Doulce Mémoire (early music ensemble), Doulce Mémoire, Denis Raisin Dadre and Kwal, Kwal

Denis Raisin Dadre

Joachim Du Bellay (1522 - 1560) stormed onto the Parisian literary scene with the resounding avantgarde manifesto Défense et illustration de la langue française. Ronsard and Du Bellay are the great French poets of the sixteenth century, but while the former has been set to music hundreds of times, Du Bellay inspired only about thirty compositions. Denis Raisin Dadre and his ensemble Doulce Mémoire celebrate the Angevin poet on the occasion of his 500th anniversary with works by the leading composers of the period, among them Arcadelt (who set nine chansons to his texts, including Je ne puis dissimuler a year before Du Bellay’s death), Lassus, Chardavoine and Verdonck. It was also established practice at the time to declaim poems accompanied by a musician who improvised on the lyre, an instrument and usage imported from Italy (recitare a la lira). Denis Raisin Dadre has decided to pay tribute to these sixteenth - century ‘slammers’ by asking a modern equivalent, Kwal, to ‘slam’ some of Du Bellay's sonnets, including the famous Heureux qui, comme Ulysse.

Didier le Blanc (1579-1584) , Anonymus , Jacob (Jacques) Arcadelt (1507-1568) , Orlando di Lasso (Lassus) (1532-1594) , Nicolas Gombert (1495-1560) , Cornelis Verdonck (1563-1625) , Pierre Attaingnant (1494-1552) , Anthoine de Bertrand (1540-1581) , Clement Janequin (1472-1559) , Jehan Chardavoine (1537-1580)

• Didier Le Blanc: Qui prestera la parole
  +Anonymus: Heureux qui, comme Ulysse; Marcher d'un grave pas
  +Jacqes Arcadelt: Du temps que j'estois amoureux (2 Versionen: vokal & instrumental); Si vous regardez, ma dame; En ce moys delicieux (2 Versionen: vokal & instrumental); Si le bien qui au plus grand bien; Je ne puis dissimuler; Vieille plus vieille que le monde
  +Orlando di Lasso: La nuit froyde et sombre; O foible esprit; On peut faindre par le cizeau
  +Nicolas Gombert: Hors envyeux (instrumental)
  +Nicolas: En ce moys delicieux
  +Cornelis Verdonck: L'homme vertueux est riche
  +Pierre Attaingnant (Editeur): Pavane (instrumental); Bransles (instrumental)
  +Anthoine de Bertrand: Cet' humeur vient de mon oil
  +Clement Janequin: Qui voudra voir
  +Corneille de Montfort: Si Vous Regardez, Ma Dame
  +Jehan Chardavoine: Si Vous Regardez, Ma Dame

Awards Issue 2022