12th Century Polyphony in Aquitaine (St. Martial de Limoges)

Polyphonie Aquitaine du XIIe siècle (Saint-Martial de Limoges)

Extraits des matines de Noël / Excerpts from the Christmas Matins
Ensemble Organum - Marcel Pérès, dir.
Harmonia Mundi HMC 1134 [LP]
Harmonia Mundi HMC 901134 [CD]
Harmonia Mundi "musique d'abord" HMA 1901134 [CD]

Contents:

Christmas Matins (excerpts)

1. Domine labia mea aperies
   Deus in adjutorium meum
2. Christus natus est nobis
   Psalm 94 (95): Venite, exultemus Domino
3. Hymn: Christe redemptor omnium
4. Verse: O primus homo coruit
5. Jube Domine
   Lesson: Primo tempore alleviata est
6. Responsory: Hodie nobis caelorum rex (monody)
7. Prosa: Laude jocunda melos
8. Responsory: Angelus ad pastores (monody)
9. Verse: Veni solis radius
10. Lesson: In omnium requiem quesivi
11. Responsory: O magnum misterium (monody)
12. Meditating improvisation on the theme « O magnum misterium » (organ)
    Benedicamus Domino
    Deo gratias

Source:
Saint-Martial de Limoges

Performers:
Ensemble Organum
Gérard Lesne (counter-tenor), Dominique Vellard (tenor), Josep Benet (tenor), Josep Cabré (baritone), Philippe Balloy (baritone), Marcel Pérès (organ)
Marcel Pérès, dir.

Playing time: 53'

Recording date: November 1983;
Released: 1984 (LP), 1987 (CD), 1998 (CD-HMA)

Compilation:
Harmonia Mundi HMX 290 8042/44 [CDx3] Musique sacrée française

Excerpts:
[1], [4] Harmonia Mundi "Century" HMX 290 8167 [CD] A History of Music, vol. 5: La naissance de la Polyphonie / The Birth of Polyphony
[1], [4], [9] Harmonia mundi HMX 290 649 [CD] Les Très Riches Heures du Moyen Âge - A Medieval Journey CD-4 - Les Premières polyphonies

Reviewed in:
Diapason: (May 1988)
Fanfare (Vol./#-p.): 8/2- (November / December 1984) Le Monde de la Musique: (Jul. 1988)
Hight Fidelity: (Oct. 1988)

This is an all-male vocal recording, interspersing chant & polyphony. Although the Notre Dame repertory is probably more central to the historical development of polyphony, and certainly better-known, the Aquitaine repertory is earlier and presents some interesting harmonic features of its own.

The contemporaneous recording of a similar program from Notre Dame:

École de Notre Dame (Période romane)

Messe du Jour de Noël
Ensemble Organum - Marcel Pérès
Harmonia Mundi musique d'abord HMA 190 1148

A couple of other recordings devoted to similar material:

Shining Light

Music from the Aquitanian Monasteries, 12th century
Sequentia
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 77370

The Fire and the Rose

Aquitanian Chant & polyphony
Heliotrope - Joyce Todd, dir
Koch International 7356

A couple of recordings devoted to related material in similar styles:

Hortus Deliciarum

Hildegard von Bingen / Herrad von Landsberg
Discantus - Brigitte Lesne
Opus 111 30-220

Fulbert de Chartres

Chantre de l'an mil
Ensemble Venance Fortunat - Anne-Marie Deschamps
L'Empreinte Digitale 13036

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