Ensemble Arborescence & David Chappuis
Biography Ensemble Arborescence & David Chappuis
Ensemble Arborescence
Formed by professional singers, the Arborescence ensemble proposes to illuminate the music of the past in the light of historical practices (declamation, solmization, counterpoint, ornamentation) such as they can be rediscovered today thanks to digital humanities.
It all begins with Philippe de Vitry...
More precisely, with the motets of this great poet and musician of the 14th century. Fascination for the complexity, for the formal perfection of these pieces and, through attempts of transcription, deciphering, pronunciation, discovery of their intense beauty. First research project, at the beginning of the year 2000, within the framework of the Haute école de musique (HEM) of Geneva. Concerts, reflections, maturation...
In 2018, the conditions are met to launch, still under the aegis of the HEM, a much more ambitious project: "Chanter les motets de Philippe de Vitry" (CMPV). But, before singing, it is necessary to publish: CMPV becomes Corpus Motetorum Philippi de Vitriaco. A new edition will only make sense if it is resolutely modern, using digital humanities, a vast field of research located at the crossroads of computer science, arts, humanities and social sciences. Based on the totality of the known manuscript sources, the CMPV edition makes it possible to get closer to the letter of the sources, to confront them in order to induce a critical version, to analyze and visualize the poetic and musical architecture, and to provide singers with parts that guide them in their learning of solmization, simple counterpoint and ornamentation (flowers).
The crowning achievement of several years of research, the Arborescence ensemble was formed in 2021, following a professional training given within the framework of the Pôle voix et répertoire of the Fondation Royaumont in October 2020.
