Search - Alexander Agricola, Fabrice Fitch, Heinrich Isaac :: Alexander Agricola: Chansons

A voice teacher and early music fan

George Peabody | Planet Earth | 08/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"BROADEN YOUR HORIZONS!

Alexander Agricola (1456-1506) was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance and a prominent member of the 'Grand chapelle', the Hapsburg musical establishment. He was a renowned composer in the years around 1500, and his music was widely distributed throughout Europe. He wrote music in all the important sacred and secular styles of his time.



His style is related to that of Johannes Ockegham, especially early on in his career, and towards the end of his life he was writing using the pervasive imitation characteristics of Josquin de Pres. He is one of the few transitional figures between the Burgundian style and the style of the Josquin generation of the Netherlands who actually composed music in both styles.



There is a charming howbeit somewhat 'quirky' aspect about the viol consort arrangements of assorted 'chansons' that make up the bulk of this program. The listener is constantly being taken by surprise when Agricola's clear-cut counterpoint is interrupted by abrupt pauses, unexpected harmonic 'scrunches' or odd changes in melodic direction. One example is the setting 'De Tois biens plaine' which requires two of the viols to play pizzato, giving their ostinato accompaniment to the bowed melody a most unusual but very beautiful sound.



His originality has often been questioned as many of his compositions are based on the song material of other composers. Agricola uses some complex writing in these songs, and is ever the jokester, often using strange pedal notes, or ending on out-of-key cadences. Four of the works on this disc are sung by countertenor Michael Chance, who narrates the poems in a very plaintive and ascetic manner, in true Gallic (Burgundian) style. The selections on this disc focus on instrumental performance. Like so much polyphony of this and previous centuries most of these pieces are based on pre-existant melodies and present the different settings of a single tune. The resulting repetition of a single melody points out Agricola's works showing his ability to vary the melody in many different ways.



Fretwork also offers a first time recording of 2 pieces from Fabrice Fitch's (an "expert" on Agricola's music)"agricologies", a cycle inspired by the Renaissance mast



Fretwork's shapely performances bring out both the playful and contemplative aspects of the music. Michael Chance characterizes his four vocal contributions to perfection, from the tragic hopelessness of 'Je nay direil' to forthright assertion of undying loyalty in 'Eu actendant'.



This recording is clean and clear, warm, and lightly focused; Fretwork and Chance both perform in an expert manner. I particularly liked the French love poems as sung by Chance. Harmonia Mundi has neatly packaged this album with detained informative liner notes and lyrics for the French songs in English, French and German."