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Baldassar Castiglione
Il Libro del Cortegiano (Book of the Courtier)
Track listing
Doulce Mémoire
Denis Raisin Dadre with Marie-Claude Vallin (soprano) & Lucien Kandel (tenor).
AstréeNaive E 8604 [67.34]
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Not a composer you will know or find listed in Grove, this is one of those CD compilations which takes a literary source for building an attractive programme of early 16C. music. Castiglione's The Book of the Courtier (1528) describes conversation and music-making in the Palace of Urbino - music is 'a spiritual means of understanding the universe'. Denis Raisin Dadre indulges his penchant for historical reconstruction in this enjoyable programme of instrumental and vocal music, the items mainly very brief. There are outdoor instruments, pifferii, and softer bas instrumenti including lutes, viols, spinets and the once important bowed lira da braccio.

A very pleasant conflation, starting with church bells and an anonymous marching Tambour from Florence, with a lute Ricercar by one Francesco Spinacino (recorded at a suitably much lower level) leading into a sad song Per dolor, by Marchetto Cara. Many tracks are anonymous, the longest O mischini, a 6½ min frottole (secular courtly song). Denis Raisin Dadre displays his own virtuosity on recorder in a Saltarello de la Regione. For variety and to maintain interest, there are instrumental changes in the strophic songs. To leaven the seriousness of courtly festivities, Mazzacrocha with funny voices and 'all tumble down violently'.

I do not think it would be easy to distinguish individual composer voices in these 28 tracks; best to relax and just enjoy the music, coming back to the long background essay if that is your wish. Full texts and translations increase the pleasures offered by this pleasing CD.

Peter Grahame Woolf

Track Listing

Anonymous Tambur tambur (from Il Libro del Cortegiano)
Anonymous  Ah partiale (from Libro del Cortegiano)
Anonymous Mazzacrocha (from Il Libro del Cortegiano)
Isaac, Heinrich  Spagna (from il Libro del Cortegiano)
Anonymous J'ay Pris Amours
Martini, Johannes J'ay pris amours (from il Libro del Cortegiano)
Japart, Johannes J'ay pris amours (from il Libro del Cortegiano)
Spinacino, Francesco Recercare, for lute
Cara, Marchetto  Per dolor (from il Libro del Cortegiano)
Bossinensis, Franciscus Ricercar No.16 (from il Libro del Cortegiano)
Tromboncino, Bartolomeo Quanta mai leggiadria (from il Libro del Cortegiano), vocal
Tromboncino, Bartolomeo Quanta mai leggiadria (from il Libro del Cortegiano), instrumental version
Anonymous O mischini (Il Libro del Cortegiano)
Tromboncino, Bartolomeo Poi chal fin (from il Libro del Cortegiano)
Anonymous Pavane de la Ragione (Il Libro del Cortegiano)
Anonymous Saltarello de la Ragione (Il Libro del Cortegiano)
Bossinensis, Franciscus Ricercar No.6 (from il Libro del Cortegiano)
Tromboncino, Bartolomeo/Michel-  Come harò dunque (from il Libro del Cortegiano)
Ana, Francesco d' Se per humidita (from il Libro del Cortegiano)
Ana, Francesco d'  Nasce l'aspro (from il Libro del Cortegiano)
Brochus, Nicolo Se ben fatto (from il Libro del Cortegiano)
Anonymous El Servo che t'adora (Libro del Cortegiano)
Fogliano, Giacomo L'amor donna ch'io ti porto (from il Libro del Cortegiano)
Dalza, Joan Ambrosio Piva (from il Libro del Cortegiano)
Anonymous Tenta aluora (Il Libro del Cortegiano)
Pifaro, Nicolo Per memoria (from il Libro del Cortegiano)
Anonymous Mazzacrocha (Il Libro del Cortegiano)
Mantovano, Rossino Un sonar de Piva in fachinesco (from il Libro del Cortegiano)
Tromboncino, Bartolomeo Tu dormi (from il Libro del Cortegiano)
 

ipaillot@naive.fr

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