Etienne de la Boétie Servitù Volontaria

Comment la servitude peut-elle être volontaire ? comment peut-on avoir le désir de se soumettre ? Comment la liberté peut-elle se nier elle-même ? Autant vouloir ne plus vouloir, ou réclamer librement de porter des chaines aux pieds… Pourtant, c’est comme ça que ça marche : telle est l’étrange et imparable leçon du discours de la servitude volontaire. …

Ce discours inspiré par la passion pour la liberté a pour objet de montrer les frontières que la nature et Dieu assignent à la tyrannie, avertissant que la patience des peuples n'est pas sans limite. Il est suivi d'un texte de B. Constant expliquant l'évolution de la conception de la liberté et d'une fable de La Fontaine opposant un confort servile à une vie indépendante et difficile. …

Jérôme Lejeune continues his History of Music series with this boxed set devoted to the Renaissance. The next volume in the series after Flemish Polyphony (RIC 102), this set explores the music of the 16th century from Josquin Desprez to Roland de Lassus. After all of the various turnings that music took during the Middle Ages, the music of the Renaissance seems to be a first step towards a common European musical style. Josquin Desprez’s example was followed by every composer in every part of Europe and in every musical genre, including the Mass setting, the motet and all of the various new types of solo song. Instrumental music was also to develop considerably from the beginning of the 16th century onwards.

Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre is one of the most remarkable female musical figures in history. Rarely has a woman composer garnered such esteem in her own time, and her success, rather than provoking resentment in the hearts of her contemporaries, inspired the utmost admiration. One has to give credit to the Grand Siècle, a unique period in this regard, for granting Élisabeth the respect she truly deserved. This recording features works seldom heard but nonetheless of exceptional quality, exemplifying two genres in which Jacquet de La Guerre excelled: the French cantata and the suite for harpsichord. In these, we can discover the intrinsic and timeless value of her artistry, regardless of the anecdotal aspects of the historical and social conditions in which they were created.