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Gilles Binchois
Gilles Binchois
(1400-1460)
Français
Like most composers of his time, Gilles de Bins, weekdays (Kyriale XVIII). The liturgical plainchant
known as Binchois (c.1400-60) pursued an melody is never treated as a cantus firmus (long
ecclesiastical career, in his case modest (he was notes in the tenor), but paraphrased in the top
only a subdeacon) but exceptionally stable. For line, which sings flexible, slightly ornamented
around thirty years, from the late 1420s until his phrases. The Gloria [4], which is distinguished by
11
its scoring for two equal voices in imitation over an than Dufay, had early and frequent connections (Salve sancta parens [11]), but may also celebrate Plainchant in the fifteenth century
intermittent tenor, is probably not a composition with the occupiers. In 1424, for example, the Earl glorious events in the history of England. The carol
Astonishingly enough, plainchant has been one of
of Binchois in spite of the attribution found in of Suffolk William de la Pole, one of the great Princeps serenissime [17] is a song associated with
the last genres to have prompted research within
the Bologna manuscript. It shows similarities to generals of the Hundred Years War, rewarded him gift-giving, extolling an unidentified English prince.
the movement of rediscovery of early musical
a Credo attributed to a certain Jo Bodoil and in for his setting of a rondeau, now unfortunately lost. One can distinctly hear in this piece the theme of
interpretation. The points of divergence between
another source to an enigmatic ‘Anglicus’. Binchois’s opportunities of hearing English music the famous anonymous chanson L’Homme armé
twentieth-century conceptions and the medieval
To these pieces from the Ordinary of the Mass we multiplied when he became a chaplain of the Duke which formed the basis of numerous polyphonic
evidence for the interpretation of plainchant
may add Propers for certain specific celebrations. of Burgundy, for Philip the Good was allied with works – masses and chansons – between the
concern the speed at which the music should
The introit Salve sancta parens was sung for the English against the Armagnacs who supported fifteenth and seventeenth centuries.
be sung, and the pronunciation and rhythmic
the Mass of the Assumption and other feasts of the dauphin and future king of France Charles VII. The anonymous gradual Priusquam [14] alternates
conception of Latin words.
the Blessed Virgin Mary in many ecclesiastical Philip’s sister Anne of Burgundy (1404-32) married between polyphonic sections generally assigned
Among the precepts which governed performances
establishments, notably at the Sainte Chapelle in John of Lancaster (1389-1435), Duke of Bedford to two soloists (the intonation of the response and
by medieval singers was a recommendation which
Dijon founded by Philip the Good in 1433. In the and regent of the kingdom of France in the name virtually all the versicle) and monophonic choral
goes entirely against our perception of time; it
polyphonic sections of this composition, as in of his brother Henry V and subsequently during sections taken from the Sarum Rite used in the
concerns the tempo of the chant. This should be
other antiphons (Da pacem [12]) and hymns (Ut the minority of his nephew King Henry VI. English British Isles before the Reformation. This structure
very slow when one wishes to emphasise a solemn
queant laxis [16]) of more modest dimensions, liturgical and court music was to be heard all over curiously recalls that of the organa composed by
occasion, and faster for what is less important: the
Binchois utilises the technique of ‘faux-bourdon’. Paris; the musicians exchanged their repertoires the masters of the Notre Dame School of Paris in
choir will sing more slowly on a Sunday or feast-
This device of improvised harmonisation in which and their modes of interpretation. the thirteenth century.
day and more quickly on weekdays. This measure
the two lower voices duplicate the melody in the Some sacred and secular compositions by Binchois The songs of Binchois were also diffused
of gravity goes hand in hand with the desire for
top line was new at the time. Its vertical polyphony are transcribed in English sources, while works throughout Europe, but their French poem was
clear enunciation of the text, as may also be seen in
favours the ‘imperfect’ consonances of sixths and apparently composed by insular musicians are sometimes removed or replaced by a text in Latin
Binchois’s compositional style when he sets certain
thirds to such an extent that the faux-bourdon has attributed to him. The influences therefore seem whose religious subject and metrical structure
words in extremely expansive fashion despite their
come to characterise the fifteenth-century era in to have been reciprocal. For instance, his ‘ferial’ are totally independent of the original setting. In
polyphonic context.
