LES MANUSCRITS DE TOURS
13th century feast songs
Released: 1997
1 Circa canit (rundellus)
2 O Martine, O Pie (antienne)
3 Veni Sancte Spiritus (conduit)
4 Virtus moritur (conduit)
5 Hic est Martinus electus (repons)
6 Ignis in rubo (rundellus)
7 O laudes debitas - Processit in stipite (rundellus)
8 O quam admirabilis vir (repons)
9 Nicholaus inclitus (Rundellus)
10 Alleluia, hic Martinus (organum duplum)
11 Beata nobis gaudia (rundellus)
12 Salve virgo virginum (rundellus)
13 Ave presul gloriose (antienne)
14 Gaude Syon (prose)
15 Ave Stella Matutina (conduit)
16 Agmina sacra angelorum (repons)
17 Honorem virginis (conduit)
18 Processit in stipite (rundellus)
19 Deus pater filium (rundellus)
20 Dominatrix omnium (conduit)
21 Mittens predicted (rundellus)
22 O presul, o virtutis, sacerdotum (motet)
23 Mira Christi clemencia (rundellus)
24 Martine presul optime (hymne)
Listen
This is a very original musicological work on 2 manuscripts from the 13th century, from the municipal library of Tours. They contain those famous “rundelli”, touching clerical dances which served as pious entertainment for young monks on feast days. Their simple structure of songs with refrains, but also their strength and balance, lend themselves to all vocal arrangements: a capella or with percussion, drones, songs in fifths, tiles, etc.
Distribution
Mezzo-soprano: Aino Lund
Countertenor: Andrés Rojas
Tenors: Raphaël Boulay - Antoine Guerber
Baritone: Jean-Paul Rigaud
Bass-baritone: Emmanuel Vistorky
Percussion: Brice Duisit
Recorded at the Collegiate Church of Bueil-en-Touraine from October 25 to 28, 1996
Sound recording, editing: Jean Marc Laisné
Ratings
"Today we are struck by the great textual and melodic simplicity of these rundellus, which perhaps bear witness to reminiscences of much earlier times, being very probably the Latin adaptation to the liturgical feasts of the French rondeau."
Antoine Guerber, 1997