Paolo da Firenze: Madrigals

Narcisso Speculando
Madrigaux de Paolo da Firenze
Mala Punica - Pedro Memelsdorff
Harmonia Mundi HMC 901732 [CD]
Harmonia Mundi "Gold" HMG 501732 [CD]

Contents:

  1. Fra duri scogli (madrigal; 3 voices, trumpet)
  2. Un pellegrin uccel (madrigal; 3 voices, vielle, harp, chitarrino, recorder)
  3. Amor, deh dimmi (ballata; 4 voices, 2 vielles, chitarrino, recorder)
  4. Lena virtù (ballata; 3 voices, vielle, chitarrino)
  5. Isabella (istampita; 2 vielles, chitarrino, trumpet, recorder)
  6. Non più infelice (madrigal; 2 voices, vielle)
  7. Era Venus (madrigal; 3 voices, 2 vielles, harp, chitarrino, bells, recorder)
  8. Cosa non è (istampita; 2 vielles, chitarrino, trumpet, recorder)
  9. Godi Firenze (madrigal; 4 voices, 2 vielles, chitarrino, trumpet)
  10. Girando un bel falcon (madrigal; 3 voices)
  11. Un c'osa (istampita; organ, chitarrino, bells, recorder)

Performers: Tina Aagaard (soprano, organ), Elisa Franzetti (soprano), Alessandro Carmignani (countertenor), Gianluca Ferrarini (tenor), Amandine Beyer (vielle), Jane Achtman (vielle), Françoise Augustin (harp), Mara Galassi (harp), Karl-Ernst Schröder (chitarrino), Felix Stricker (slide trumpet), Alberto Macchini (bells), Pedro Memelsdorff (recorder)

Playing time: 56'

Recording date: September 1999 (Bologna)

[2], [9] Harmonia Mundi "Century" HMX 290 8168 [CD] Une révolution de l'esprit et de la musique (XIVe siècle) / An intellectual revolution in music - Le siècle de l'Ars nova / Ars Nova, A Revolution in the Late Middle Ages

Don Paolo di Marco (c.1355-1436/7) was a Florentine abbot of some renown. Besides thirteen madrigals, he also left 40-50 ballate and two sacred works. He is also known for a text on music theory. The present program emphasizes the madrigals, especially for their allegorical qualities and links to other music of the time. The motivic approach of Paolo's music is also viewed as forward-thinking, leading to analogies between this music and the Renaissance madrigal, with which it shares no tangible historical connection.

Other recordings featuring Don Paolo:

Paolo da Firenze: Amor, tu solo'l sai
Ballate e Madrigali
Club Mediéval - Thomas Baeté
Musica Ficta 8017
Stylems - Italian Music from the Trecento
Egidius da Francia, Bartolino da Padova, Don Paolo da Firenze
Ensemble Syntagma - Alexandre Danilevski
Challenge Classics 72195

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Todd M. McComb