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]
CD
Now
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
