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Release Date: 25-05-1997
Label: Erdenklang Musik
Catalog Number: EK70982
Barcode: 723091709828
Musical Style: Medieval
Track Listing:
| Disc 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intrada I | 17 | Why Stays the Bridegroom |
| 2 | Intrada II | 18 | Standing Masque [The Fairest Nymphs] (Anonymous) |
| 3 | Intrada tertia XXI | 19 | Merry Clerk |
| 4 | Intrada decima XXVIII | 20 | Le Dieu d'aymer m'a mis aubas |
| 5 | Intrada XI | 21 | Qui veult entrer en grace des dames bien avant 1.04 |
| 6 | Intrada IV | 22 | La teste m'y fait si grant mal |
| 7 | O occhi manza mia | 23 | La la la je ne l'ose dire |
| 8 | Ad altre le voi dare | 24 | Jamais je n'aymeray grant homme |
| 9 | Intrada a 6 | 25 | Branle II |
| 10 | Pavana della Illustrissima Signora Sophia a 5 | 26 | Branle IV (a) |
| 11 | Pavana del Otto Landgravio a 5 stromenti | 27 | Branle VI and IX [attacca] |
| 12 | Maypole | 28 | Een meysken eens voerbij passeerde |
| 13 | Come my Children dere | 29 | Branle VIII |
| 14 | Two Merry Lasses | 30 | Branle IV (b) |
| 15 | Watkin's Ale | 31 | Branle VII |
| 16 | Battle of Harlaw | 32 | Branle du petit homme |
Description:
The repertoire of the Estonian ensemble Hortus Musicus includes music from Gregorian chants and medieval liturgical dramas to late Baroque compositions. Under Andres Mustonen's baton the 'Hortus Musicus Academic Orchestra', which has been active since 1972, performs large-scale works on modern instruments; playing music from the late Baroque period as well as Classical and Romantic symphonies. This record presents the music that Hortus Musicus most often plays on tours, i.e. society music from the late Renaissance or Humanist age (ca 1520-1620) which at that time spread extensively across Europe. This is not the dignified and ascetic ars perfecta which was characteristic of the Netherlands church music and which had strong spiritual links with medieval liturgical music. It belongs to the world of the modern man, a man free and cheerful in spirit, who delights in creating beauty in his environment. This music is a genuine expression of the Renaissance spirit and embodies the sensuality of man in harmony with the universe. In its time it was like an axis mundi - the axis of the world - demonstrated in ancient fertility rites by the Maypole; a tree trunk trimmed of its foliage and topped by a wheel to which rainbow-coloured ribbons were fastened. A ritual dance around this symbol signified the male and female principles and represented the renewal and rebirth of life.
Biography:
Hortus Musicus, the 'Music Garden”, was founded in 1972 by Andres Mustonen with his first concert in Tallinn, Estonia. The musicians are considered to be the most highly individual and most sprightly interpreters of 'ancient music”, i.e., artistic European music from its beginning to the masters of the Fate Renaissance and the Baroque. Their vitality and their enthusiasm does not allow boring erudition to arise. It is reputed to decipher the applicable time period as a whole, to make music precise and homogeneous, in the authentic style, but not at the expense of the zest and with precisely the amount of personal freedom for their creative talents, for improvising and for extraordinary interpretation, It is exactly this non-academic composure that makes them so popular and that also makes the hearts of many ancient music ultra-purists involuntarily beat faster.
