Courtly Songs

The Art of Courtly Love
French secular music (1300-1475): Machaut / Binchois / Dufay
Early Music Consort of London - David Munrow
Virgin Veritas Edition 61284 [2 CDs]
BMG Classics D 216190-9 [2 CDs]
Musical Heritage Society 524386T [2 CDs]

Contents:

    Guillaume de Machaut and his age
  1. Jehan de Lescurel: A vous douce debonnaire (chanson; two cornets, shawm, 2 voices, kortholt)
  2. Guillaume de Machaut: Hareu! hareu! le feu / Helas! ou sera pris confors (motet; two voices, slide trumpet)
  3. Machaut: Amours me fait desirer (ballade; voice, fiddle, rebec)
  4. Machaut: Trop plus est belle / Biauté paree / Je ne sui mie certeins (motet; 3 voices)
  5. Pierre des Molins: Ami tout dous vis (rondeau; organ, bagpipe, fiddle, rebec, lute)
  6. Machaut: Se ma dame m'a guerpy (virelai; voice, rebec, lute)
  7. Machaut: Se je souspir (virelai; voice, recorder, citole, rebec, harp)
  8. Machaut: Dame se vous m'estés lointeinne (ballade; bagpipes)
  9. Machaut: Quant je sui mis au retour (virelai; voice, chorus, rebec, lute)
  10. Machaut: Mes esperis se combat (ballade; voice, shawm, cornet)
  11. Machaut: Ma fin est mon commencement (rondeau; two cornets, crumhorn)
  12. Machaut: Douce dame jolie (virelai; tenor, chorus, recorder, 3 cornets, 2 rebecs, citole, tabor)
  13. Machaut: De Bon Espoir / Puis que la douce rousee (motet; 2 voices, bagpipes)
  14. Machaut: De toutes flours (ballade; voice, recorder, lute, fiddle, rebec, organ)
  15. Machaut: Quant Theseus / Ne quier veoir (double ballade; 2 voices, fiddle, kortholt)
  16. Anon: La Septime estampie Real (shawm, nakers)
  17. Machaut: Quant j'ay l'espart (rondeau; voice, cornet)
  18. Machaut: Phyton, le mervilleus serpent (ballade; voice, 2 crumhorns)
  19. F Andrieu: Armes, amours / O flour des flours (double ballade; 2 voices, fiddle, rebec, organ)

    20. Late fourteenth-century avant-garde
  20. Grimace: A l'arme, a l'arme (virelai; 2 voices, shawm, slide trumpet)
  21. Franciscus: Phiton, phiton (ballade; voice, 2 crumhorns)
  22. Borlet: Hé, trés doulz roussignol (virelai; 2 voices, recorder, lute, harp)
    Borlet: Ma tredol rosignol (virelai; 2 recorders, citole, fiddle, harp)
  23. Solage: Fumeux fume (rondeau; voice, kortholt, rebec)
  24. Johannes de Meruco: De home vray (ballade; voice, rebec, bagpipes, rebec)
  25. Anon: Istampitta Tre fontane (recorder, citole, crwth, nakers)
  26. Johannes Simonys Hasprois: Ma douce amour (ballade; voice, fiddle, rebec)
  1. Jehan Vaillant: Trés doulz amis / Ma dame / Cent mille fois (rondeau; 3 voices)
  2. Pykini: Plasanche or tost (virelai; 2 voices, 2 recorders, lute, harp, fiddle, rebec)
  3. Anthonello de Caserta: Amour m'a le cuer mis (ballade; voice, rebec, kortholt)
  4. Anon: Tribum quem (motet; organ)
  5. Solage: Helas! je voy mon cuer (ballade; voice, rebec, citole, cornet)
  6. Anon: Contre le temps (virelai; 2 voices, crumhorn)
  7. Matheus de Perusio: Andray soulet (canon; rebec, bagpipes, organ)
  8. Matheus de Perusio: Le greygnour bien (ballade; recorder, cornet, organ)
  9. Anon: Restoés, restoés (virelai; 3 voices, shawm)

    10. The Court of Burgundy
  10. Guillaume Dufay: Ce moys de may (rondeau; 3 voices, 3 recorders, citole, fiddle, tambourine)
  11. Dufay: La belle se siet (ballade; 2 voices, fiddle)
  12. Gilles Binchois: Je ne fai toujours (rondeau; rebec, recorder, viol, lute)
  13. Binchois: Files a marier (chanson; 2 voices, sackbut, shawm)
  14. Binchois: Amoreux suy et me vient toute joye (rondeau; 2 voices, viol, lute)
  15. Binchois: Je loe Amours et ma dame mercye (ballade; organ)
  16. Dufay: Navré je suis d'un dart penetratif (rondeau; voice, sackbut, shawm)
  17. Dufay: Lamentatio Sanctae Matris Ecclesiae Constatinopolitanae (motet; 2 voices, kortholt, sackbut)
  18. Anon: La Spagna I (cornet, shawm, sackbut, tabor)
  19. Dufay: Par droit je puis complaindre (rondeau; 2 voices, 2 viols)
  20. Dufay: Donnés l'assault (rondeau; voice, shawm, 2 sackbuts)
  21. Binchois: Vostre trés doulx regart (rondeau; voice, crumhorn, kortholt)
  22. Dufay: Hélas mon dueil (virelai; 2 voices, sackbut)
  23. Binchois: Bien puist (rondeau; 3 crumhorns)
  24. Dufay: Vergine bella (stropha; voice, 2 viols)
  25. Anon: La Spagna II (cornet, shawm, 2 sackbuts, tabor)

Performers: James Bowman (countertenor), Charles Brett (countertenor), Martyn Hill (tenor), Geoffrey Shaw (baritone), Michael Laird (cornet), Iaan Wilson (cornet), Alan Lumsden (cornet, sackbut, recorder, slide trumpet), Roger Brenner (sackbut), David Munrow (recorder, crumhorn, shawm, kortholt, bagpipes), Oliver Brookes (recorder, crumhorn, viol, rebec, crwth), James Tyler (crumhorn, viol, lute, citole), Eleanor Sloan (fiddle, rebec, harp), Christopher Hogwood (harp, organ), David Corkhill (percussion)

Recording date: November & December 1972, January 1973

Playing time: 156'

Excerpts:
EMI 863 (3 LPs) The Art of Courly Love
CD-1, tracks #6 (Se ma dame m'a guerpy) was not included in the original LP set; this is why the LP release contains 50 tracks, the CD releae 51.

This is certainly a classic program, illustrating many of the most famous songs of the 14th & 15th century. For more details on the various issues, refer to the original LP set, EMI 863.

A similar program:

The Pleasures of the Royal Courts
The Early Music Consort of London - David Munrow
Nonesuch 71326

A classic performance of similar repertory:

Douce Dame
Music of Courtly Love from Medieval France and Italy
Waverly Consort - Michael Jaffee
Vanguard 8201

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Todd M. McComb