Mediterranean Journey / Austin Troubadours
Medieval and Renaissance music from Italy, Spain, France and Balkans
cdbaby.com
Slobodan Vujisic / Austin Troubadours
© 2012
1. Chanconetta Tedesca [6:03]
Cantiga de Santa Maria, No. 166:
2. Introduction [3:06]
3. Como Poden [3:57]
CSM 166
4. Lamento di Tristano e La Rotta [5:23]
Cantiga de Santa Maria, No. 10:
5. Rosa Das Rosas [5:34]
CSM 10
6. Estampita Ghaetta [6:06]
7. Beda Oro [4:17]
8. Juggler's Play [3:25]
9. Wedding Dance [3:40]
10. Passamezzo [2:26]
11. Branle de Champagne [3:09]
Album Notes
The Austin Troubadours invite you to follow them on a magical musical journey to sun-drenched Mediterranean shores!
The history of the Mediterranean region is the history of the
interaction of the cultures and people of the lands surrounding the
Mediterranean Sea – the central superhighway of transport, trade and
cultural exchange between diverse peoples. The combination of shared
climate, geology and access to a common sea has led to numerous
historical and cultural connections among the ancient and modern
societies around the Mediterranean Sea. It was an important route for
merchants and travelers of ancient times, allowing for trade and
cultural exchange between emergent peoples of the region - the
Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Semitic, Persian, Phoenician, Carthaginian,
Greek, Levantine, Roman and Moorish cultures. The history of the
Mediterranean region is crucial to understanding the origins and
development of many modern societies.
Early Mediterranean music
reflects this eclectic and diverse spirit. Arabic, Jewish and Christian
musical traditions often create a unique blend of sounds and textures
that transcend individual cultures.
For this recording, we have
selected a number of Italian “Trecento” dances (Chanconetta Tedesca,
Lamento di Tristano e la Rotta, Ghaetta) that come from The Manuscript
London, British Museum, Additional 29987, that contains secular Italian
pieces from the medieval Ars Nova period (14th century). Composers
such as Francesco Landini and Jaccobi di Bolonia dominate the majority
of the codex. In addition, there are a few polyphonic secular works, a
couple of Mass movements, and a few chants. Unique are the various
dances scattered throughout the codex: the manuscript contains nearly
half of the recorded dances from the Middle Ages. Most of these dances
are notated as single-line melodies, leaving performers to use
iconographic evidence and occasional written commentaries to fill in the
rest.
The Cantigas de Santa Maria (No. 10 and 166) were written
during the reign of the Castilian king Alfonso X “El Sabio” (1221-1284)
and are one of the largest collections of monophonic songs from the
Middle Ages. Alfonso was a highly educated man whose court hosted many
Christian, Arab and Jewish poets, musicians and scientists. During his
reign, he compiled, edited and published a number of books with subjects
ranging from art and literature to scientific texts translated to
Castilian from the Arabic originals. There are some 426 Cantigas,
describing the miracles of the Virgin Mary, contained in four
manuscripts. Three are housed in Spain (two in the Monastery of
Escorial and one in Madrid), and one is in Florence.
Featured on the
CD are some of the oldest recorded dances from south of Serbia and
Macedonia. (Beda Oro, Juggler’s Play, and Wedding Dance). Strongly
influenced by the mingling of different Balkan ethnic groups, this music
is characterized by complex rhythmic groupings with odd meter and
unique melodic patterns.
We conclude our journey with two
Renaissance dances arranged from the original lute tablatures.
Passamezzo was a ground bass or chord progression often followed with
divisions (variations) popular during the Italian Renaissance. This one
is attributed to French lutenist and music publisher Adrian Le Roy
(1520-1598). Branle was a popular French Renaissance dance. Named for
its characteristic side-to-side movement (French branler, "to sway"),
the branle was performed by a chain of dancers who alternated large
sideways steps to the left (frequently four) with an equal number of
smaller steps to the right.
We hope you have enjoyed being with us on our Mediterranean Journey!
Austin Troubadours are:
Slobodan Vujisic — Artistic Director, Lute, Oud, Saz
Bruce Colson — baroque violin, vielle
Victor Eijkhout — recorders, saz, percussion
Oliver Rajamani — percussion, rebab
Neli Vujisic — harpsichord, saz, psaltery
Jenifer Thyssen — soprano (# 3, 5)
John Walters — viol, rebec, vielle
