a r t i s t : HespΦrion XXI (Jordi Savall)
t i t l e : Estampies_And_Danses_Royales
d a t e : 2008
l a b e l : AliaVox
g e n r e : Classical
r l s. d a t e : Feb/2009
t r a c k s : 15
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 95,1 MB
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Dance music from the medieval era is hardly thick on the
ground; a complete accounting of such works only adds up to
about 70 to 80 pieces, most crammed into the odd margins of
manuscript sources otherwise devoted to sacred or court music.
One medieval source that forms an exception to the rule is Le
Manuscrit du Roi, shelfmark fonds franτais 844 in the
BibliothΦque Nationale in Paris and also known as the
Chansonnier du Roi. On folios 103-104 are found eight
"Estampie Real" (i.e., royal); another estampie and two
additional dances are located elsewhere in the volume. At one
time, it was believed this manuscript volume belonged to
Charles of Anjou, however its name probably stems from the
fact that it contains a large concentration of chansons
composed by King Thibault IV. The section containing the
estampie is later than the rest of the volume, dating from
around 1300, therefore well after Charles of Anjou perished
during his final campaign in Sicily in 1285. It is not known
which royal house once owned this volume, although it was
certainly made for use in court, given its handsome miniatures
and neat, easily legible layout.
Although the Estampie in the Chansonnier du Roi have been
recorded many times under separate cover, recordings of all
eight together are relatively uncommon, and they require a
great deal of fleshing out. All are very short pieces made up
of repetitive phrases, meant to follow the steps in dances
about which we know nothing. Scholars are likewise divided on
the meaning of the word estampie; at one time universally
taken to mean stomp, some sources suggest the estampie was
more stately than rustic, and yet others seem to suggest that
the estampie might have been more of a meditative piece. In
Alia Vox's Estampies & Danses Royales, Jordi Savall and
HespΦrion XXI utilize the dances in the Chansonnier du Roi as
the basis of an entire program, adding four pieces from vocal
works identified as related to this genre and instrumentally
performing the latter.
Curiously for Savall, these interpretations are rather safe
and take a middle-ground approach. While informed by
traditional Arabic music, in keeping with Savall and HespΦrion
XXI's usual tactic in medieval literature, and utilizing
tasteful percussion some scholars insist did not exist in
medieval Europe, the dances are played at an even-keel tempo,
and some pieces are played in a meditative, not dance-like
vein. Although the brief melodies in the Chansonnier du Roi
are the only part of the recipe we know for the royal
estampie, their shape seems to lend itself to a lively and
earthy treatment. While some pieces here rise to an
exhilarating level of grandeur and dignity, none approaches
the feverish pitch of performances of the same pieces, for
example, by Frederick Renz and New York's Ensemble for Early
Music or the Dufay Collective. While we do not know what kind
of intonation was common in medieval times, the equal
temperament utilized throughout this disc results in a bright
sound that seems somewhat incongruous with the material.
Most fans of HespΦrion XXI will probably not see anything
wrong with Estampies & Danses Royales and conversely will find
it in keeping with Savall's other offerings. While it can
hardly be described as a foot-stompin' good time, Savall's
take on the estampie is certainly well worth experiencing and
adds a distinctive perspective to the dialogue on what
medieval dance music was all about. Uncle Dave Lewis, All
Music Guide
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01-danse i [04:03]
02-la prime estampie royal [04:47]
03-estampie ancienne d'apres kalenda maya [02:57]
04-la seconde estampie royal [04:17]
05-la tierche estampie royal [04:52]
06-chanson d'apres no puesc sofrir c'a la dolor [04:47]
07-la quarte estampie royal [04:47]
08-la quinte estampie real [05:26]
09-estampie ancienne [05:50]
10-danse ii [05:01]
11-la sexte estampie real [03:36]
12-la septime estampie real [06:19]
13-planctus [06:32]
14-la ultima estampie real [04:25]
15-dansse real [04:35]
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72:14 min