Of Arms and a Woman: Late Medieval Wind Music Blondel

• Guillaume Dufay (1397 - 1474):
• 1Se la face ay pale01:55
• 2Or me veult bien espérance mentir02:12
• 3Belle, veulliés moy retenir02:19
• John Bedyngham (1422 - 1460):
• 4O rosa bella, o dolze anima mia01:59
• Gilles Binchois (1400 - 1460):
• 5Les tres doulx ieux du viaire ma dame02:40
• traditional:
• 6À cheval, tout homme, à cheval02:46
• 7Réveillez-vous Piccars (Arr. E. Gutteridge for Chamber Ensemble)02:57
• 8Gardés le trait della fenestre02:17
• Gilles Binchois:
• 9Dueil angoisseus02:14
• Johannes Ciconia (1370 - 1412):
• 10Le ray au soleyl qui dret som kar meyne02:01
• Baude Cordier (1380 - 1440):
• 11Tout par compas01:25
• Guillaume de Machaut (1300 - 1377):
• 12Aymi, dame de valour (Arr. E. Baines & E. Gutteridge for Chamber Ensemble)04:33
• Solage:
• 13Corps femenin03:25
• Robert Morton (1430 - 1479):
• 14Le souvenir de vous me tue02:06
• Guillaume Dufay:
• 15Le serviteur hault guerdonné02:50
• John Bedyngham
• 16Le serviteur02:00
• traditional:
• 17De quan qu'on peut belle et bonne estrener02:17
• 18Anxci bon youre01:31
• Francesco Landini (1325 - 1397):
• 19Adiu, adiu, dous dame02:09
• traditional:
• 20La Spagna01:32
• 21Pues Serviçio Vos Desplaze - Cançión Contrahecha Pues Serviçio Vos Desplaze, Letra y Punto05:37
• 22Allez à la fougère (Arr. E. Gutteridge for Chamber Ensemble)02:06
• 23L'homme armé - Lome arme - Lom arme (Falsum)02:54
• Gilles Binchois:
• 24Filles à marier ne vous mariez ja01:51
• Total Runtime59:36

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