Machaut: The Fount of Grace Orlando Consort

• Guillaume de Machaut (1300 - 1377): Donnez, signeurs, Ballade 26 a 3:
• 1 de Machaut: Donnez, signeurs, Ballade 26 a 3: I. Donnez, signeurs, donnez a toutes mains 01:46
• 2 de Machaut: Donnez, signeurs, Ballade 26 a 3: II. A vos subgés donnez et a lonteins 01:44
• 3 de Machaut: Donnez, signeurs, Ballade 26 a 3: III. Quant princes est loiaus, larges, humeins 01:54
• Tu qui gregem / Plange regni / Apprehende arma, Motet 22 a 4:
• 4 de Machaut: Tu qui gregem / Plange regni / Apprehende arma, Motet 22 a 4 02:47
• Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez, Rondeau 9 a 2:
• 5 de Machaut: Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez, Rondeau 9 a 2: I. Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez 01:05
• 6 de Machaut: Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez, Rondeau 9 a 2: II. Jamais ne quier estre desprisonnez 01:19
• 7 de Machaut: Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez, Rondeau 9 a 2: III. Car tous biens m’est en ceste prison nez 01:04
• 8 de Machaut: Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez, Rondeau 9 a 2: IV. Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez 01:14
• Felix virgo / Inviolata genitrix / Ad te suspiramus, Motet 23 a 4:
• 9 de Machaut: Felix virgo / Inviolata genitrix / Ad te suspiramus, Motet 23 a 4 03:53
• Hé, dame de valour, Virelai 11 a 1:
• 10 de Machaut: Hé, dame de valour, Virelai 11 a 1: I. Hé, dame de valour 01:17
• 11 de Machaut: Hé, dame de valour, Virelai 11 a 1: II. Mais pour peinne ne pour grieté 00:58
• 12 de Machaut: Hé, dame de valour, Virelai 11 a 1: III. Pour ce vous pri que par pité 01:07
• Tres douce dame, Ballade 24 a 2:
• 13 de Machaut: Tres douce dame, Ballade 24 a 2: I. Tres douce dame, que j’aour 01:24
• 14 de Machaut: Tres douce dame, Ballade 24 a 2: II. Car je vous ay donné m'amour 01:26
• 15 de Machaut: Tres douce dame, Ballade 24 a 2: III. Quant je voy vostre grant douçour 01:33
• Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’:
• 16 de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: I. Je ne cesse de prier 00:54
• 17 de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: II. S'en vueil une autre acointier 00:51
• 18 de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: III. Et ou porrait on querir 01:59
• 19 de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: IV. C'est celle qui par ordonnance 01:25
• 20 de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: V. Mais n'i ha point de difference 01:28
• 21 de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: VI. Ces trois un a po de peinne 02:03
• 22 de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: VII. Et qui de ceste eaue prendroit 01:03
• 23 de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: VIII. L'eaue de vie einsi venoit 01:02
• 24 de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: IX. Mais ceste trinité 02:00
• 25 de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: X. De la duis le Pere nomme 00:49
• 26 de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: XI. Mais miex vorroie estre a Romme 00:51
• 27 de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: XII. Et pour ce di que cil troy 02:05
• 28 de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: XIII. Pour ce te pri 00:34
• 29 de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: XIV. M'ame t'otri 00:33
• 30 de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: XV. Mais de tel confort 01:58
• 31 de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: XVI. He! fonteinne de concorde 01:07
• 32 de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: XVII. Fai tant que de li m'estorde 01:08
• 33 de Machaut: Je ne cesse de prier ‘Le lay de la fonteinne’: XVIII. Pour laver et nettoier 02:14
• Christe qui lux / Veni creator spiritus / Tribulatio proxima est, Motet 21 a 4:
• 34 de Machaut: Christe qui lux / Veni creator spiritus / Tribulatio proxima est, Motet 21 a 4 04:00
• En mon cuer a un descort, Virelai 24 a 2:
• 35 de Machaut: En mon cuer a un descort, Virelai 24 a 2: I. En mon cuer a un descort 00:30
• 36 de Machaut: En mon cuer a un descort, Virelai 24 a 2: II. C'est de mon loial desir 01:01
• 37 de Machaut: En mon cuer a un descort, Virelai 24 a 2: III. En mon cuer a un descort 00:32
• 38 de Machaut: En mon cuer a un descort, Virelai 24 a 2: IV. Si ne say que devenir 01:01
• 39 de Machaut: En mon cuer a un descort, Virelai 24 a 2: V. En mon cuer a un descort 00:31
• 40 de Machaut: En mon cuer a un descort, Virelai 24 a 2: VI. Las, einsi m'estuet languir 01:03
• 41 de Machaut: En mon cuer a un descort, Virelai 24 a 2: VII. En mon cuer a un descort 00:42
• Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez, Rondeau 9 a 4:
• 42 de Machaut: Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez, Rondeau 9 a 4: I. Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez 01:02
• 43 de Machaut: Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez, Rondeau 9 a 4: II. Jamais ne quier estre desprisonnez 01:16
• 44 de Machaut: Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez, Rondeau 9 a 4: III. Car tous biens m’est en ceste prison nez 01:02
• 45 de Machaut: Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez, Rondeau 9 a 4: IV. Tant doucement me sens emprisonnez 01:11
• Total Runtime 01:02:26

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