Pierre Attaingnant - Jeux d'orgue et de voix
anon
Praeludium (organ) [2:29]
Magnificat du 4e ton (organ, plainchant with faux-bourdon) [12:18]
Prélude aux 13 motets (organ) [1:03]
Jean (Pierre?) DE LAFAGE (LAFARGE?) (fl. 1518-1530)*
Aspice Domine (motet and organ transcription) [7:21]
Mathieu GASCONGNE (before 1502-1552)
Bone Jesu dulcissime (motet and organ transcription) [5:50]
Loyset COMPÈRE (c.1445-1518)
O vos omnes (motet and organ transcription) [6:10]
anon
Kyrie Cunctipotens (organ, plainchant) [6:31]
Prélude aux 13 motets (organ) [1:08]
Jacob OBRECHT (1457/58-1505)
Parce Domine (motet and organ transcription) [4:28]
Antoine DE FÉVIN (c.1470-1511/12)
Sancta Trinitas (motet and organ transcription) [7:56]
Claudin DE SERMISY (c.1490-1562)
Si bona suscepimus (motet and organ transcription) [8:40]
anon
Prélude sur chacun ton (organ) [3:43]
Jean-Patrice Brosse (organ)
Vox Cantoris/Jean-Christophe Candau
(Yann Rolland (superius), Jean-Christophe Candau, Damien Rivière, Hervé
Lamy (tenor), Malcolm Bothwell, Antoine Sicot (bass))
rec. September and November 2011, Abbatiale de Saint-Savin, Lavedan (Haute-Pyrénées)
and Église Saint-Pierre, La Réole (Gironde), France. DDD
Texts and translations included
(*) The booklet gives Pierre de LaFage as the composer's name, in New Grove
(ed. 2003) he is called Jean de LaFarge
PSALMUS PSAL 015 [67:38]
The man in the title of this disc, Pierre Attaingnant, was not a composer
but a printer, and a very important one at that. His first publication dates
from 1525 and many followed; when he died in 1551 the number of volumes printed
by Attaingnant was no fewer than 174. His widow continued his business and
printed seven more books, comprising more than 1,000 pieces. This disc concentrates
on three books with liturgical keyboard music which were published in 1531.
Although he was just a printer, that doesn't exclude the possibility that
he himself contributed to the form in which the music was published. Many
editions include arrangements, and it is mostly not known who exactly is responsible
for them. One of the volumes from which the music for this disc is chosen
comprises organ transcriptions of motets, and it may be Attaingnant himself
who acted as the arranger.
At the time of publication the organ played an important role in the liturgy.
It had largely three functions which are reflected in the programme. Firstly,
it played preludes which introduced a motet which was to be sung. Secondly,
it was involved in the performance of liturgical chant, in alternation with
the choir. This disc includes two examples: the Magnificat du 4ème
ton and the Kyrie Cunctipotens. Lastly, the organ played transcriptions
of vocal pieces, especially motets. On this disc various pieces can be heard
in two versions: first the organ transcription and then the original vocal
form.
The word 'transcription' is not quite correct: these pieces are more than
just a literal transposition of the notes of the various voices to the organ.
In the organ version there are additional notes, in the form of ornaments,
and also transitional passages which link various sections of a motet. In
his liner-notes the director of Vox Cantoris, Jean-Christophe Candau, states
that these transcriptions provide interesting information in regard to performance
practice. "Whereas in singing, the ornamentation does not appear on the score
and is improvised, it is entirely written out in organ music. We therefore
studied the divisions (ornamentation procedure) and other grace-notes proposed
by Attaingnant to inspire us in our singing and find the soul of music that
exceeds the performer".
There are two aspects of this recording which makes it even more valuable.
Firstly, in the Magnificat du 4ème ton the vocal verses are
performed with faux-bourdons. These are also from a historical source. "What
a pleasant surprise we had, a few years ago, finding a group of faux-bourdons
on the eight church tones, written carelessly on a few sheets at the end of
a 16th-century collection of some thirty three-part love songs!". They were
written by Jean du Moulin, master of the children's choir at the church in
Sens. The Kyrie Cunctipotens is taken from the 16th-century Roman gradual
Cenomanense of 1515 which is now in the French National Library. This
version includes tropes, additional texts to the traditional Kyrie
chant.
Another interesting aspect is the choice of the organ. It was built in 1557
by Antoine Riballier and had eight stops. It was abandoned during the French
Revolution and at the end of the 19th century it was completely ruined. It
was not until the 1970s that a restoration was planned, under the instigation
of the renowned organist Xavier Darasse. Between 1994 and 1996 a restoration
was carried out by the organ builders Alain Sals and Charles Henry. The result
is a rather small but magnificent organ that is perfectly suited to the repertoire
on this disc. Its pitch is a=465 Hz and it is tuned in meantone temperament.
The booklet indicates that the recording was made in two different venues.
I assume that the sung items have been recorded in La Réole. There
is no difference in the acoustic amd there is a complete unity between the
organ pieces and the vocal works.
Jean-Patrice Brosse is a specialist in early music and delivers an excellent
account of the organ pieces. The members of Vox Cantoris, standing in a half
circle around the choirbook, adopt historical pronunciation, in a mostly moderate
tempo. They achieve considerable transparency which allows one to follow the
various lines in the music.
This disc offers a highly fascinating account of the liturgical practices
in early 16th-century France.
Johan van Veen
http://www.musica-dei-donum.org
https://twitter.com/johanvanveen
Offers a fascinating account of liturgical practice in early 16th-century
France.
Support
us financially by purchasing this disc from: |
|
 |
 |