speculum amoris

51. Sanat Maria Amar (Cantigas de Santa Maria, 7)

    • Cantigas de Santa Maria
    • Cantigas de Francia
    • Troubadours / Cantigas
    • Cantigas de Santa Maria

52. Byrd one brere (English love song)

    • English Medieval Songs
    • Bestiarum
    • Llibre Vermel & Robin et Marion (Two classic programs reissued as one...)
    • Neo-medieval - Hesperus (A modern instrumental improvisatory rendition...)

53. Dame de valur / Hei Dieux! cant je remier / Amoris (Motet Ente - Turin, Bible. Relae, vari 42, facsimile in A, Auda: Les Motets wallons du manuscrit de Turin, Vari 42, Brussels 1953, Vol I, fol. 6v.)

    • (none listed)
    • Comments:
      • There are many other sources for motets of this era, many cited from either Les Escholiers de Paris or The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. Again, none contains this exact piece.

54. Aucun vont / Amor qui cor / Kyrie (Bilingual motet - ibid, fol. 13)

    • Trouvères à la cour de Champagne
    • Liège motets

55. C'est la jus / Pro Patribus (Motet with Rondeau text - Paris, Bibl. Nat. fr 12615, fol. 195)

    • Le jeu d'amour

56. J'ai les maus d'amours / Que ferai / In Seculum (Rondeau-Motet Ente - Montpellier op cit, fol. 188v)

    • Les Escholiers de Paris
    • Three sisters on the seashore

57. Dansse Real (Beck, op cit, p177v)

    • A Dance in the Garden of Mirth
    • Music of the Crusades (A classic rendition...)
    • Istanpitta II (A comprehensive survey...)

58. Trotto (London, Brit Mus. add., 29987, fol. 62v)

    • Medieval Dances
    • Medieval Italian Dances
    • Chominciamento di gioia
    • Dante Troubadours
    • Red Iris
    • A Dance in the Garden of Mirth
    • Il Solazzo
    • Comments:
      • Some of many recordings....

59. Philippe de Vitry: Garrit Gallus / In Nova fert / Neuma (Isorhythmic motet - Paris, Bibl. Nat. Collection de Picardie 67, fol. 67; Fauv., fol. 44v - facsimile in Apel, Notation of Polyphonic Music, Cambridge)

    • Philippe de Vitry
    • Le Roman de Fauvel

60. Se Je Chant (Chace - ibid, facsimile in Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart)

    • Philippe de Vitry and the Ars Nova
    • Llibre Vermel & Robin et Marion (Two classic programs reissued as one...)

61. Guillaume de Machaut: Qui es promess / Ha! Fortune / Et non est qui adjuvat (Isorhythmic motet - Paris, Bibl. Nat., fr 1584, fol. 421v)

    • Machaut: Motets / Music from the Ivrea Codex
    • D'amours loial servant
    • Music of the Gothic Era

62. Guillaume de Machaut: Dous Amis (Ballade - Paris, Bibl. Nat., fr 1584, fol. 456v. - facsimile in Apel, op cit, p357).

    • Guillaume de Machaut (instrumental)
    • Machaut Chansons & Motets

63. Guillaume de Machaut: Se vous n'estes (Rondeau - ibid, fol. 477v)

    • (none listed)

64. Guillaume de Machaut: De bonté, de valour (Virelai - ibid, fol. 484v)

    • Music of Medieval France

65. Lorenzo da Firenze: Da, da a chi avareggia (Florence, Bibl. Med. Laur., Palatino 87, fol. 50v.)

    • Ballate e Madrigali
    • Early Music Festival (Two classic programs reissued as one...)

66. Niccolo da Perugia: Dappoi che'l sole (Caccia - ibid, fol. 82v)

    • (none listed)
    • Comments:
      • Other tracks by Niccolo can be found on Ballate e Madrigali, and there are similar caccias on exemplary programs devoted to Matteo da Perugia or Landini & Ars Nova.

67. Francesco Landini: Questa fanciull' amor (Ballata - ibid, fol. 138)

    • Landini: Ballate
    • D'amours loial servant
    • Ecco la primavera
    • Speculum amoris
    • A Medieval Banquet

68. Medée fu (Ballade in Manneristic style - Chantilly, Musée Condé, 564, fol. 24v)

    • Medée Fu
    • Ars Magis Subtiliter

69. Jacob Senleches: La Harpe de Mélodie (Virelai - ibid, fol. 43v)

    • En doulz chastel de Pavie
    • D'amours loial servant

70. Johannes Ciconia: Con lagrime bagnando me (Ballata - Paris, Bibl. Nat., ital. 568, fols. 52v-53)

    • Ciconia: Complete Works

71. Cooke: Stella Celi (Prayer to the Virgin Mary in English Descant - Old Hall Manuscript now in the British Library, MS57950, fol. 40v)

    • Old Hall Manuscript
    • A Distant Mirror

In conclusion, it must be noted that Hoppin's selections seem needlessly obscure. In most cases, there are much better-known pieces with the same technical features. For instance, these are some of the least recorded songs of Machaut, there are much more famous Italian examples, etc. As such, the number of available recordings is somewhat disappointing here, but hopefully the citations will prove useful nonetheless.

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