[Chanson] Chansons de Trouveres Paul Hillier (voc); Andrew Lawrence-King ( ^a psaltery/ ^b hp/ ^c org).

Harmonia Mundi (Full price) (CD) HMU90 7184 (70 minutes: DDD). Texts and translations included.

Thibaut de Champagne: Aussi conme unicorne sui ^b. Deus est ensi conme li pellicanz. Chancon ferai, que talenz m’en est pris ^b. Gace Brule: Les oxeles de mon paix ^b. A la doucor de la bele seson ^a. Moniot d’Arras: Ce fu en mai ^a. Colin Muset: En mai, quant li rossignolez ^c. Anonymous: Volez vous que je vous chant ^a. Quant voi la flor nouvele ^a.

The repertoire of trouvere songs is one “we are only now beginning to explore” writes Margaret Switten. I’m not sure that John Stevens or Hendrik van der Werf would agree with this, but it is certainly a claim that whets the appetite. And here we have an enlightened and well-chosen selection, sensitively presented and delightfully sung by Paul Hillier with insight and feeling. The main object of the poets’ attention is fin’amor, but other themes, including the return of spring (Volez vous que je vous chant and En mai, quant li rossignolez), make their joyful appearance, and there is one piece in a completely different vein, a serious piece of religious polemics: Deus est ensi conme li pellicanz.

The melodies, simple and stanzaic, are of great beauty. Outstanding in this respect is Gace Brule’s A la doucor de la bele seson. Many are modal (Dorian) and a few share a well-known opening phrase with a Gregorian melodie-type that Andrew Lawrence-King has made much use of in his accompaniments. His own contribution is momentous: if the manner in which these songs were originally performed still remains a mystery for the singer, it is even more of an enigma for the accompanist. But Andrew Lawrence-King has taken the word trouvere to heart: he is a true ‘finder’. His empathy with text, music and singer is total: he ‘invents’ with a sure touch, and I think it is not going too far to say it is a touch of genius.

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