Trouvères

The Spirits of England and France - II
Songs of the Trouvères
Gothic Voices - Christopher Page
Hyperion 66773
Helios CDH 55282

Contents:

  1. Richart de Semilli (fl.c.1200; pastourelle): Je chevauchai (alto, lute)
  2. Gace Brulé (fl.c.1179-c.1212; grand chant): Desconfortez, plains de dolor (tenor)
  3. Anon: Estampie (fiddle)
  4. Gace Brulé (grand chant): Quant define fueille et flor (baritone)
  5. Anon (dansa): Donna pos vos ay chausida (soprano, lute)
  6. Gace Brulé (grand chant): De bien amer grant joie atent (alto)
  7. Anon (pastourelle): Quant voi la fleur nouvele (alto, bagpipes)
  8. Gontier de Soignies (grand chant): Dolerousement comence (tenor)
  9. Wibers Kaukesel (balade): Un chant novel (soprano, percussion)
  10. Gace Brulé (grand chant): Cil qui d'amours (baritone)
  11. Anon: Estampie (fiddle)
  12. Gautier de Dargies (descort): La doce pensee (tenor)
  13. Anon (dansa): Amors m'art con fuoc am flama (alto, bagpipes)
  14. Adam de la Halle (d. c.1288; jeu parti): Assenés chi, Grievilier (baritone)
  15. Ernous li Viele (pastourelle): Por conforter mon corage (tenor)
  16. Anon: Estampie (fiddle)
  17. Wibers Kaukesel (grand chant): Fins cuers enamourés (tenor)
  18. Audefroi (fl.c.1225; chanson de toile): Au novel tens pascor (alto)

Performers: Emma Kirkby (soprano), Margaret Philpot (alto), Rogers Covey-Crump (tenor), Leigh Nixon (tenor), Henry Wickham (baritone), Robert White (bagpipes), Nick Bicat (percussion), Pavlo Beznosiuk (fiddle), Christopher Page (lute)

Playing time: 62'

Recording date: December 1994

Excerpts:
[3] Cantus C 9705/6 Dictionary of Medieval & Renaissance Instruments

Reviewed in:
Fanfare (Vol./#-p.): 19/1- (Sep./Oct. 1995); 33/2-338 (Nov./Dec. 2009)

This recording presents a fine introduction to the monophonic trouvère repertory of Northern France in performances which are very vocally oriented.

A few other programs devoted to the monophonic trouvère repertory:

La doce acordance
Chansons de trouvères
Diabolus in Musica - Antoine Guerber
Alpha 085
Trouvères à la cour de Champagne
Ensemble Venance Fortunat - Anne-Marie Deschamps
L'Empreinte Digitale 13045
The Courts of Love
Music from the time of Eleanor of Aquitaine
Sinfonye - Stevie Wishart
Hyperion 66367
Ars Trobar
Douce amie - Chansons de Trouvères
Millenarium
Ricercar 215
The Language of Love
Songs of the troubadours and trouvères
Duo Trobairitz
Hyperion 67634
Touz Esforciez
Trouvères in Lorraine
Ensemble Syntagma - Alexandre Danilevski
Pierre Vérany 704041

And a classic set which shows some of the developments in secular polyphony occuring toward the end of this period:

Trouvères
Courtly Love Songs from Northern France, c.1175-1300
Sequentia
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 77155 (2 CDs)

A more textually oriented approach:

Chansons de Trouvères
Paul Hillier / Andrew Lawrence-King
Harmonia Mundi USA 907184

And another solo recording focusing on one subset of this repertory:

Chansons de Toile
Esther Lamandier
Alienor 1011

Finally, recordings devoted to leading trouvères, Gace Brulé & Thibaut de Champagne, and to the so-called "first trouvère," the Châtelain de Coucy:

Gace Brulé: Trouvère Songs
Ensemble Oliphant
Alba Records 182
Le coeur mangé
La légende du premier trouvère, le châtelain de Coucy
L'itinéraire médiéval - Katia Caré
Calliope 9528
Thibaut de Champagne
Le Roi Trouvère
La Maurache - Julien Skowron / L'Ensemble Fulbert de Chartres
Muza 2006 C

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Todd M. McComb