Fleur De Lys - The Solo Suite before Bach
Nicolas HOTMAN (1610-1663)
Suite in d minor [17:39]
Le Sieur DUBUISSON (?-1688)
Suite in d minor [11:04]
Le Sieur DE MACHY (?-1692)
Suite No. 4 in G [14:32]
Jean DE SAINTE COLOMBE (c.1615-c.1701)
Suite in d minor [21:27]
Marin MARAIS (1656-1728)
Tombeau pour Mr. de Ste. Colombe* [06:18]
Charles Medlam (viola da gamba), William Carter (theorbo) (*)
rec. 22-23 March 2010, The Studio, Brick Kiln Cottage, Hollington, Hampshire,
UK. DDD
CELLO CLASSICS CC1028 [71:04]
It’s ironic, isn't it, that this disc of French music for viola da gamba
appears on the Cello Classics label. The Italian in the first half of the
18th century was in the process of superseding the viola da gamba, the symbol
of everything that was French in music. This was the direct reason a certain
Hubert Le Blanc published a book in Amsterdam in 1740, called Défense
de la basse de viole contre les entreprises du violon et les prétentions
du violoncelle (A Defence of the bass viol against the ventures of the
violin and the pretensions of the violoncello). Le Blanc, a lawyer by profession,
was a staunch admirer of the traditional French style. The title of the third
part of his book is telling: "A method to make all music playable on the Viol".
It was a final stand designed to save the bass viol from extinction.
For Le Blanc the heyday of the viola da gamba was the time of Marin Marais
and Antoine Forqueray. Their works are also attracting much attention today,
and they are well represented on disc. This may give the impression that music
for viola da gamba always came with a part for basso continuo. But that is
not the case. The music of previous generations, in particular that of the
mid-17th century, receives far less attention. At that time most pieces were
written for solo viol, without accompaniment. Even the first book of Marais,
which appeared in 1686, was first printed with only a part for the bass viol.
An additional part for the basso continuo was printed three years later. It
is an indication that in this book the basso continuo is optional.
The first three composers in the programme are largely unknown quantities.
Not that much is known about them. Nicolas Hotman was not of French birth.
According to Charles Medlam he was from Flanders, others believe his roots
were in Germany. He moved to France at a young age: in 1626 he became a French
citizen, in 1655 he was employed by the King's brother, and in 1661 he entered
the service of Louis XIV himself, as the successor of Louis Couperin. In a
treatise on the viol from 1687 Hotman is called "the first in France to compose
real Pièces d'Harmonie on the viol, to compose beautiful melodies and
to imitate the voice." At his time the design of the suite had not been formalised.
His Suite in d minor begins with two allemandes, which are followed
by a courante with a double, a sarabande, a bourée and two ballets,
embracing a gigue.
Soon virtually every suite contained a sequence of allemande, courante, sarabande
and gigue, often preceded by a prélude. In many suites other pieces
were added, like a gavotte or a ballet, and often they ended with a chaconne
or a passacaille. One composer who extended the suite this way was Jean de
Sainte Colombe, who was a pupil of Hotman. He remains a somewhat mystical
character. For a long time even his Christian name wasn't known, and he was
usually referred to as Sieur de Sainte Colombe. The American gambist Jonathan
Dunford discovered that his Christian name was Jean. He also found strong
evidence that he was a Huguenot, which would explain why he never had any
official position at the court and that at the end of the 17th century disappeared
from public life. This could have been the effect of Louis XIV revoking the
Edict of Nantes and declaring Protestantism illegal. It could also explain
why, according to a newspaper, his son lived in London in 1718. In the Suite
in d minor the courante and the sarabande have a double - an ornamented
version of the preceding dance - a gavotte and a ballet, and proceedings end
with a chaconne. Sainte-Colombe was the teacher of Marin Marais, who composed
the moving tribute to his teacher which ends this disc.
Dubuisson was from Picardy and only seems to have adopted the name of 'Du
Buisson' later in his life, adding that he was a 'bourgeois de Paris'. More
than a hundred pieces for unaccompanied viol by Dubuisson have survived, and
the dissemination of his compositions outside France shows that his music
was highly appreciated. His Suite in d minor has the four traditional
dances, preceded by a prélude and followed by a ballet with a double.
The allemande also has a double.
It is very likely Le Sieur de Machy was a pupil of Dubuisson. He had a position
at the court and was the first to publish pieces for viol in 1685. He added
a foreword in which he gave many hints in regard to the way the viol should
be played. The Suite No. 4 in G is from this collection. To the four
dances he added a prélude and a gavotte en rondeau. The suite ends
with a chaconne.
This chaconne is the only piece (except Marais' Tombeau) of which I
could find another performance in my collection. It was recorded by the Belgian
gambist Philippe Pierlot, and was recently reissued as part of a set of discs
devoted to the shift from the viol to the violin and the cello in France (Ricercar
RIC 296). The difference between his performance and Charles Medlam's is huge.
One would think they are playing different pieces. Charles Medlam's playing
is straightforward, and rather stiff and wooden, whereas Pierlot's interpretation
is full of zest and passion. In a recent interview Pierlot said that he was
hugely impressed by the subtlety of French baroque music and he believes the
performers went even further than the very detailed indications in the music
indicate. He specifically warned against flat performances. And that is exactly
what we get here, I'm afraid.
Hotman was admired for the "tenderness of his playing" with which he "charmed
all those who heard him". I found his Suite in d minor rather uninteresting,
and that is probably more due to Charles Medlam's playing than to the quality
of Hotman's music. The Suite in d minor by Dubuisson comes off best,
and some movements from the Suite in G by De Machy and the Tombeau
by Marais are relatively well done. But in general I am quite disappointed
about these performances which lack the elegance and the aristocratic splendour
which is so characteristic of this repertoire. That is particularly regrettable
as there are so few recordings with French music for unaccompanied viol.
Johan van Veen
The performances lack elegance and aristocratic splendour.