Customer Reviews

Dunstable: Sweet Harmony - Masses and Motets

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Goodness me, how many superlative groups of ancient music specialists can there be? Here is yet another, predictably brought to us by Naxos. There are 8 singers directed by Anthony Pitts, and the group photograph also shows us Jeremy Summerly himself in a daft-looking hat as producer, and also, most properly, the engineer Geoff Miles whose work I would call absolutely outstanding.

England was not always `the land without music'. In particular, it seems that a sudden and spectacular leap in musical development occurred precisely there in the early 15th century, and, if we are to believe the musical historian of the time Tinctoris (cited by Pitts in his liner-note), the main driving-force behind this revolution was John Dunstable, whose innovations were picked up promptly by his contemporary Dufay and thereafter by Europe in general. My own knowledge of this period is deplorably patchy, but it is quite clear that by the 12th century the ecclesiastical tradition of monodic plainsong, believed to date from the 8th century, had not changed much, even at the hands of the frumious Hildegard of Bingen. There was a parallel secular tradition, probably more than one, but if the music of the troubadours during this same period is anything to go by it had primitive instrumental accompaniment for the voices, but nothing by way of genuine `harmony' much less polyphony or counterpoint.

Enter the English, Dunstable in the lead. Not a lot seems to be known about him except that he appears to have been associated with St Albans in Hertfordshire, where his name survives in the name of a town not far away, as does that of the author of Dunstable's epitaph and Abbot of St Albans Abbey John Wheathampstead. All this information is conveyed with admirable brevity in Pitts's notes, and I take it on faith entirely. Faith of another kind shows through his phraseology here and there, as in his dedication of the recording to `a God-fearing man' (not the kind of terminology one encounters much in England these days) and in his sniffy comment in his resume that he left the BBC in protest over its screening of `a blasphemous musical'. I would only remark that the BBC never actually broadcast anything by such a description, nor did the public in general realise that they were listening to such. At the musical level by and large the liner-note is awesomely learned but slightly heavy going. It is worth absorbing slowly, but the most significant thing it says is really its naïve proclamation of how marvellous the music is. This is the dawn of the elaborate harmonisation that makes European music, so far as I know, unique, and the thrill and sense of awe that go with that are enormous for one kind of listener at least.

If I understand Pitts aright, the various sections of the mass here - including 2 glorias, 3 credos and 2 settings of the sanctus - don't incorporate one specific `mass' although they approximately follow the order of the parts normally set to music: indeed if there were a single coherent mass in it what would be the point of such duplications? The way they have sequenced it all is appropriate to isolated settings, sensibly programmed so as to avoid having the same text in successive tracks. The recital starts with one motet and ends with another, followed by a gloria that `we' have completed from the restored but deficient MS. `We' have done just brilliantly if I may say so - this is what music-making is all about, but it needs the right level of talent. The performing artists consist of 2 sopranos, 1 female and 1 male alto, 3 tenors and a single bass. I have to take the historical authenticity of this, just as I have to take the tempi adopted, on faith once again. I believe the phrase is `It works for me'. What is beyond much question is the sheer quality of the singing, and what I want to sing my own praises of is the recording, which has a perfect sense of spaciousness together with perfect clarity.

I hope I will be believed when I say that I have no link of any kind with Naxos. I collect their discs because of what these are and because of what my tastes and standards in good music are. This particular disc is from this very year 2005, and the recording was done in Chancelade Abbey in the Dordogne. Over and above the learned inputs of Mr Pitts we are given brief resumes of all the performers, and all texts are provided with English translations. These latter are a great deal better than many I have seen in the last year or two. My suspicions having relaxed, I have been less hawk-eyed than sometimes, and I don't believe that there are any serious misrenderings. In the Veni Creator if the text is right at lines 11-12 the meaning must be `Thou duly enriching our mouths with the promised utterance of the Father'; 4 lines later `perpetim' is a simple misprint for `perpeti', but as usual the translator thinks `perpeti' is some kind of adjective. It is a prolative infinitive, and lines 15-16 therefore mean `Strengthening what in our bodies is weak so as to be steadfast through virtue'.

Go forth in droves at the Christmas season and acquire this disc.

Take a journey back to early 15th century Europe with Tonus Peregrinus' recording of the works of English composer John Dunstable (c. 1390-1453). Dunstable worked in English-occupied France during the early 1400s, and his sweet English harmonies influenced French composers such as Dufay and Binchois. The incorporation of English harmonic technique into the Continental style was a major factor in the development of Renaissance counterpoint.

