The Spirits of England and France - 2: Songs of the Trouvères

1. Je Chevauvhai
Composed by Richard de Semilly
with Gothic Voices , Christopher Page , Margaret Philpot

2. Desconfortez, Plains de Dolor
Composed by Gace Brule
with Rogers Covey-Crump , Gothic Voices

3. Estampie
Composed by Anonymous
with Pavlo Beznosiuk , Gothic Voices

4. Quant Define Fueille et Flor
Composed by Gace Brule
with Gothic Voices , Henry Wickham

5. Donna Pols Vos Ay Chausida
Composed by Anonymous
with Gothic Voices , Emma Kirkby , Christopher Page

6. De Bien Amer Grant Joie Atent
Composed by Gace Brule
with Gothic Voices , Margaret Philpot

7. Quant Voi la Fleur Nouvele
Composed by Anonymous
with Gothic Voices , Margaret Philpot , Robert [bagpipes] White

8. Dolerousement Comence
Composed by Gontier de Soignies
with Rogers Covey-Crump , Gothic Voices

9. Un Chant Novel
Composed by Wibers Kaukesel
with Nick Bicat , Gothic Voices , Emma Kirkby

10. Cil Qui d'Amours
Composed by Gace Brule
with Gothic Voices , Henry Wickham

11. Estampie
Composed by Anonymous
with Pavlo Beznosiuk , Pavlo Beznosiuk , Gothic Voices

12. La Doce Pensee
Composed by Gautier de Dargies
with Rogers Covey-Crump , Gothic Voices

13. Amors m'art con Fuoc am Flama
Composed by Anonymous
with Gothic Voices , Margaret Philpot , Robert [bagpipes] White

14. Assignés ci, Grieviler, jugement, jeu-parti with Jehan Bretel, R. 690
Composed by Adam de la Halle
with Gothic Voices , Henry Wickham

15. Por Conforter Mon Corage
Composed by Ernous La Viele
with Gothic Voices , Leigh Nixon

16. Estampie
Composed by Anonymous
with Nick Bicat , Gothic Voices

17. Fins Cuers Enamouirés
Composed by Wibers Kaukesel
with Rogers Covey-Crump , Gothic Voices

18. Au Novel Tens Pascor
Composed by Audefroi le Bastart
with Gothic Voices , Margaret Philpot

Product Description

Amazon.com
Catchy popular tunes are not a modern invention. Neither are poet-musicians with uniquely poignant, pertinent comments about life and love. All these things were very much a part of life in 12th- and 13th-century France, represented in the vast repertoire of the trouveres (northern provinces) and troubadours (southern provinces). This disc explores a tiny fraction of trouvere songs exemplified in the grand chant,a protracted meditation on the fortunes of loving, the jeu parti,a debate concerning questions of love, the chanson de toile,a song women sang as they embroidered, the pastourelle, the descort, the balade, and dansa. Each of these types of song had a particular poetic form and subject. Five different singers, unaccompanied or variously joined by bagpipe, percussion, fiddle, or medieval lute, give engaging and musically solid interpretations that deserve serious attention by all lovers of early music and singing. --David Vernier

Tracks:

Pastourelle: Je chevauchai
Grand chant: Desconfortez, plains de dolor
Estampie
Grand chant: Quant define fueille et flor
Dansa: Donna pos vos ay chausida - Anonymous
Grand chant: De bien amer grant joie atent
Pastourelle: Quant voi la fleur nouvele - Anonymous
Grand chant: Delerousement comence
Balade: Un chant novel
Grand chant: Cil qui d'amours
Estampie
Descort: La doce pensee
Dansa: Amors m'art con fuoc am flama - Anonymous
Jeu Parti: Assenes chi, Grievilier - Adam De La Halle
Pastourelle: Por conforter mon corage
Estampie
Grand chant: Fins cuers enamoures
Chanson de tiole: Au novel tens pascor

