Of Arms and a Woman: Late Medieval Wind Music Blondel

• Guillaume Dufay (1397 - 1474):
• 1 Se la face ay pale 01:55
• 2 Or me veult bien espérance mentir 02:12
• 3 Belle, veulliés moy retenir 02:19
• John Bedyngham (1422 - 1460):
• 4 O rosa bella, o dolze anima mia 01:59
• Gilles Binchois (1400 - 1460):
• 5 Les tres doulx ieux du viaire ma dame 02:40
• traditional:
• 6 À cheval, tout homme, à cheval 02:46
• 7 Réveillez-vous Piccars (Arr. E. Gutteridge for Chamber Ensemble) 02:57
• 8 Gardés le trait della fenestre 02:17
• Gilles Binchois:
• 9 Dueil angoisseus 02:14
• Johannes Ciconia (1370 - 1412):
• 10 Le ray au soleyl qui dret som kar meyne 02:01
• Baude Cordier (1380 - 1440):
• 11 Tout par compas 01:25
• Guillaume de Machaut (1300 - 1377):
• 12 Aymi, dame de valour (Arr. E. Baines & E. Gutteridge for Chamber Ensemble) 04:33
• Solage:
• 13 Corps femenin 03:25
• Robert Morton (1430 - 1479):
• 14 Le souvenir de vous me tue 02:06
• Guillaume Dufay:
• 15 Le serviteur hault guerdonné 02:50
• John Bedyngham
• 16 Le serviteur 02:00
• traditional:
• 17 De quan qu'on peut belle et bonne estrener 02:17
• 18 Anxci bon youre 01:31
• Francesco Landini (1325 - 1397):
• 19 Adiu, adiu, dous dame 02:09
• traditional:
• 20 La Spagna 01:32
• 21 Pues Serviçio Vos Desplaze - Cançión Contrahecha Pues Serviçio Vos Desplaze, Letra y Punto 05:37
• 22 Allez à la fougère (Arr. E. Gutteridge for Chamber Ensemble) 02:06
• 23 L'homme armé - Lome arme - Lom arme (Falsum) 02:54
• Gilles Binchois:
• 24 Filles à marier ne vous mariez ja 01:51
• Total Runtime 59:36

Info for Of Arms and a Woman: Late Medieval Wind Music

Of arms and a woman is a chronicle of love, loss, chivalry and memory built around the late medieval wind music of Dufay, Binchois, Ciconia, Landini and Machaut, performed on shawms, slide trumpet, recorders, sackbut, bagpipes and percussion. The album is inspired by the writing of Christine de Pisan, whose work touched on every aspect of courtly life, from romantic poetry to military strategy and feminist critiques of the position of women in society. It includes rousing calls to battle, arresting love songs, and the heartbreakingly beautiful Dueil angoisseux, the only contemporary musical setting of any of de Pisan’s poems. Blondel performs ceremonial fanfares and intimate chansons, dances and theatre music on reconstructions of historical instruments.

Blondel

Blondel
Towns and grand households across Europe employed musicians to entertain at dances and banquets and as a symbol of their prestige. Professional wind players would have been expected to play on a wide range of instruments, the foremost of which were the double-reeded shawms.

It is easy to imagine how the strident sound of the shawm band cut across the hustle and bustle of the dance and banquet halls, or even the city square. More surprising to modern ears is their sophistication of expression and blend of sound which gives them a unique and joyful beauty of their own.

Blondel have been playing at Hedingham Castle for four years, enhancing our Event Days with their superlative medieval music. Beautifully turned out, hard-working and utterly reliable, they are tuneful and intricate, lively and mellow. Blondel are as happy creating wonderfully atmospheric background music as they are performing to a static audience or engaging with our visitors, explaining their instruments and the origins of their music. Great fun, and great musicians.

Booklet for Of Arms and a Woman: Late Medieval Wind Music