Manuscrit de Bayeux (XVe)

Manuscrit de Bayeux (XVe)

Ensemble Conviviencia
L'Empreinte digitale ED 13076

Contents:

Anon, 15th c., Manuscrit de Bayeux:

1. (Introduction) Adieu mes amours
   Dieu mercy j'ay bien labouré
2. En amours n'a sinon bien
3. Hellas! ma dame que je désire tant
4. Hellas! il est pic de ma vie
5. Dieu gard celle de deshonneur
6. En despit des faultx envieux
7. Robin se veult / Se tu te marie / Helas pourquoy
   Puisque Robin j'ay a nom
8. A Florence / Helas ma fille / En ma chambre
   Je le lesray puisqu'il my bat
9. Adieu mes amours
10. La dernière nuictée d'avril
11. Mais que ce fust le plaisir d'elle
12. C'est a ce jolly moiys de may
13. Le roy Engloys se faisoit appeler
14. Hellas! mon cueur n'est pas à moy
15. Belle, belle tres doulce mere Dieu
16. Baisés moy, ma doulce amye
17. Baisés moy
18. Ne l'oserai je dire
19. Bevons, ma comere
20. Or sus, begny soit le coqu
21. (Final) Adieu mes amours
    Adieu mes amours

Playing time: 45' 59"

Recording site and date: Chapelle de Bayeux, Bayeux, France [04/1997]

Performers: Ensemble Conviviencia [Friedrike Schulz (voice, medieval fiddle), Bernard Revel (voice, lute, guitterne), Pascal Cote (recorder, bagpipe, voice), Jean Tubery (mute cornet, herdman's horn), Sebastien Benoit (bagpipes, voice), Thierry Gomar (percussions)] & École de musique de Bayeux [Marion Lemonnier (voice, crowd), Antoine Lemonnier (Damien Jorer percussions, crowd), choir and crowd: Eric Robinet, Olivier Le Cossec, Gilles Le Cossec, Vincent-Olivier Jean, Guillaume Knæbel, Maureen Branly, Maïssa Musallam, Grégory Hubert, Laurianne Guilbert, Laurence Mauger], also as voice and crowd: Jean Claude Benoit, Marie Benoit, Hylda David, Claude Valente.

Reviewed in:
Gramophone (Vol./#-p.):
Diapason (#-p.): 453-142 (november 1998)
Fanfare (Vol./#-p.):

Another recording by the present ensemble:

Lieder der Troubadoure

Mittelalterliche lieder aus Aude und Roussillon
Ensemble Conviviencia - Strasbourg
Antes BM-CD 31.9041

Comments: Information from owned CD. A folksinger/theatrical approach of a limited interest and rather anemic.

The Bayeux Manuscript is a unique source of the period, consisting of one hundred songs which can only be described as folk music. They are thus a glimpse into another layer of French culture during the period, and indeed these same songs take on a "literary" reality when quoted in the next century by Rabelais (5th book of Pantagruel).

Other recordings featuring this material:

Le Chansonnier de Bayeux

French Songs from the Early Renaissance
Brigitte Lesne & Pierre Boragno
Paraty 221 290

L'amour de moy

Chansons et improvisations de la Renaissance
Ensemble vocal et instrumental Obsidienne - Emmanuel Bonnardot
Calliope 9408

Every song in the manuscript is monophonic, although the present performers argue that in some cases there are other parts which have been lost (and consequently reconstructed; tracks #7 & #8 are introduced by similar polyphonic works from the Escorial MS). This argument is made based on form and the particular instantiation of the notation. So the manuscript can perhaps be viewed as somewhat more than a repository of folk tunes, although it is certainly valuable on the latter basis alone. The present recording emphasizes the theatrical basis of many of these songs, although it adopts a more reflective mood in others. Accompaniments are frequently improvised, perhaps more like in trouvère repertory, and different approaches have been taken for these different programs.

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