Dufay

What did it mean for Guillaume Du Fay (ca. 1397-1474), chameleon-like expert in every musical genre of his day, to compose four settings of the Mass Ordinary toward the end of his life? Looking back from the vantage point of the next generation, when the polyphonic mass reigned supreme, it might be tempting to interpret these works as a self-conscious summa of Du Fay’s career – an achievement akin to Haydn’s London Symphonies or Beethoven’s late string quartets. On a purely musical level these comparisons are apt. Each mass stakes out unique musical terrain; they are often strikingly experimental; and the entire set is shimmeringly beautiful from beginning to end, revealing a composer at the height of his powers.

Nonesuch Records releases pianist Jeremy Denk's c.1300–c.2000 on February 8, 2019. The album captures a program of works spanning seven centuries that Denk created and performed at venues including Lincoln Center, Wigmore Hall, and Piano aux Jacobins. "The history of so-called classical music felt closer to me now than it did when I first learned about it in college, not just more relevant, but more alive. Wouldn't it be amazing, I wondered, to experience this sweep and arc in one sitting?" For that program, Denk performed twenty-four pieces by composers ranging from Machaut to Ligeti—with Binchois, Gesualdo, Stockhausen, Philip Glass, and many others in the middle.

Ensemble Laude Novella - Ce moys de may (1998) {Helikon HCD1031}
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© 1998 Helikon Records | HCD 1031
Classical / Medieval / 14th and early 15th centuries

As Notherners, we may be surprised to hear of Mediterraneans praising the month of May as eagerly as we do ourselves. Gathering around our bonfires on the last day of April, singing Northern May songs in shivering cold as a final farewell to Winter, we rather expect May to be full summer in Rome, Avignon or Barcelona. However, already in the Middle Ages, from Occitan troubadours of the 12th century onwards, we find the month of May celebrated as the true Spring month - not least in the present selection of songs and instrumental music from the late 14th and early 15th centuries. (Guillaume Legrant seems to be alone here in mentioning April as the suitable time for gathering flowers, but even then, the purpose seems to be preparations for coming May festivities…).

Ancient Atmospheres (The Perfect Medieval Fantasy Soundtrack) takes you on a distant journey into the medieval world, deeper than ever.

Tetraktys - Codex Chantilly, Vol. 1 (2008) {Olive–Et'cetera KTC 1900}
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© 2008 Olive Music / Et'cetera | KTC 1900
Classical / Medieval / Early Music / 14th Century

The most significant among the so-called Ars Subtilior Mss. is the codex which today lies in the Musée Condé in Chantilly. Recent research suggests that the repertory of this codex originated in South-Western France, insofar as this is not part of the general French repertory of the time. It is clear that both music and texts were intended for, and/or commissioned by the courts of in particular Gaston Fébus, count of Foix and Beam (1343-1391), John I, king of Aragon (1350-1395) and Jean, Duc de Berry (1340-1416). The 112 polyphonic compositions comprise 99 songs and 13 motets, among which the 70 ballades predominate, though there are also 17 rondeaux and 12 virelais.

Ensemble Unicorn - Cantores et Spileri, Musik am Hof der Grafen von Tirol, 1220-1420 (2003) {Schloss Tirol}
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© 2003 Schloss Tirol | [none]
Classical / Early Music / Medieval / Period Instruments

Ensemble Unicorn is a popular chamber group devoted to the performance of Medieval and early Renaissance music on period instruments. The ensemble consists of five players, though often one or several guest performers, especially singers, will augment their number to accommodate demands of certain repertory. Repertory is, of course, one of the key aspects of the group, another is the instrumentation used in performance. Early or Medieval versions of recorders, harp, and fiddle are used, along with hurdy-gurdy, keyed fiddle, ud, rebec, various ancient flutes, and an array of percussion instruments.

England's Orlando Consort, a quartet of male singers augmented as needed by other performers, offers performances of Renaissance vocal music that lie midway between the traditional and the highly individualized modern. Sometimes they veer toward one of those two extremes, but often, as on the present disc, they find a happy medium. Their sound, especially in sacred music, owes much to the English cathedral tradition, but there's a well-honed edge to their one-voice-to-a-part interpretations that brings out the crowds who've recently been drawn to early music. This disc is intended as an introduction to a composer who doesn't always offer easy listening to the modern ear. Netherlander Antoine Busnois, active at the end of the fifteenth century and considered the greatest figure between Dufay and Josquin, wrote music that broke free from elaborate medieval numerology but came in advance of Josquin's perfect marriage of music and text.

Born around 1380 in the Duchy of Limburg, possibly in the little town of the same name, Johannes de Limburgia was active for a long time in Liège, then in Italy. We have evidence of his presence in Vicenza between 1431 and 1436, and several of his works refer explicitly to Vicenza, as well as to Venice and Padua, demonstrating a strong connection with northern Italy, where his music was compiled. His output – more than 45 works – is contained in three large manuscripts from the first half of the fifteenth century, alongside music by other composers from north of the Alps, such as Johannes Ciconia and Guillaume Dufay. Though only sacred music by Limburgia has survived, it is richly varied, reflecting both the consistency of the Franco-Flemish style and the composer’s own inventive taste for harmonic and melodic experimentation.

This album is a hand numbered limited edition of 1000 copies containing five world premiere recordings by Robert Zuidam, Calliope Tsoupaki, Celia Swart and Juan Felipe Waller.