TONUS PEREGRINUS

authentic & original

NAXOS
Milestones of Western Music
THE MASS OF TOURNAI / ST LUKE PASSION (8.555861)
The earliest complete polyphonic settings of the Mass and the Passion that have come down to us are the 14th-century Mass of Tournai from what is now Belgium, and an English St Luke Passion from the early 15th-century ‘Windsor’ Manuscript. Both settings are anonymous and in three-voice polyphony, and the six movements of the Mass of Tournai reflect both the old-fashioned and the more up-to-date practices of ars antiqua and ars nova. The St Luke Passion displays characteristic English sweetness in its harmony, as well as unexpectedly dramatic responses to the events of the 24 hours from the Last Supper to Jesus’s short-lived entombment.
LE JEU DE ROBIN ET DE MARION (8.557337)
Adam de la Halle “the Hunchback” is justly the most famous composer of the late 13th century, and his greatest gift to posterity, Le Jeu de Robin et de Marion, is the first-ever opera – a pastoral romp brimming with delightful songs that so easily stand the test of over seven centuries. In this authentic yet innovative performance, the narrator (stage-right) tells the story in the original French dialect with his many voices – from coarse to courtly – while the singers move between a contemporary English interpretation (stage-left) and the timeless mediaeval lyrics and melodies of the super-troubadour himself... Adam de la Halle “the Hunchback” is justly the most famous composer of the late 13th century, and his greatest gift to posterity, Le Jeu de Robin et de Marion, is the first-ever opera – a pastoral romp brimming with delightful songs that so easily stand the test of over seven centuries. In this authentic yet innovative performance, the narrator (stage-right)…
PASSIO (8.555860)
Born near Tallinn in Estonia in 1935, Arvo Pärt emigrated in 1980 and settled in Berlin. Soon after emigrating, Pärt completed the St John Passion which he based on his new-found tintinnabuli principle that “the melody and the accompaniment is one”. Settings of the Passion are part of a very early tradition in the Church, and in Pärt’s setting it is the text itself which
SWEET HARMONY – JOHN DUNSTAPLE (8.557341)
John Dunstaple (a.k.a. Dunstable) was not just the first truly great English composer, he was also musical godfather to the Renaissance. In the middle of the 15th Century poet Martin le Franc famously described how Dufay had adopted the English manner championed by Dunstaple – la contenance Angloise – and how, to Continental ears, this new style of music sounded so fresh, and above all, joyful. From the sweet-sounding triads of Quam pulchra es to the total harmonic control of Veni Sancte Spiritus – Veni Creator, this selection of Dunstaple’s sacred music must simply rank as some of the happiest music ever recorded. John Dunstaple (a.k.a. Dunstable) was not just the first truly great English composer, he was also musical godfather to the Renaissance. In the middle of the 15th Century poet Martin le Franc famously described how Dufay had adopted the English manner championed by Dunstaple – la contenance Angloise – and how, to Continental ears, this new style of music sounded…
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TONUSPEREGRINUS-ensemble-2011
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ENSEMBLE

Antony Pitts
Founder & Director
Richard Eteson
Tenor
Nick Flower
Bass
Rebecca Hickey
Soprano
Alexander Hickey
Tenor
Joanna Forbes L'Estrange
Soprano
Alexander L'Estrange
Countertenor
Geoff Miles
Producer & Engineer