• Main Performer: Gothic Voices
• Languages of Booklet Text: English, French, German
• Languages of Libertto: French, English

Review

Gothic Voices is a durable British ensemble that has performed medieval secular music mostly in vocal a cappella style. You may or may not like that approach, but if you'd like to give it a try, this disc contains repertory in which unaccompanied singing works well. The group sings some of the fixed-form chansons of Machaut -- and not the usual ones -- but then seizes on the inherent complexity of Machaut's music and looks forward in time to one of his successors, the mysterious Solage. Nothing, not even a first name, is known of this composer, but he was active at the end of the fourteenth century, and his music, lumped at the time under the label of ars subtilior or "subtle art,"seems to have been intellectual and at times freakish. Many discs contain one or two of his pieces, but this one offers a more generous sampling of this music. For a taste of what you're getting into, sample his best-known piece, Fumeux fume par fumee (track 6), whose opening lines are here translated as "Out of dreams the dreamer dreams up dreamy speculation." Elsewhere the pieces have been thought to refer to smoke, or perhaps even to drug use -- a logical supposition in view of the thoroughly cosmic text. This was apparently music made for small groups of aficionados, and the rather claustrophobic atmosphere induced by the small groups of voices singing medieval intervals actually helps put across the weirdly arcane mood of Solage's music. Other songs involve acrostics in their texts, comment on political affairs (S'aincy estoit, track 10), or even argue in favor of jackets as opposed to robes or cloaks (Pluseurs gens, track 11). The Gothic Voices achieve variety by assigning pieces to high or low ranges and deploying shifting groups of singers. This album is worth anyone's time for the ride through Solage's music, and it's a must for those already enamored of the Gothic Voices style. ~ James Manheim, All Music Guide

Performances

Composer	Title	Time
Solage	Le Basile	4:13
Guillaume de Machaut	Mors sui se je ne vous voy, virelai for 2 voices	4:02
Solage	En l'amoureux vergier	4:57
Guillaume de Machaut	Quant je sui mis su retour, virelai for voice	1:43
Solage	Tres gentil cuer for 3 voices	6:50
Solage	Fumeux fume par fumée, rondeau for 3 voices	4:26
Solage	Joieux de cuer en seumellant estoye, for 4 voices	4:00
Guillaume de Machaut	Dame, se vous m'estés lointeinne, ballade for voice	2:29
Anonymous, Codex Chantilly	Adieu vous di, tres doulce compaygnie, ballade	2:51
Guillaume de Machaut	Plus dure qu'un dyamant, virelai for 2 voices	3:28
Solage	Corps feminin	3:59
Solage	S'aincy estoit que ne feust la noblesce	3:14
Solage	Plusiers gens voy for 4 voices	2:43
Guillaume de Machaut	Douce dame, tant com vivray, rondeau for 2 voices	3:12
Anonymous, Codex Chantilly	Le Mont Aon de Thrace, ballade	3:19
Guillaume de Machaut	Se je souspir parfondement, virelai for 2 voices	2:38
Solage	Calextone, qui fut dame	3:06
Guillaume de Machaut	Dieus, Biaute, Douceur, virelai for voice	4:30
Solage	Hélas, je voy mon cuer, for 4 voices	5:30