11th. and 12th-century Organa
The Ambrosian Singers
Desmond Dupre (tenor viol) Robert Donington (bass viol)
Kyrie . Rex immense
Viderunt Emanuel Patris unigenitum Per letalis poml pastum
Agnus Dei qui pius es factus Verbum Patris humanatur Verbum bonum et suave
Introduced by Dom Anselm Hughes , O.S.B.
The apparent northward trend of French music in the eleventh and twelfth centuries was by no means restricted to secular monody. Early organa, like the melodies of the troubadpurs, developed and flourished in the encouraging atmosphere of Provence long before the centre of interest shifted to Paris. It was in the Abbey of St. Martial at Limoges that some of the most effective experiments in harmonised plainsong were first heard and appreciated, and thanks to a young English student's lecture-notes (preserved to this day in the British Museum) an excellent account of the correct manner of performance is available. This programme shows how the transition from unmeasured to measured music was brought about by the acceptance of an essent ally harmonic style, and how the rhythmical modes were formed and crystallised. D.S.