Medieval and Renaissance Music / Elena Polonska, Guy Durand, Roger Cotte
for the Irish and Medieval Harps, Vièle, Recorders and Tambourin

medieval.org
Vox "Turnabout" TV 4019 / 34019S
1965

SIDE I  [24:20]

Band 1  [5:19]

1. Francesco LANDINI (1325-1397). Angelica beltà  [1:40]
— medieval harp
2. Anon. (XIII c.). Danse Royale  [2:17]
— medieval harp
3. Anon. (XIII c.). In saeculum viellatoris  [1:22]
— recorder, medieval harp, vièle

Band 2  [6:57]

4. Anon. (XIV c.). Lamento di Tristano — La Rotta  [2:35]
— medieval harp
5. Anon. (XIII c.). Ductia  [0:52]
— recorder, vièle, tambourin
6. Anon. (Ecole de N. Dame, XIII c.). Veri floris sub figura  [0:39]
— recorder, medieval harp, vièle
7. Anon. (Ecole de N. Dame, XIII c.). Clausolae (Domino)  [1:33]
— medieval harp
8. Anon. (XIII c.). Saltarello  [1:18]
— medieval harp

Band 3  [6:01]

9. Johannes LEGRANT (XV c.). Entre vous nouvaux mariés  [1:18]
— recorder, Irish harp, vièle

Claude GERVAISE (XVI c.). Danceries  [4:43]
— Irish harp

10. Gaillarde  [0:44]
11. Bransle de Bourgogne  [1:21]
12. Bransle de Champagne  [1:04]
13. Pavane & Gaillarde d'Angleterre  [1:34]

Band 4  [6:04]

14. Heinrich ISAAC (XVI c.). Carmen saecularis  [1:19]
— recorder, Irish harp, vièle

Claudin de SERMISY (XVI c.)
— Irish harp

15. Puisqu'en amour  [1:05]
16. Du bien qu'oeil absent ne peut choisir  [0:52]

17. BRIHUEGA (XVI c.). Villancico  [1:25]
— Irish harp, vièle, recorder
18. Vincenzo GALILEI (XVI c.). Saltarello  [1:23]
— Irish harp

SIDE II  [22:13]

Band 1  [3:48]

19. Anon. (XIII c.). In saeculum artifex  [1:06]
— recorder, medieval harp, vièle

Walther von der VOGELWEIDE (1165?-1230?)

20. Palestinalied  [1:04]
— medieval harp with plectre
21. Wie sol ich den gemynen  [0:34]
— medieval harp

22. Anon. (XIII c.). Trotto  [1:04]
— medieval harp

Band 2  [6:40]

23. Jacob OBRECHT (1453-1505). Ricercare  [2:32]
— recorder, medieval harp with plectre, vièle
24. Guilelmus MONACHUS (XV c.). Gymel  [1:08]
— medieval harp
25. Anon. (XIII c.). Estampie Royale  [1:12]
— medieval harp
26. Anon. (XIV c.). La Manfredina  [1:49]
— vièle, tambourine

Band 3  [5:21]

27. Hayne van GHIZEGHEM (XV c.). Gentil Gallans  [1:14]
— recorder, Irish harp, vièle
28. Pierre ATTAIGNANT (XIV c.). Tabulatura — excerpts
Te Deum — Magnificat primi toni  [2:35]
— Irish harp
29. Antoine BRUMEL (XV-XVI c.). Vray dieu d'amours  [1:33]
— recorder, Irish harp, vièle

Band 4  [6:23]

Claude GERVAISE (XVI c.)
— Irish harp

30. La Volonté (Basse danse)  [1:54]
31. Bransle Gay  [0:45]
32. Allemande  [1:14]
33. Bransle de Poictou  [0:50]

34. Giovanni GASTOLDI (?-1622). Bicinium  [1:40]
— 2 recorders

Elena Polonska, medieval harp, Irish harp, tambourin
Guy Durand, vièle, 2nd recorder
Roger Cotte, recorder

The Medieval and Renaissance music presented on this record is performed on instruments which —although they may sound unfamiliar to most modern ears due to their having fallen into disuse during the past several centuries— are, nonetheless, fairly well-known through frequent iconographic presentations.

