musica Dei donum
CD reviews
"Oh, ma belle brunette"
A nocte temporis
Dir: Reinoud Van Mechelen
rec: Feb 2021, Sint Truiden
Alpha - 833 (© 2022) (71'09")
Liner-notes: E/DF; lyrics - translations: E
Cover, track-list & booklet
Spotify
anon:
Il étoit un espagnol [3];
Je ne veux plus aimer rien [1];
L'autre jour ma Cloris [1];
Le beau berger Tircis [1];
Les rossignols par leur tendre ramage [2];
Oû êtes-vous allés, mes belles amourettes [2];
Sur le bord de la Seine [2];
Taisez-vous ma Musette [2];
Tu ne dois pas, jeune Lisette [1];
Jacques COCHEREAU (c1680-1734):
Plaignez-vous ma Muzette [6];
François COUPERIN (1668-1733):
6e Ordre in B flat (Les bergeries) [8];
Jean-François DANDRIEU (1681-1738):
2e Suite (Le Concert des Oiseaux: Le Ramage) [11];
Jacques-Martin HOTTETERRE 'le Romain' (1673-1763):
Prélude in g minor [10];
Marin MARAIS (1656-1728):
Prélude [4];
Sarabande - Gavotte en rondeau [4];
Monsieur de LA FERRONNERIE (18th C):
Suspendez quelques tems [10];
Michel Pignolet DE MONTÉCLAIR (1667-1737):
Les tourterelles [12];
Joseph VALETTE DE MONTIGNY (1665-1738):
Calme mes déplaisirs [5];
Robert DE VISÉE (c1650-1720):
Suite in a minor (chaconne) [7]
Sources:
Christophe Ballard, ed., [1] Brunetes, ou, Petits airs tendres, avec les doubles et la basse-continue, tome I, 1703;
[2] Brunetes, ou, Petits airs tendres, avec les doubles et la basse-continue, tome II, 1704;
]3] Brunetes, ou, Petits airs tendres, avec les doubles et la basse-continue, tome III, 1711;
[4] Marin Marais, Pièces de viole, troisième livre, 1711;
[5] Joseph Valette de Montigny, Recueil d'airs sérieux et à boire, 1713;
[6] Jacques Cochereau, Airs sérieux et à boire, 1714;
[7] Robert de Visée, Pièces de théorbe et de luth, 1716;
[8] François Couperin, Second livre de pieces de clavecin, 1716/17;
[9] Monsieur de La Feronnerie, Airs sérieux et à boire, 1719;
[10] Jacques-Martin Hotteterre 'le Romain', L'art de préluder, 1719;
[11] Jean-François Dandrieu, Premier livre de pièces de clavecin, 1724;
[12]Michel Pignolet de Montéclair, Concers pour la flûte traversière, 1724
Reinoud Van Mechelen, haute-contre;
Anna Besson. transverse flute, musette de cour;
Myriam Rignol, viola da gamba;
Simon Linné theorbo;
Loris Barrucand, harpsichord
One of the main genres of musical entertainment in 17th-century France was the air de cour. It had its origin in the 16th century, when it was polyphonic. In the 17th century airs de cour were set for one to four solo voices to an accompaniment of lute or viola da gamba, and with time increasingly often basso continuo. Towards the end of the 17th century this genre turned into the so-called brunette, which was not fundamentally different from the air de cour. However, the subject matter became more closely to the ideal of the time, and especially that of the higher echelons of society: rural life. Authors, artists and composers idealized life at the countryside. Paintings by the likes of Watteau attest to that. In music the word champêtre was often used as the title of compositions or movements of larger works. The vie champêtre - life at the countryside - attracted a strong attraction. One may interpret this as a form of escapism: it distracted from the trials and tribulations of daily life.
This idealization of life at the countryside was closely associated with a much longer tradition. Across Europe the imaginary world of Arcadia was the ideal of the higher echelons of society. The concept of Arcadia had its roots in Antiquity. One of the features of the renaissance was a revival of interest in Antiquity and Jacopo Sannazaro's pastoral novel Arcadia, published in 1502/04, bears witness to that. In this work he created an imaginary world which was the main source of inspiration for the Arcadian ideals of the centuries to come. This world was populated by shepherds and nymphs, which frequently turn up in renaissance madrigals as well as in Italian chamber cantatas of the baroque era. The airs de cour and later the brunette are not any different, except in their form.
