Marcel Frèderic

This recording came to fruition thanks to nearly 25 years of effort. In 1997, Marcel Pérès and his Ensemble Organum began a simultaneous exploration of the Mozarabic rite (the liturgical chant peculiar to the Christians living in Spain at the time of Arabrule) and of the Samaa spiritual practice of Morocco. Setting aside the theological differences between the two faiths, the artists discovered a great deal of kinship between the two forms of musical expression. A veritable utopia, the idea for this recording then suggested itself: to regain the lost accord of human brotherhood through music.

Henri Dumont is an important figure in the French Baroque scene in that he was one of the pioneers in the development of the "grands motets" that saw such fruit in the works of Lully, Delaland, Campra, Charpentier, Rameau and others. From what I've heard of his music, it tends to be a bit more subdued and sombre that a lot of the festive and almost manic works from some of the others mentioned. This disc has four motets, one of which; Dialogus de anima, has been recorded before. I have the versions by Herreweghe and Rousset.

The gorgeous early music releases of France's Alpha label, each illustrated with a relevant painting along with discussion of both the music and the artwork, offer a splendid introduction to the culture of the ancien régime. The discussions get down to the kind of depth that academics traffic in, yet the performances are by and large sensuous ones entrusted to some of France's best historical-instrument ensembles.

This disc is part of a remarkable series on France's Alpha label, pairing mostly Baroque repertories with detailed presentations of visual artworks that are either contemporary with the music or otherwise somehow related to it. You can get a good education in art of the seventeenth century just by buying these discs as they appear. Look at the dramatically lit detail from a 1663 painting by Lubin Baugin on the cover of the disc (the entire painting, along with other details, is reproduced inside).

Anonymous - Messe de Tournai, XIVe siècle - Ensemble Organum, Marcel Pérès (1990) {Harmonia Mundi HMA 1951353 rel 2006}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 229 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 127 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 56 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1990, 2006 Harmonia Mundi | HMA 1951353
Classical / Medieval / Early Music / Polyphony / Sacred

This is an all-male vocal recording, including chant (Propers) and polyphony (Ordinary). The Mass of Tournai is early 14th century, a decade or so before that of Machaut. Some have argued that it does not show a unified design, and so Machaut's setting is the first unified mass cycle. The respective unities are not clear - at most it is a matter of degree - although it is not known whether this mass was composed by one composer or many. At any rate, it is the first mass cycle declared as such. The concluding Ite missa est leads into a true motet, with different texts in the two upper voices.

Infante d'Espagne, épouse de Louis VIII, mère de Saint Louis et régente de France, Blanche de Castille (1188-1252) a marqué de son empreinte l'histoire tumultueuse du Moyen Âge. Mariée à onze ans, Blanche fait figure de simple monnaie d'échange destinée à sceller la paix entre la France et l'Angleterre. Mais la mort de son mari, Louis VIII, la met aux commandes des destinées du royaume. …