In his Traite des Instruments de musique (ca. 1640) Pierre Trichet calls the Irish harp a "medieval instrument with metal strings ...", while since the 18th century the designation Irish harp has simply meant an instrument without pedals. The pedals, absolutely essential components of the modern harp, permit one to raise by either a half or a full tone one or the other series of strings. They permit, if not chromatic possibilities, at least the possibility of modulating on the instrument on the diatonic scale. The 17th century harp had, to a certain extent, the same ability due to a quite rudimentary but very efficient mechanism consisting of small hooks which one could manipulate by hand and which made it possible to raise one or the other string by a half tone. To make the terminology clear for the pieces contained on this record: the diatonic instrument which is small, held on the performers knees, and equipped with metal strings, is referred to as a Medieval harp; and we have called the diatonic instrument of medium size (approximately three feet high), capable of being modulated by hand, and having gut strings (in use since the 15th century), the Irish harp.

The recorder —an instrument which underwent many changes from the middle ages to the 17th century— is represented on this disc in its most ancient form. It has a range of only one octave and a fifth but possesses a more powerful sonority, particularly in the bass, than the recorders employed in the Baroque period by Bach and Telemann.

The vièle, a predecessor of the violin, is an instrument with three strings which was held under the chin —rather than on the knees, as was the practice with the viole. The vièle used in this recording was reconstructed at the end of the 19th century by the luthiste Auguste Toibecque from pictures in the Chartres Cathedral. It is played with a bow which is curved on the outside like the ancient bows.

The practice of presenting music of the sort recorded here in purely instrumental versions reflects a fairly recent conception (more accurately, a revival of the conception which was still extant in the 18th century —that only an instrumental musician's sense of what was or was not within the bounds of good taste should govern his freely adapting all kinds of scores to his instrument). In the 16th century, instrumental music for ballets which had been written for a specific occasion often had, as well, a text which could be sung; and in the middle ages instrumental music was commonly adapted from the vocal repertory, both religious and secular. So t is perfectly legitimate for modern musicians to interpret this music either with voices atone, voices with instruments, or instruments alone.

—Notes by ROGER COTTE

Libray of Congress Catalog Card Number: R 65-2685/6

[Musidisc:]

L’habitude s'est établie de nommer harpe irlandaise un instrument qui en France, au XVIIe siècle, et jusqu'au milieu du XVIII, siècle, etait tout simplement et par excellence la harpe. Tombée en désuétude sur le continent lors de l'invention des instruments modernes à pédales qu'Erard allait porter à leur perfection, l'ancienne harpe de petites dimensions poursuivit sa carrière dans les pays de culture celtique, sans doute en souvenir de la tradition bardique.

Les flûtes à bec avaient atteint, au XVIIe siècle, puis jusqu'aumilieu du XVIIIe siècle, époque à laquelle on commenca à les laisser tomber en désuétude, l'apogée de leur règne musical. Plus justes, plus agiles, plus faciles à manier que les flûtes traversières de l'époque, capables de moduler avec aisance jusque dans les tonalités rares, possédant pratiquement les trilles majeurs et mineurs sur tous les degrés, elles offraient toutes les ressources de virtuosité requises par l'expression musicale de l'époque. L'absence de nuances dynamiques (crescendo et diminuendo) seules possibilités nouvelles offertes par la flute traversière ne gênaient nullement des auditeurs qui n'y avaient pas été accoutumés. La tessiture de ces instruments atteignait jusqu'à deux octaves et demie, soit exactement autant que la flûte traversière de l'époque.

La vielle, prédécesseur du violon, est un instrument a trois cordes que l'on appuyait sous le menton — plutôt que sur les genoux, comme cela se faisait avec la viole. La vielle utilisée dans cet enregistrement a été reconstruite a la fin du XIX, siècle par le luthiste Auguste Toibecque qui s'est inspire des tableaux de la Cathédrale de Chartres.