Renaissance music. cycle mentioned above presents very strong a German source preserved in Munich, two sacred
It is well known that the humanist movement of the
Martin le Franc’s Le Champion des dames (c.1440) resemblances to an anonymous Missa feriale contrafacta – Ave corpus and Virgo rosa [1, 13]
Renaissance made it possible to return to a Latin
states that Dufay and Binchois invented a new found in an English manuscript which also contains – are substituted for the words of the rondeaux
pronunciation closer to that of the Romans: Erasmus
style by following the example of Dunstable and numerous carols [3, 17]. Adieu mes tresbelles mestresse and C’est assez
criticised his contemporaries’ pronunciation in very
adopting the ‘contenance angloise’. Although it is The carol is a typically insular genre composed in pour morir de dueil. Hence the music of Binchois’s
precise terms. His proposals were not accepted
often commented on, this passage does not tell a polyphonic style recognisable by its abundant courtly chansons was sometimes underlaid by
immediately, for the taste for another type of Latin
us the precise nature of English influence on the consonances of sixths and thirds. It is strophic in devotional words.
was tenacious. Late evidence for this older practice
Burgundian composers. form, with a refrain (‘burden’) and verses. The text, Isabelle Ragnard
is provided by an astonishing book published in
It is undeniable that there were numerous whether in Latin or the vernacular, often deals with Translated by Charles Johnston
1588 by Étienne Tabourot, a notary in Dijon: Les
contacts between France and England at a time religious subjects, particularly those associated
bigarrures du Seigneur des Accords. Here we find
when a large part of the kingdom of France was with the festival of Christmas (Omnes gaudeamus
joking wordplay on ambiguities between Latin
under English rule. Binchois, doubtless more [3], Ecce quod natura [8]) and honouring the Virgin
and French. Even if it is essential to exercise great
12 13
prudence in this domain, these are important clues rests at these points. Sources: Discantus / Brigitte Lesne
to pronunciation at the time. For example, when Another of the prescriptions for singers was the
Since its founding in the early 1990s, the ensemble
Tabourot sees ‘Requiescant in pace’ he reads requirement to perform semitones where they 1: München, Bayerische Staatsbibl., codex lat.
Discantus continues under the direction of Brigitte
‘Ré, qui est-ce? Quentin passez’, and when he fall easily on the ear, particularly in passing-note monacensis 14274; Blume-Bannister, Thesauri
Lesne. Devoting itself to mediaeval sacred music
hears the words ‘Omnia tentate’ he understands formulas in the lower reaches of melodies, and Hymnologici Prosarium II, no.167; reconstruction
and, in particular, to the ars antiqua period, the
‘On y a tant tasté’. But these indications are not where these accidents permit one to avoid melodic of strophes 2/3
ensemble has worked on the earliest sources of
sufficient in themselves, and we have benefited tritones. Here is new cause for disagreement with 2: Trento, Museo del Castello del Buon Consiglio,
western sacred music—Gregorian chant—and
from the advice of Olivier Bettens, whose research the Romantic conception of plainchant, which 90
the birth of polyphony, based on the research
on French pronunciation is generally accepted as ended up believing that Gregorian modality was 3, 17: London, British Museum, Ms Egerton 3307
of musicologist Marie-Noël Colette, the group’s
authoritative (his work may be followed on his site distinguished by its absence of alterations; but it 4: Bologna, Civico Museo, Q 15
regular advisor. More recently, this artistic
www.virga.org). On this recording you will hear is a further point in common with the usages of 5, 10, 18: Cantatorium de Saint Pierre de Lille, Bibl.
project has been expanded to include later
closed ‘u’, ‘o’ and ‘e’ and nasal ‘oun’ and ‘an’ 1, even polyphony. municipale, 26
repertoires, advancing towards the premises of
for words like ‘patrem’, while a fairly generalised The application of these guidelines results in a fine 6, 7, 9, 19: Aosta, Bibl. del Seminario maggiore,
the Renaissance. Here, the know-how acquired
legato creates liaisons between the words, blends balance between the tastes and practice of the A1 D19
through contact with the previous centuries works
double consonants into a single one, and simplifies singers of the fifteenth century and those of the 8: Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ms Selden b 26
wonders and forms a natural continuation of them.
‘excelsis’ into ‘ésselsi’. This produces a gentle, polyphonic composers. 11: London, British Museum, Ms Ritson, add. 5665
This CD, the ensemble’s thirteenth recording, is the
flowing language. Jean-Yves Haymoz 12: Modena, Bibl. Estense, A.X.1.11
outcome of that.
We find ourselves here at a pivotal moment Translated by Charles Johnston 13: München, Bayerische Staatsbibl., 14274
Discantus is regularly invited the world over and
between the conception of a dynamic accent of 14: Cambridge, Magdalene College, Ms Pepys
performs at the major international festivals of
the Latin word and its translation into rhythm. 1236; Graduale Salisburiense
early and sacred music.
