Medieval popular
songs set to new texts by
Gautier de Coincy (1177-1236)
The Harp Consort
directed by
Andrew Lawrence-King
To be released on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi
In medieval France, various reformers sought to curb the excesses of
secular entertainments by bringing them into line with the teachings and
rituals of the church. By writing new, religious texts in the vernacular to the
devil's good music, and by combining private devotions to the Virgin Mary with
rowdy stories that would appeal to the masses, Gautier created a literary
masterpiece. Although the reformers set out to raise the moral standards of the
"low-style" forms, the resultant mixture of high art and popular culture also
brought new life to the serious genres, blending the sophisticated elegance of
trouvere poetry with the strong simplicity of peasant dances. Sensual
love-songs are re-interpreted as ecstatic praises of the Virgin Mary, rhythmic
dance-tunes and catchy refrain-songs are given devotional texts, with religious
mottos replacing the emblems of courtly love. Gautier’s choice of rhythmic
metres, refrain-songs and popular dance-tunes clearly indicates the use of
instruments. Harps and vielles were associated with trouvere music, and the
"low-style" pieces among the Miracles suggest wind-instruments, even
percussion. Paradoxically, in seeking to reform popular music, Gautier
unwittingly preserved many ancient melodies, notating with a scholar’s
care tunes that had until then only been passed down by aural traditions. Thus
the Miracles are a treasure-trove of medieval dance-melodies for instrumental
and vocal performance. It was precisely in these "mixed" genres, nurtured both
by popular traditions and by the skill of trained musicians, that performers
would improvise polyphonic settings, using the strong rhythms of the conductus
style. The Harp Consort have pioneered a completely new approach to medieval
improvisation, with voices and instruments improvising in parallel heterophony.
Improvised conductus and instrumental presentation of the "original" dance
versions of Gautier’s tunes are balanced by the high art of notated
polyphonic settings of the tunes by contemporary Parisian composers.
Andrew
Lawrence-King
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