Anonymous

1865 focuses on the personal experience of men, women, and children from the North and from the South, toward the end of the Civil War and in its immediate aftermath – as told in songs originally written for the stage and for the parlor, and in songs and instrumental tunes from the hills and back roads of America. Many of the songs in 1865 were published between 1861 and 1865; others first appeared in print earlier, but were sung constantly during the terrible war years, perhaps in an effort to bring to mind the familiar and the good. Yet other songs and instrumental tunes are not datable; by the year 1865, they had already been passed down from generation to generation without the aid of the printed page.

Returning to the Montpellier Codex for this programme of motets and chansons from 13th-century France, Anonymous 4 explores two dominant themes of the period: love and longing for the earthly/earthy Marion and the heavenly/virginal Marie. The Montpellier Codex, from which Anonymous 4 draw all these motets, was collected in Paris around the year 1300 and is the richest single source of 13th-century French polyphony. With a repertory spanning the entire 13th century, it contains polyphonic works in all the major forms of its era: organum, conductus, hocket and, primarily, motet (315 motets in all).

How's this for a concept: "True love may exist only outside of marriage, and a man must subject himself totally to the will of his beloved, whether or not her requests seem rational." If you think these ideas strange, be glad you weren't looking for love in France in the Middle Ages. These precepts course through thousands of song lyrics and love poetry during the 12th and 13th centuries and some of them appear on this exceptional recording by Anonymous 4. Specifically, these four women perform 13th century French motets found in an important manuscript known as the Montpellier Codex.

Anonymous 4 - La Bele Marie: Songs to the Virgin from 13th-Century France
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 256 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Harmonia Mundi # HMU 907312 | Country/Year: Europe 2002
Genre: Classical | Style: Medieval, Sacred

When you’ve got a good thing going, why mess around with it? That seems to be the philosophy that’s guided this amazing quartet to an unbroken string of 10 highly acclaimed recordings–and you can add this one to the list…