Amazon.com

Catchy popular tunes are not a modern invention. Neither are poet-musicians with uniquely poignant, pertinent comments about life and love. All these things were very much a part of life in 12th- and 13th-century France, represented in the vast repertoire of the trouveres (northern provinces) and troubadours (southern provinces). This disc explores a tiny fraction of trouvere songs exemplified in the grand chant,a protracted meditation on the fortunes of loving, the jeu parti,a debate concerning questions of love, the chanson de toile,a song women sang as they embroidered, the pastourelle, the descort, the balade, and dansa. Each of these types of song had a particular poetic form and subject. Five different singers, unaccompanied or variously joined by bagpipe, percussion, fiddle, or medieval lute, give engaging and musically solid interpretations that deserve serious attention by all lovers of early music and singing. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

Triumph of the Trouveres. Buy It!.......2006-01-07

'Songs of the Trouveres' in the 'The Spirits of England and France' series by the Gothic Voices, directed by Christopher Page is one of the better 'early music' recordings I have bought and heard.

The Trouveres were wandering performers in France who wrote and performed 'grand chant' songs in the vernacular. In contrast to liturgical and other devotional music, this was the 'soap opera' entertainment of the day, as this genre was all about 'a protracted meditation on the fortunes of loving'.

This group features one of the very few 'stars' of early music performances, the soprano Emma Kirkby who only appears on two tracks, accompanied by either percussion or medieval lute.

This recording does justice to this series, Gothic Voices, and Hyperion.

Stunning (if imbalanced) performances.......2005-05-11

As far as the performances alone on this CD go, I can only quote a reviewer from the American Record Guide: 'This is quite simply the best recording ever of the Trouvere literature'. Both fans of and newcomers to Gothic Voices will be delighted by these interpretations, where 5 singers each take it in turns to perform examples of the various Trouvere genres (mostly unaccompanied). Particularly noteworthy are those of Rogers Covey-Crump (who is at his most sensuous on this disc) and Margaret Philpot (who ranges from the wistful to the declamatory). Similarly, you will be hard-pressed to find such intelligent and competent renderings of the estampies (MS du Roi), here played by Pavlo Beznosiuk (solo fiddle).

As always with Gothic Voices, the scholastic justification for these performances is strong. Yet whilst every performance decision here could be substantiated by evidence, it has to be said that the overall result is a bit dishonest. Whereas the sparsity of documents referring to 'singing and playing' in 'High Style' Troubadour repertory (chansons, planhs etc) allowed Christopher Page to offer the somewhat stiff 'discontinuity' disclaimer in his 1987 study 'Voices and Instruments of the Middle Ages' [p.19, ie: is the 'playing' simultaneous with, or subsequent to, the 'singing'?], the larger frequency of such references to 'singing and playing' in Trouvere repertory forced him to accept that, in all probability, Trouvere 'High Style' chansons (grand chants) were sometimes accompanied [by vielle/fiddle, p.30ff]. So could we not have had just one 'High Style' chanson accompanied by Pavlo Beznosiuk...?
Similarly, the overwhelming majority of descriptions of the 'Lower Style' genres primarily as accompanied songs (by his own admission) leaves me wondering why he directed a cappella performances of a descort [track 12], a chanson de toile [track 18] and a pastourelle [track 15], especially as these first two [12, 18] are the only examples on this recording of these genres, and the pastourelle [15] performed a cappella not only mentions a flute ['frestel'] but also singing and playing ['chantoit et notoit'].

So in short, this recording must be warmly recommended, but with the proviso that the listener realises this is not the complete picture of Trouvere song. Alongside other equally engaging performances, however, (with Trouvere High Style songs sometimes accompanied by one harp or vielle, eg 'Lo Gai Saber' - Camerata Mediterranea / Joel Cohen [Erato 2292-45647-2] or 'The Unicorn' - Anne Azema [Erato 4509-94830-2]), it is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of how this repertory might have sounded.

Gothic Voices are the best!!!!!!!!.......1999-04-27

I've got "The Medieval Romantics: French Songs and Motets 1340-1440" by Gothic Voices and it's great! It's on hyperion label and made in England if your interested.

Music Review: