Musique et poésie à Saint-Gall

Musique et poésie à Saint-Gall

Séquences et tropes du IXe siècle
Ensemble Gilles Binchois - Dominique Vellard
Harmonia Mundi "Documenta" HMC 905239 [CD]
Glossa GCD 922503 [CD]

Contents:

Gallus

1. Alleluia. Iustus ut palma
2. Notker: Séquence - Dilecte Deo

Nativitas

3. Tropes pour l'introït -
   1. Puer natus est
   2. Tuotilo: Hodie cantandus est
   3. Hodie natus est
4. Alleluia. Dies sanctificatus
5. Notker: Séquence - Natus ante saecula
6. Tropes pour la communion -
   1. Viderunt omnes
   2. Tuotilo?: Hodie pectore mundo
   3. Cernere quod

Johannes Evangelista

7. Tropes pour l'introït -
   1. In medio ecclesiae
   2. Notker?: Dilectus iste
   3. Tuotilo: Quoniam dominus
   4. Os tuum inquiens
   5. Milibus argenti

Innocentes

8. Notker: Séquence - Laus tibi Christe

Epiphania

9. Tropes pour l'introït -
   1. Ecce advenit
   2. Hodie clarissimam
   3. Notker?: Forma speciosissimus
   4. Olim quem

Versus ad processionem in diebus dominicis

10. Ratpert: Versus - Ardua spes mundi

Pascha

11. Tropes pour l'offertoire -
    1. Terra tremuit
    2. Tuotilo: Gaudete et cantate
    3. Monumenta aperta sunt
    4. Notus est dominus
    5. In pace factus est

Dominica IV post octavam pascham

12. Notker: Séquence - Laeta mente

Ascensio

13. Tropes pour l'introït -
    1. Viri Galilei
    2. Notker?: Ex numero frequentium
    3. Quasi quid
14. Alleluia. Dominus in Sina
15. Offertoire - Vir Galilei

Pentecostes

16. Alleluia, Spiritus Domini
17. Notker: Séquence - Sancti Spiritus

Musicological collaboration: Wulf Arlt

Performers: Raphaël Boulay (tenor), Gerd Türk (tenor), Dominique Vellard (tenor), Emmanuel Bonnardot (baritone), Jacques Bona (bass), Stephen Grant (bass)

Playing time: 59'

Recording date and site:
Église de Romainmôtier, Vaud, Switzerland [04/1996];
Rel.: 1996 (HM), 2010 (Glossa)

The tropes & sequences of the ninth century represent one of the first bursts of poetic creativity to supplement the Gregorian repertory after its universal declaration by Charlemagne. Much of this early activity is credited to the monastery of Saint-Gall on Lake Constance, propagating from there throughout Europe. This program illustrates some of these surviving chants.

One of the most famous musical figures of the era was Notker of St. Gall (c.840-912), who completed a famous collection of sequences in 884. According to legend, this is the origin of the form. Other composers represented here are Tuotilo (d.c.913) and Ratpert (d.c.890).

These manuscripts also represent a new level of detail in chant notation, the St. Gall neumes. As always with these performers, the repertory has been scrupulously reconstructed and sung convincingly.

A more recent recording devoted to a troped cycle:

Troped Apostolic Mass for Saint Martial

New York's Ensemble for Early Music - Frederick Renz
Ex Cathedra 9002

And another recording featuring Notker:

Notker Balabus: Sequences, tropes & chants from St. Gall Abbey

Ordo Virtutum - Stefan Morent
Christophorus 77341

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