In the course of the 17th and early 18th centuries many collections of airs de cour and brunettes were published. The main exponents of the air de cour were Pierre Guédron, Michel Lambert, Étienne Mouliné and Antoine Boesset. Many brunettes have been preserved without the name of the composer. They were mainly printed by the Ballard firm in monthly issues, which is an indication of their popularity. They were usually scored for solo voice and basso continuo, but a melody instrument could be added. In addition, brunettes were arranged for instruments, such as the transverse flute, the most popular instrument among amateurs.
Reinoud Van Mechelen and his ensemble A nocte temporis put together a programme of songs of different character. Obviously love is the main subject, but it is treated in different ways. They have mostly a rather light touch, but there are some dark streaks, for instance Suspendze quelques temps by Monsieur de La Ferronnerie, which closes the programme: "Nothing can please me, and your touching songs cannot console unhappy lovers. A young beauty holds me in her power. I cannot be loved by her, night and day I sigh." Il était un espagnol is a kind of satirical song, which has a refrain that is sung twice: first solo and then by the entire ensemble. It is one of two songs that are performed without accompaniment; the other one is Sur le bord de la Seine.
Two instruments were associated with the countryside and the world of shepherds: the musette and the vielle (hurdy-gurdy). The former is the subject of Plaignez-vous ma Muzette by Jacques Cochereau, in which Anna Besson played the instrumental part on the musette de cour, and of the anonymous Taisez-vous, ma Musette. The musette also turns up in other songs. In Le beau berger Tircis the shepherd Tircis sings to his musette, and in Tu ne dois pas, jeune Lisette, the shepherd who is the protagonist of this song, says to Lisette: "My sheep, my dog, my musette, all will be under your sway for ever." This is a song which ends with a réponse - a tradition in this kind of songs, but also in chansons and madrigals of the renaissance. Lisette answers: "Today I would have your musette,
Tomorrow I would be under your sway." The performers have a little surprise for the listener: the answer is sung by Anna Besson, and Reinoud Van Mechelen plays the transverse flute.
The songs are separated by instrumental pieces, which reflect the same spirit as the songs. The title of François Couperin's Les bergeries (the pastorals), with the telling addition naïvement, from the 6e Ordre in his second book of harpsichord pieces, is an eloquent example. From Dandrieu we hear an imitation of warbling from a 'concert of birds' and from the pen of Michel Pignolet de Montéclair Les tourterelles - literally "the turtledoves", but this bird is also the symbol of love. It is one of the animals which also figure in the brunettes. Obviously, the nightingale can not fail to make an appearance (Les rossignols par leur tendre). The pieces for the viola da gamba by Marin Marais and for theorbo by Robert de Visée represent two highly-revered instruments of the time.
In recent years several discs with airs de cour have been released. The later repertoire of brunettes is not that well-known, and that makes this disc a welcome addition to the catalogue. It is hard to imagine better performances than they receive here. Reinoud Van Mechelen has established himself as one of the finest interpreters of baroque vocal music, and especially French repertoire, which suits his voice particularly well. His diction and his treatment of the text is as good as one would wish. He finds exactly the right approach in the light-weight pieces, and is not short on expression in the most serious song of this disc, the one by Monsieur de La Ferronnerie. It is nice that all the songs are performed complete, which is rare in recordings of such pieces. Some are quite long, with six stanzas, in which often lines are repeated. As these pieces are strophic, the music remains the same. That may seem a bit too much, but composers usually added a double: a repeat with diminutions. And from performers of high calibre, like the members of A nocte temporis, one may expect that they add diminutions of their own making as well, as they are indeed doing. In addition, the use of historical pronunciation - also seldom applied - cannot be appreciated enough. It substantially contributes to the 'authenticity' of this recording. The instrumental parts are also excellently executed.
If you love French music of the baroque era, this is a disc not to be missed.
Johan van Veen (© 2024)
Relevant links:
A nocte temporis