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Ecole Notre-Dame (12th century)
Mass for Christmas Day
Ensemble:
Ensemble Organum
Conductor:
Marcel Peres
Performers:
Gerard Lesne - countertenor
Josep Benet - tenor
Josep Cabre - baritone
Philippe Balloy - baritone
Marcel Peres and Ensemble Organum's Messe de Noel reconstructs a liturgical Christmas mass from twelfth century sources associated with the school of Notre Dame. Most of the polyphony is taken from Wolfenbuttel 628, whereas the monophonic sections are derived from a number of manuscripts of the time; a couple of pieces of modern derivation taken from Solesmes editions are pressed into service. The scholarly component, indeed, is so rigorous that it has produced an album that is not very compelling. Only four singers are used, and while it is interesting to hear parallel counterpoint sung in evenly matched voices, the lack of weight in unison responses is difficult to get used to - in practically every familiar instance a choir is used for such purposes, and four voices just don't cut it. While all but the Solesmes movements are taken from old manuscripts and a complete liturgy is produced, the individual pieces don't seem to hang together; the mass isn't the sum of its parts. The performances of Organum, too, seem underfed, although the sheer precision of the singing is very good. Compared to other later performances, this 1984 recording of the Ensemble Organum seems very chastened and unadventurous. But it comes very early in the group's recorded output and better things would be in store as time progressed. Messe de Noлl is interesting mainly only as a curio, a relic of the time when this important group was first getting started.
Messe du Jour de Noel
01. Introit trope - Puer natus est
02. Kyrie
03. Graduel - Viderunt omnes (Organum)
04. Alleluia - Dies Sanctificatus (Organum)
05. Evangile- Prologue de saint Jean
06. Offertoire - Tui sont coeli
07. Preface - Dominus vobiscum
08. Sanctus (Organum)
09. Agnus Dei
10. Communion - Viderunt omnes
11. Ite missa est - Deo gratias
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