This disc in the Warner
Apex series was first issued on Erato.
At bargain-price, this series includes
other discs of medieval and early music,
for example the 13th Century
‘Roman de Fauvel’ and the Spanish ‘Cantigas
de Santa Maria’. These are all classic
1990s recordings.
There are over two
hundred poems of which approximately
forty-five have music attached to them.
This comprises the most important and
comprehensive collection of lyrics from
central Europe throughout the entire
middle ages. These poems are of a vastly
differing content and character. The
order of pieces was carefully planned
according to main groups: satirical
songs, observations and laments on the
course of the world or the lowering
morals, love songs, drinking songs,
game songs and real Goliardic poetry
as well as Sacred plays; the latter
of which have also been recorded, for
example, by the Ensemble Organum on
Harmonia Mundi. The greatest portion
stems from the late 11th
century and early 12th century.
The majority of the poetry originated
in France. A few German poems are mixed
in with Latin ones. Many of them are
also known from other sources. We can
for example recognize the work of Walther
de Chatillon and Petrus de Blois. Likewise
some melodies may be found in other
sources and melodies for lyrics from
other collections may be pressed into
service for poems from the present manuscript.
In his notes Joel Cohen
succinctly tells us where he has found
the tunes and how he has used them.
Some are worked out from the neumes
in the CM manuscript (e.g. mi dilectissima’).
Some are from other manuscripts (e.g.
‘Bacche, bene venies’ from a Beauvais
mystery play). Others were composed
in modern times. These include the attractive
tune written and recorded by Tom Binkley,
who recorded songs from the manuscript
forty years ago, for ‘Tempus est jocundem‘,
and by René Clemencic for ‘Ich
war ein chant’. The disc ends with ‘Tempus
adest floridum’ which, with slight modal
alterations, uses a tune we now know
as ‘Good King Wenceslas’.
But before we go any
further you might find it helpful to
have a quick résumé of
earlier recordings of the astonishing
Benedikbeuren manuscript.
There have been several
attempts to record what is possible
from the manuscript in the last forty
years. Isolated pieces can be found
on many a recording, but the following
are the most significant:-
Studio die Fruhen Musik
directed by the late Thomas Binkley
on Telefunken (SFM)
René Clemencic and his ensemble
on Harmonia Mundi (RC)
Philip Pickett and
the New London Consort on L’Oiseau Lyre
(NLC) and now
The Boston Camerata
under Joel Cohen (BC)
Why should you purchase
this version of Carmina Burana and what
does it have to offer?
The more I think of
it the more I am convinced that the
Art (with a big A) of the 12th
century was a mixture of the improvised
and the notationally detailed. The improvised
allowed a free-rein to fantasy, the
detailed to the intellectual. Not for
nothing has this period been called
the ‘First Renaissance’. An ideal recording
allows for fantasy tempered by an unerring
effort to discover what the music might
be trying to do and what it must really
have been like.
Let us compare the
way these performers approach a few
of these pieces. ‘Bacche, bene venies’
is one of the most popular of tunes
and often recorded. For Clemencic’s
ensemble it is an opportunity to be
at their ‘beery’ best. Theirs is an
absolute orgy of noise and weird vocal
effects which I’m sorry to say I find
extremely annoying. Pickett is far more
reserved, in fact too much I feel, not
only in this song but in others where
he can be almost strait-laced especially
the often lugubrious Michael George.
Tom Binkley has the contralto Andrea
von Ramm singing the piece, which seems
a little out of place. Joel Cohen seems
to have it just right. He starts with
an instrumental introduction, then comes
a slightly slower and slurry opening
from a soloist. The verses are passed
between the other voices in a similar
manner with attention to the meaning
of the words. It even moves into the
bass voice down into the depths of the
clef. Gradually the speed increases
and the singers begin to join together.
It continues with a slow verse in parallel
Organum. It is great fun and musically
satisfying without being too theatrical.
This middle of the road approach is
typical of Cohen. He is always musical
first and theatrical second.
Let’s also take ‘Fas
et nefas’ with words by Gautier de Chatellon.
This opens Cohen’s disc. Pickett takes
a steady approach with a solid pulse
and completely a capella. It uses a
version sometimes in two parts and sometimes
in three parts (although he never tells
us his musical sources) – no frills
and all rather serious. Cohen is much
faster with percussion and with the
tune heard first on various instruments.
The words however should be born in
mind here "Good and bad walk, as
it were, in step/A wastrel cannot make
good the vice of a miser": perhaps
Pickett has it right. Incidentally Pickett
restricts his instruments throughout
to harp, vielle, gittern, recorders
and the occasional tabor. Cohen has
a wider range; Clemencic even more,
especially percussion. Tom Binkley allows
only medieval fiddle, rebec, lute and
drum. Cohen’s speed for ‘Fas et nefas’
is similar to that of Binkley who uses
just a little percussion. It is worth
bearing in mind that this Cohen CD is
dedicated to Binkley’s memory; he died
in 1996 at the too early an age of 61.
Cohen admits to Binkley’s influence.
Binkley quite often goes in for an eastern
approach to these melodies as in ‘Veris
dulcis in tempore’ . Cohen follows suit
in ‘O varium fortune’, a lament on the
fickleness of fortune - this is a common
theme in these songs. His a capella
version for women’s voices finds the
soloists being accompanied by a vocal
drone whilst the melody, from a Florentine
manuscript, is reminiscent of Mozarabic
chant.
‘Crucifigat omnes’,
in its three part version, as recorded
by Pickett, is a remarkable work demonstrating
the pleasure gained in the 13th century
from very ‘clashy’ harmonies to suit
the text ‘Our Lord’s Cross Crucifies
all’. It is normally taken with a ponderous
and steady ‘gait’. Cohen, oddly uses
the tune and its curious harmonies for
‘Curritur ad vocem’: ‘One runs toward
the call of money, or toward its sound’.
This is a typically cynical text which
is performed here like a jolly medieval
dance suitable for these words. Consequently
the harmonies now sound rather sanitised.
I could go on but much
to your relief no doubt will stop and
end by saying that I am really enjoying
Joel Cohen’s approach. He is more fun
than Pickett, more musical than Clemencic
and a step further on and more confident
with his material than Binkley. This
is a good introduction to the fascinating
and wonderful Carmina Burana manuscript
and to early medieval music in particular.
Gary Higginson
Boston Camerata/Joel Cohen 