Especially in the case of words of three syllables 15: Antiphonaire de Cambrai, Bibl. municipale, 38
In addition to her work with Discantus, Brigitte
and more, it became common to mark the brevity 16: Venezia, Bibl. nazionale Marciana, 7554
Lesne, also conducts research on the interpretation
of the penultimate syllable when appropriate. 16 ,1 : Psautier-Hymnaire de Cambrai, Bibl.
of secular mediaeval music (songs, instrumental
This was to become the norm at the time of municipale, 30
pieces), in solo recital or with Alla francesca, an
the Council of Trent, as Zarlino shows when he 20: Trento, Museo del Castello del Buon Consiglio,
ensemble she co-directs with Pierre Hamon and
criticises composers who commit ‘barbarisms’ by 92
in which she also plays mediaeval harps and
setting words like ‘Dominus’ or ‘gloria’ to music
percussion. Quite active in the Centre de musique
without shortening the second syllable. But in Edition: Philip Kaye, The Sacred Music of Gilles
médiévale de Paris, she regularly runs practical
fifteenth-century plainchant and the music of Binchois (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992)
workshops there, aimed at professionals and
Binchois, as we can see here, this fashion was not
enlightened amateurs. She is also frequently
yet systematic. Nonetheless, it is a tendency that
invited to give master classes, participate in juries
was already becoming established in psalmody,
1. Translator’s note: All these changes will sound to a or to conceive and conduct concerts with larger
like that of underlining the solemnity of the day
non-French listener much more like modern French forces (recently at the Cité de la Musique and at
by a long pause on the mediant, something also than ‘standard’, i.e. Italianate, pronunciation of Latin. Notre-Dame, in Paris).
noticeable in the style of Binchois, who inserts
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Polyphonies sacrées
Plain-chant
& Carols anonymes
1 Gilles Binchois 1 Gilles Binchois 1 Gilles Binchois
Ave corpus Christi Je te salue, corps aimé du Christ Hail, dear Body of Christ
Contrafactum (chanson “Adieu mes tres belles”) Contrafactum (chanson “Adieu mes tres belles”) Contrafactum (chanson “Adieu mes tres belles”)
Ave corpus Christi carum Je te salue, corps aimé du Christ Hail, dear Body of Christ,
Meum munda cor amarum Purifie mon cœur rempli d’amertumes Purify my bitter heart
Quoque plenum viciis Et plein de vices Full of vices,
Et fac videri lumen clarum in tuis deliciis Et laisse entrevoir au milieu de tes délices And reveal to me your dazzling radiance
[l’éclatante lumière. [In your delights.
Salva, Iesu, me signatum Sauve-moi, Jésus, qui suis désigné Save me, Jesus, who am marked
Vultus tui lumine, Par la lumière de ta Face, By the light of thy Countenance;
A peccatis reformatum Que ton souffle Let thy breath
Tuo fac spiramine. Me lave de mes péchés. Set me free from my sins.
Post hunc mundi incolatum Après le passage en ce monde After my time in this world,
Sublato purgamine Une fois endurée l’expiation Once my purgation has been accomplished,
Iunge tuis me beatum Accepte-moi parmi les tiens, bienheureux Take me among thy people, blest
In celesti culmine. Dans le paradis céleste. In the heavenly temple.
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3 Carol 3 Carol 3 Carol
Omnes una gaudeamus Réjouissons-nous tous ensemble Let us all rejoice together
Omnes una gaudeamus Réjouissons-nous tous ensemble Let us all rejoice together;
Christo laudes referamus Rendons louanges au Christ Let us give praises to Christ
Qui natus est de virgine Lui qui est né d’une vierge Who was born of a Virgin
Illuxit nobis hodie. S’est mis à briller pour nous aujourd’hui. And has shone His light on us today.
Christus volens incarnari Le Christ, qui veut s’incarner Christ, who wished to be made flesh
Nosque sibi copulari Et nous unir à lui And be joined with us,
Qui natus est… Lui qui est né d’une vierge… Who was born of a Virgin...
In presepi inclinatur Dans la crèche il est tout petit In the manger He lies low
Qui cunctorum dominator Lui qui est maître souverain de tous Who is the Master of all,
Qui natus est… Lui qui est né… Who was born of a Virgin...
Hec est spes redempcionis Voilà l’espoir de la rédemption Here is the Hope of redemption,
Iram non vult ulcionis : Il refuse la colère de la vengeance : Who rejects the rage of vengeance,
Qui natus est… Lui qui est né… Who was born of a Virgin...
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8 Carol 8 Carol 8 Carol
Ecce Quod Natura Ecce Quod Natura Ecce Quod Natura
Cloches à mains Cloches à mains Cloches à mains
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11 Carol 11 Carol 11 Carol
Salve, sancta parens Je te salue, sainte mère Hail, holy Parent
Salve, sancta parens, Je te salue, sainte mère, Hail, holy Parent,
Enixa puerpera regem. Jeune accouchée qui a enfanté un roi. That didst bring forth a King.
