Machaut: The Fount of Grace Orlando Consort

• Guillaume de Machaut (1300 - 1377): Donnez, signeurs, Ballade 26 a 3:
• 1de Machaut: Donnez, signeurs, Ballade 26 a 3: I. Donnez, signeurs, donnez a toutes mains01:46
• 2de Machaut: Donnez, signeurs, Ballade 26 a 3: II. A vos subgés donnez et a lonteins01:44
• 3de Machaut: Donnez, signeurs, Ballade 26 a 3: III. Quant princes est loiaus, larges, humeins01:54
• Tu qui gregem / Plange regni / Apprehende arma, Motet 22 a 4:
• 4de Machaut: Tu qui gregem / Plange regni / Apprehende arma, Motet 22 a 402:47
• Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez, Rondeau 9 a 2:
• 5de Machaut: Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez, Rondeau 9 a 2: I. Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez01:05
• 6de Machaut: Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez, Rondeau 9 a 2: II. Jamais ne quier estre desprisonnez01:19
• 7de Machaut: Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez, Rondeau 9 a 2: III. Car tous biens m’est en ceste prison nez01:04
• 8de Machaut: Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez, Rondeau 9 a 2: IV. Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez01:14
• Felix virgo / Inviolata genitrix / Ad te suspiramus, Motet 23 a 4:
• 9de Machaut: Felix virgo / Inviolata genitrix / Ad te suspiramus, Motet 23 a 403:53
• Hé, dame de valour, Virelai 11 a 1:
• 10de Machaut: Hé, dame de valour, Virelai 11 a 1: I. Hé, dame de valour01:17
• 11de Machaut: Hé, dame de valour, Virelai 11 a 1: II. Mais pour peinne ne pour grieté00:58
• 12de Machaut: Hé, dame de valour, Virelai 11 a 1: III. Pour ce vous pri que par pité01:07
• Tres douce dame, Ballade 24 a 2:
• 13de Machaut: Tres douce dame, Ballade 24 a 2: I. Tres douce dame, que j’aour01:24
• 14de Machaut: Tres douce dame, Ballade 24 a 2: II. Car je vous ay donné m'amour01:26
• 15de Machaut: Tres douce dame, Ballade 24 a 2: III. Quant je voy vostre grant douçour01:33
• Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’:
• 16de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: I. Je ne cesse de prier00:54
• 17de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: II. S'en vueil une autre acointier00:51
• 18de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: III. Et ou porrait on querir01:59
• 19de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: IV. C'est celle qui par ordonnance01:25
• 20de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: V. Mais n'i ha point de difference01:28
• 21de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: VI. Ces trois un a po de peinne02:03
• 22de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: VII. Et qui de ceste eaue prendroit01:03
• 23de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: VIII. L'eaue de vie einsi venoit01:02
• 24de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: IX. Mais ceste trinité02:00
• 25de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: X. De la duis le Pere nomme00:49
• 26de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: XI. Mais miex vorroie estre a Romme00:51
• 27de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: XII. Et pour ce di que cil troy02:05
• 28de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: XIII. Pour ce te pri00:34
• 29de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: XIV. M'ame t'otri00:33
• 30de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: XV. Mais de tel confort01:58
• 31de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: XVI. He! fonteinne de concorde01:07
• 32de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: XVII. Fai tant que de li m'estorde01:08
• 33de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: XVIII. Pour laver et nettoier02:14
• Christe qui lux / Veni creator spiritus / Tribulatio proxima est, Motet 21 a 4:
• 34de Machaut: Christe qui lux / Veni creator spiritus / Tribulatio proxima est, Motet 21 a 404:00
• En mon cuer a un descort, Virelai 24 a 2:
• 35de Machaut: En mon cuer a un descort, Virelai 24 a 2: I. En mon cuer a un descort00:30
• 36de Machaut: En mon cuer a un descort, Virelai 24 a 2: II. C'est de mon loial desir01:01
• 37de Machaut: En mon cuer a un descort, Virelai 24 a 2: III. En mon cuer a un descort00:32
• 38de Machaut: En mon cuer a un descort, Virelai 24 a 2: IV. Si ne say que devenir01:01
• 39de Machaut: En mon cuer a un descort, Virelai 24 a 2: V. En mon cuer a un descort00:31
• 40de Machaut: En mon cuer a un descort, Virelai 24 a 2: VI. Las, einsi m'estuet languir01:03
• 41de Machaut: En mon cuer a un descort, Virelai 24 a 2: VII. En mon cuer a un descort00:42
• Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez, Rondeau 9 a 4:
• 42de Machaut: Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez, Rondeau 9 a 4: I. Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez01:02
• 43de Machaut: Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez, Rondeau 9 a 4: II. Jamais ne quier estre desprisonnez01:16
• 44de Machaut: Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez, Rondeau 9 a 4: III. Car tous biens m’est en ceste prison nez01:02
• 45de Machaut: Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez, Rondeau 9 a 4: IV. Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez01:11
• Total Runtime01:02:26

Info for Machaut: The Fount of Grace

The "The Fount of Grace" of the title is the Virgin Mary, to whom Machaut addresses his appeals for mercy during a turbulent period in France's history.

Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377), France’s most famous poet-composer of the fourteenth century, was probably the last to set exclusively his own texts to music in the tradition of the trouvères before him. On the other hand, he was one of the first to compose his love songs in polyphony. Machaut’s complete works are exceptionally well preserved in beautifully illuminated manuscripts, originally destined for wealthy noble patrons. For the public at large, Machaut is nowadays best known as the composer of the first polyphonic Mass, his marvellous Messe de Notre Dame. However, far from being a composer of predominantly religious works (the Mass remained his only liturgical composition), Machaut instead devoted most of his artistic efforts to the praise of courtly love, in allegorical dits (or stories, two of them being pseudo-autobiographical) and in lyrics with and without music—those set to music including lays, motets and chansons, both monophonic and polyphonic—virtually all of which deal with the joys and problems of love. Yet, within this idealized courtly world, there are also some peepholes, especially in his literary works, which give us a glimpse of the harsh reality of the times in which he lived. A handful of Machaut’s musical works, recorded here, even reveal in detail some of the disasters that befell France during his lifetime.

Few of Machaut’s songs have an explicitly religious character. In two lays he professed his devout love for the Virgin Mary. One of these, the Lay de la fonteinne (track 7) which forms the backbone of the present recording, starts with a surprising transition from courtly to spiritual love. Rejected by his beloved, the lover decides to appeal to the Virgin for her grace, which he is certain to receive because, unlike earthly ladies, she never withholds her love. In the first part of the lay he praises Mary’s superb qualities and explains how, at the Holy Ghost’s command, she became daughter of God the Father and mother to Jesus the Son. This praise is followed by a lengthy and quite unorthodox exposition of the mystery of the Trinity, which is compared to the different shapes of water flowing from a fountain; whoever washes himself in that water will be saved. Recalling his sinful life, the poet implores the Virgin to intercede with her Son that his transgressions may not cause him to be thrown into Satan’s cauldron. ...

Orlando Consort

Orlando Consort
Formed in 1988 by the Early Music Network of Great Britain, the Orlando Consort rapidly achieved a reputation as one of Europe’s most expert and consistently challenging groups performing repertoire from the years 1050 to 1550. Their work successfully combines captivating entertainment and fresh scholarly insight; the unique imagination and originality of their programming together with their superb vocal skills has marked the Consort out as the outstanding leaders of their field. The Consort has performed at many of Britain’s top festivals (including the BBC Proms and the Edinburgh International Festival) and has in recent years made visits to France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, the USA and Canada, South America, Singapore, Japan, Greece, Russia, Austria, Slovenia, Portugal and Spain.

The Consort's impressive discography for Saydisc, Metronome, Linn, Deutsche Grammophon and Harmonia Mundi USA includes a collection of music by John Dunstaple and ‘The Call of the Phoenix’, which were selected as Early Music CDs of the Year by Gramophone Magazine; their CDs of music by Compère, Machaut, Ockeghem, Josquin, ‘Popes and Anti-Popes’, ‘Saracen and Dove’ and ‘Passion’ have also all been short-listed. Machaut’s ‘Messe de Notre Dame’ and ‘Scattered Rhymes’, an outstanding new work by British composer Tarik O’Regan and featuring the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, was short-listed for a BBC Music Magazine Award. The Consort is currently pursuing an epic project to record all the songs of Guillaume de Machaut for Hyperion; the first release ('Le Voir Dit') was selected by New York Times critics as one of their favourite classical CD releases of 2013 and has since been followed by 10 much-praised recordings, completing the series in 2023. Also on the Hyperion label are an anthology of music by Loyset Compère , a survey of 14th century English music, and a Gramophone Award-shortlisted collection of songs by Guillaume Dufay.

The Consort’s performances also embrace the spheres of contemporary music and improvisation: to date they have performed over 30 world premières and they have created striking collaborations with the jazz group Perfect Houseplants and, for a project exploring historic Portuguese and Goan music, the brilliant tabla player Kuljit Bhamra. Recent concert highlights include a return visit to New York's Carnegie Hall, the new Boulezsaal in Berlin, and a debut at the Salzburg Festival. The group continues to tour internationally with its grand project presenting Carl Theodor Dreyer's silent masterpiece La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc with a soundscape of music from the period in which the film is set, namely the early 15th century.

The 2022-23 season will be the group's last, with concerts in Spain, Ireland, Italy, Belgium, the USA, Canada, Luxembourg, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The group's final performance will be in June 2023 in Boston, MA..

Booklet for Machaut: The Fount of Grace