Paulin Bündgen, a counter-tenor in Ensemble Céladon, also serves as the artistic director for this album.
Historical Context
Troubadours spoke the 'langue d'Oc', an ancestor of the Occitan language still heard today in parts of southern France.
Compositional Technique
Troubadour poems, like the canso, often include a short envoi or tornada, which typically describes a messenger tasked with delivering the poet's declaration of love.
Album & Artwork
The album's cover features a ceiling mosaic depicting a sky with stars from the Mausoleum of Empress Galla Placidia, dating to approximately 440 AD.
Interpretation
The interpretation of troubadour monodies involves challenges like finding suitable melodies for poems without them, and deciding on rhythmic approaches due to limited notation.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in August 2013 at the Church Notre-Dame in Centeilles.
Historical Context
Troubadours, who came from diverse social classes, were lovers, knights, or minstrels, and their art flourished for almost two centuries south of the Loire river.
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