Loyset COMPÈRE (c.1445-1518)
Magnificat primi toni [12.49]
Tant ay d’ennuy/O vos omnes [8.17]
Dictes moy voz pensées [4.35]
Une plaisant fillette ung matin se leva [2.43]
Vous me fait morir d’envie [6.17]
Ung franc archier [7.08]
Ne doibt on prendre quant on donne [5.03]
Au travail suis sans espoir de confort [6.24]
Mes pensées ne me lessent une heure [11.41]
O bone Jesu [3.23]
The Orlando Consort
rec. 2013, St. John the Baptist Church, Loughton, Essex
HYPERION CDA68069 [68.22]
So, after some twenty years, the Orlando Consort have returned to the
sacred and secular works of Loyset Compère. In 1993 they recorded ten
pieces for Metronome (CD1002-10). Interestingly there is no doubling
up of any of the items.
I prefer this new disc for several reasons. The recording has more air
around the voices, secondly the pieces are of a greater quality and
thirdly I was never a fan of the balance and sound of the Orlandos in
many of their earlier recordings. I was not sure why until I realised
that I did not like the vocal blend of Robert Harre-Jones’ counter-tenor
— a very personal feeling, I’m sure but there we are. At that time Charles
Daniels was first tenor. The mellifluous Mark Dobell now takes his place,
but I much prefer counter-tenor Matthew Venner whose fusion and balance
are ideal. Angus Smith and the reliable and wonderfully controlled Donald
Greig are still in place.
David Fallows in Hyperion’s fascinating and clear documentation makes
out the case for Compère being Josquin’s older contemporary and therefore
right up there in the stylistic vanguard of the day being “the true
originator of the fully imitative style that was continued and perhaps
perfected by Josquin”. Writing for the Metronome disc Fallows commented
that Compère was “an attractive flawless technician”.
There are over fifty known works by him so he is no minor player. Weighing
it all up we have even more reason to rejoice that this new disc has
emerged and is so desirable.
A large-scale and strongly imitative Magnificat primi toni opens
the disc and the motet O bone Jesu ends it. This latter might
just as easily have been a renaissance Spanish piece and it certainly
doesn’t sound like Compère. In any event it makes a gorgeous coda to
the programme.
Tant ay d’ennuy /O vos omnes has a text which appears
not only to be quite similar to other secular songs on this disc but
is also characteristic of fifteenth century song in general: “So much
distress, so much misery have I/So bitter, piercing and mighty is my
pain” because of unrequited love, of course. This work is a chanson-motet,
a strange form, so-called because the bass line of this expressive three-part
texture sings lines and the chant from the Lamentations of Jeremiah
“ … Attend and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow”.
We know the author of four of the other song texts. He was an associate
of the composer, his name ‘Bourbon’ hides his identity as Duke Jean
II of Bourbon (1427-1488). This helps pin Compère down to his service
with the Bourbon court in the 1480s following on from Ockeghem who had
been Compère’s teacher. The quite personal texts are Ne doibt on
prendre quant on donne, a ‘chanson’ which is set in flowing imitation
in three democratically treated parts. Dictes moy toutes voz pensées,
(Tell me all your hopes/For I want to know them), the passionate Vous
me faites morir de’envie (You make me die from wishing/To kiss your
lovely mouth) and the more lengthy and impatient Mes pensées ne me
lessen une heure (My cares do not leave me for an hour) in all of
which the opening couplets return two or three times during the setting
to create the ‘chanson-fixe’ form. Each is in three richly polyphonic
parts with some gloriously melismatic passages as on ‘vie’ in the above
third poem.
By contrast, the slightly risqué text of Une plaisant fillette is
more like that set by early sixteenth century French composers like
Passereau. It concerns a young woman who, scantily clad, meets a soldier
early one morning. Fallows dates this four-part work to the 1490s but
a decade later would be equally appropriate. Finally, Ung franc archier
also gives the Orlandos a chance to sing with a different vocal
approach in this folksy, obscure text. It's about a somewhat rough archer
who eventually goes off to fight for the Duke of Burgundy. A strophic
setting it has a four-part texture that involves a clever canon for
the upper voices.
It's good that Loyset Compère is getting another chance as it were -
especially with these fine secular songs. There is much more out there
that would be fun to know and perform but until we have easily obtainable
editions that could be a challenge. Meanwhile enjoy this disc which
is produced to Hyperion’s usual high standards which include texts and
excellent translations as well as David Fallows' essay.
Gary Higginson
Previous review: Brian Wilson
