Mystery of Ancient Voices

Le Mystère des voix anciennes: Pérotin le Grand
Mora Vocis
Pierre Vérany PV793101

Contents:

    Pérotin
  1. Alleluia posui adjutorium (organum triplum, Montpellier MS)

    2. Fulbert de Chartres
  2. Stirps Jesse

    3. Anonymous
  3. Mater Dei / Mater virgo / Eius (motet, Montpellier MS)
  4. Mane prima sabbati (monody)
  5. O natio nephandi / Conditio nature / Mane prima sabbati (motet, Montpellier MS)
  6. Alleluia video celos apertos (monody)
  7. Alleluia video celos apertos (organum duplum, St. Victor MS)
  8. Haec dies (organum triplum, Wolfenbuttel 628; clausula, Florence MS)
  9. Alleluia post partum (Aquitanian trope)
  10. Alleluia post partum (organum duplum, Florence MS)
  11. Alleluia nativitas (monody); Ex semine (motet, Montpellier MS)

    12. Pérotin
  12. Alleluia nativitas (organum triplum, Montpellier MS)

Playing time: 45'

Recording date: July, 1993

This purely a capella French ensemble consists of Monique Avril, Rebecca Bain, Richard Costa, Annie Paris, Françoise Slacik, and Norbert Vidal. Their blending of male and female voices is reminiscent of recordings by Ensemble Venance Fortunat, directed by Anne-Marie Deschamps, whose transcriptions Mora Vocis uses for much of the polyphony on this recording. The material is focused around the central figure of early thirteenth-century polyphony, Perotin 'the Great', but also includes a variety of polyphonic genres as well as the chant melodies upon which Perotin and the other, anonymous composers built. This recording contains several surprising interpretations and beautiful performances.

The next recordings by the present ensemble:

Chants d'Hildegard von Bingen / Manuscrit de Las Huelgas
Mora Vocis: Voix de femmes a cappella
Mandala 4951
Musique vocale du XIVe siècle
Machaut, Vitry, Fauvel, Anonymous
Mora Vocis
Mandala 4946

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William MacLehose