Les âges du monde: French Viol Consort Music through the Ages

Featuring

Ibrahim Aziz
Alison Kinder
Kate Conway
Harry Buckoke
James Akers
Jennifer Bullock

Chelys Consort of Viols
Pierre-Francisque Caroubel
Didier Lupi Second
Claude Le Jeune
Étienne Moulinié
Anonymous (Traditional)
Eustache Du Caurroy
Louis Couperin
Henri Dumont
François Campion
Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Nicolas Métru
Jean-Baptiste Lully

Did you know?

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Historical Context

In 16th-century France, viol players were engaged in courtly entertainment for nobility, and an instruction manual for the instrument appeared in Paris around 1547.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Claude Le Jeune and Eustache du Caurroy were advocates of 'musique mesurée à l'antique', a musical movement aiming to unify text and music by matching note lengths and rhythm to the words.

Recording & Production

This recording was made possible by the generous support of Angel Early Music, Arts Council England, Linda Hill, and Renate Fink.

Instruments

The baroque guitar, which replaced the lute as the most common domestic musical instrument, had 5 courses with gut strings and moveable frets, similar to the viol.

Historical Context

The viola da gamba, or viol, was immensely popular in Europe from the late 15th century until its decline nearly 300 years later.

Composition History

The popular tune 'Une jeune fillette' was adapted by many composers and had various titles and texts, ranging from a story about a girl forced into a nunnery to a secular love song or a Christmas noel.

Interpretation

The Chelys Consort of Viols uses instruments strung entirely in gut, rather than metal-overwound strings, to achieve a particularly distinctive sound.

Baroque Music: Laurin, Dan / Parnassus Avenue - Stanley, J. / Handel, G.F. / Geminiani, F. / Roman, J.H. / Traditional Scottish Tunes (Airs and Graces