Salve, porta paradisi, Je te salue, porte du paradis, Hail, Gate of heaven,
Felix atque fixa, Heureuse et inaltérable, Auspicious and immutable,
Stella fulgens in sublimi Etoile étincelante dans le firmament Shining Star in the firmament,
Sidus enixa. Astre qui a enfanté. Constellation that hast given birth.
Salve sancta parens ... Je te salue, sainte mère… Hail, holy Parent...
Salve, virgo benedicta, Je te salue, vierge bénie, Hail, blessed Virgin,
Mater orphanorum ; Mère des orphelins ; Mother of orphans;
Deprecamur ut delicta Nous te prions d’effacer We pray thee, cleanse
Tergas peccatorum. Les fautes des pécheurs. The faults of sinners.
Salve sancta parens ... Je te salue, sainte mère… Hail, holy Parent...
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Salve vena venie Je te salue, source de pardon Hail, source of pardon,
O purgatrix criminum Ô toi qui effaces les fautes O cleanser of sins,
Virgo plena gracie Vierge pleine de grâce Virgin full of grace,
Peperisti dominum Tu as enfanté le seigneur Thou didst give birth to the Lord
Celeste milicie. Qui du ciel dirige les armées. Of the heavenly host.
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Quod lumen de lumine Que, lumière de la lumière Which gift may He give you today,
Donet tibi hodie, Il te gratifie aujourd’hui, The Light of Light
Qui natus est de virgine Lui qui est né d’une vierge He who was born of the Virgin.
Princeps serenissime… Prince sérénissime… Most serene prince...
In palma victorie, Dans la palme de la victoire, In the victor’s palm,
Corona justicie, La couronne de la justice, The crown of justice,
Et amore Anglie Et l’amour de l’Angleterre And the love of England.
Princeps serenissime… Prince sérénissime… Most serene prince...
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Caste parentis viscera La grâce céleste pénètre les entrailles Into the bowels of the chaste mother
Celestis intrat gratia, De la chaste mère, There enters heavenly grace;
Venter puelle bajulat La jeune fille porte en son sein The maiden’s womb bears
Secreta, que non noverat. Des secrets, qu’elle ignorait. Secrets of which she knew nothing.
Domus pudici pectoris Le siège de ce cœur vertueux The mansion of this modest breast
Templum repente fit Dei Devint aussitôt le temple de Dieu At once became the temple of God:
Intacta nesciens virum Intacte, sans connaître d’homme Undefiled and without knowing a man
Verbo concepit filium Elle conçut un fils par le Verbe. She conceived a Son through the Word.
Enixa est puerpera, La jeune accouchée a enfanté, In her labour she gave birth
Quem Gabriel predixerat, Celui que Gabriel avait annoncé, To Him whom Gabriel had foretold,
Quem matris alvo gestiens Celui que Jean, tressaillant d’allégresse Whom John had recognised, leaping for joy
Clausus Johannes senserat. Dans le sein de sa mère, avait reconnu. While still concealed in his mother’s womb.
Gloria tibi Domine Gloire à Toi Seigneur Glory to thee, Lord,
Qui natus est de virgine Qui est né d’une vierge Who wast born of the Virgin,
Cum patre et Sancto Spiritu Avec le Père et l’Esprit Saint With the Father and the Holy Spirit
In sempiterna secula. Dans les siècles éternels. In everlasting ages.
Amen Amen. Amen.
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Gilles Binchois L’Argument de beauté
Polyphonies sacrées, Plain-chant & Carols anonymes
discantus@wanadoo.fr . http://assoc.orange.fr/cmmp Producteur : Zig-Zag Territoires • Coproducteur : Centre de musique médiévale de Paris.
Cet enregistrement a bénéficié du soutien du FCM.
Recherche musicologique : Brigitte Lesne, Isabelle Ragnard et Marie-Noël Colette
Producteurs exécutif / Executive producers: Sylvie Brély & Franck Jaffrès.
Conception du programme et arrangements : Brigitte Lesne Direction artistique / Artistic supervision: Franck Jaffrès. Prise de son / Sound recording: Alban Moraud.
Conseiller restitution plain-chant et latin xve : Jean-Yves Haymoz Recording/enregistrement : 2-5/02/2010, Eglise évangélique allemande de Paris.
Programme créé en la chapelle de Ronchamp (Le Corbusier) Direction artistique æon/æon artistic supervision: Damien Pousset. Production æon /Producer : Kaisa Pousset.
dans le cadre d’une résidence accueillie par le festival “Musique et mémoire” en 2008. Photo : Dolorès Marat. æon 56, rue Traversière - F-75012 Paris. C 2010 Imprimé en Autriche.
www.æon.fr
AECD 1096
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