Dunstable was a master of isorhythm, a technique that involved repetition of lengthy melodic and harmonic figures (sometimes in sync and sometimes in overlapping fashion). While isorhythm contributes to the compositional integrity of Dunstable's music, it's not readily discernible by modern ears. What's most apparent in the music of John Dunstable is the forceful delivery of a new style: the sweet harmony resulting from the use of parallel 3rd and 6th intervals. Dunstable's harmonic writing is not particularly disciplined: unprepared dissonances occur, sometimes in jarring fashion. But overall, a spirit of jubilation pervades Dunstable's work, which should impress modern listeners just as it did the European composers who heard it nearly six centuries ago.

Tonus Peregrinus, a vocal consort named for an ancient chant that Christ might have sung at the Last Supper, delivers an evocative performance of Dunstable's works. The group performs Dunstable's motets "Quam pulchra es" and "Veni Sancte Spiritus - Veni Creator", sandwiched around a collection of Mass movements. "Quam pulchra es" exhibits a stately, graceful quality later found in the works of Binchois, while the first "Sanctus" achieves an otherworldly beauty that may have influenced the motets of Dufay. The acoustics of this recording, captured in an echo-filled French abbey, create a sense of time and place that enhances the authenticity of the performance.

In 1476, music theorist Johannes Tinctoris remarked, "There is no composition written over forty years ago which is thought by the learned as worth of performance." Tinctoris' dismissal presumably included the works of Dunstable. Fortunately, Dunstable's music has survived Tinctoris' sentiment, and now awaits your discovery, courtesy of this fine recording.

The "sweet harmony" here refers to the then-revolutionary use of thirds and sixths, which were previously considered dissonant. Strange to think that they are now anathema for any serious modern composer! There is also a noticeable increase in the freedom of individual voices, in some pieces different voices singing different texts, allowing for a new harmonic and rhythmic complexity which leads to moments of the "musical sublime"; In other words, an overwhelming sound that gives the listener a feeling of a great expanse or an immense presence (cf. Mahler's 8th). The recording was made in Chancelade Abbey and is pleasantly reverberant, but not at the expense of clarity.

This disc is yet another entry in Tonus Peregrinus's excellent discography, further cementing their status as the premiere Medieval and Renaissance group recording today.

By the end of the first track, I knew I was in the hands of a master. By the third track, I had tears in my eyes.

Beauty. So much beauty, it hurts. You can almost hear the Renaissance begin as you listen. Dunstable strikes chord after chord somewhere in my soul. Thanks to Anthony Pitts and Tonus Peregrinus for bringing this wonderful music to life.

This CD includes the wonderful short motet "Quam Pulchra Es" and the better-known "Vene Sancte Spiritus/Veni Creator", together with movements from four of Dunstable's settings of the Mass ordinary. It is difficult to imagine a better recording. Tonus Peregrinus have a full intellectual and emotional understanding of Dunstable's ground-breaking musical achievement; the individual lines are clear and precise; the selection of works provides a fine illustration of the composer's range of techniques; the acoustics of Chancelade Abbey, where the recording was made, are perfect for the task; and the recording quality (Naxos) is flawless. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in early Renaissance church music in general or of Dunstable in particular.

Tonus Peregrinus has done a superb job of interpreting these masses and motets by one of the earliest English composers. This recording, made in the acoustic space of Chancelade Abbey is a credit to Dunstable's early polyphony.

Fifteenth century choral composer's works are brought splendidly to life by Mr. Peregrinus in clear detail, contrasting any repetitious bouts of serenity with fanciful, blended vocal flights of fancy.

I took a chance on this CD, and was rewarded by a work that is hauntingly ancient, yet pleasing to modern ears and sensibilities. Tonus Peregrinus sings the 15th-century choral works of John Dunstable gorgeously, without the arch affect often brought to such ancient music. In that misty era, the sounds of tradition and art music mingled so closely, and Tonus Peregrinus exquisitely captures that simple, almost folksy, elegance. This album will be enjoyed by any who love to hear the sounds of the past brought to life again. Whether you are an early-music choral fan or just a lover of beautiful, emotionally honest music, take a chance on "Sweet Harmony." I treasure it.