Beauté parfaite - L'Automne du Moyen Age
Chansons des XIVe et XVe siècles
Alla Francesca
Opus 111 30-173, October 1996 (Ribeauvillé)
This program highlights a division of Renaissance from Medieval different from that nominally used. Here the medieval era is allowed to continue through the middle of the 15th century, incorporating cadences on thirds, and awaiting the Humanist concerns toward text-setting for the full Renaissance style. While such divisions are really only points of trivia, it can be interesting to remark on what the motivations are for the various era markers. The present choice still receives a good deal of support, although composers like Dufay are now often claimed as Renaissance figures.
Therefore, this program begins with a few famous tracks from the major French Ars Subtilior repertory of c.1390, moving on to some transcriptions of Ars Nova pieces into more modern style, and then the majority of the program in the fully mature court style of the 1420s and beyond.
