Dunstaple: Three pieces

Day 289

John Dunstaple: Three pieces 

Veni Sancti Spiritus

Tonus Perigrinus

Alma redemptoris Mater

Purcell concert of voices

Guade Virgo Salutaris

Hilliard Ensemble

First the name. Historically he had always been known as John Dunstable but it now seems clear that this was a transcription error and that his name was spelt with a ‘p’ as Dunstaple. I do remember hearing some of his music at University but I can’t put a name to any particular piece apart from ‘Oh Rosa Bella’ .a fairly simple song with a catchy melody.

These three pieces - selected at random - are rather more serious. They show a fascinating step in the evolution from the medieval music of Machaut towards the more sonorous music of the renaissance. Some of the ‘rougher edges’ of Machaut had disappeared and generally speaking the rhythms are less spiky than those of an earlier generation. But there is still enough here to know that this is still very early polyphonic music. Some of it was particularly beautiful, particularly the last of the three pieces, which seemed almost timeless.

What struck me most however was the evolution in performing styles. The second performance here, by the Purcell consort, was recorded quite a while ago - in fact it was probably performances by this group that I would have heard as a student. It now seems very old fashioned, with instrumental additions not specified by the composer and voices that seem quite rough, with a ‘hooting’ counter tenor. It is a world away from the very refined and understated performance by the Hilliard Ensemble, But perhaps in another generation our ideas of how to perform this music will have evolved and the Hilliards might seem out of date. It all goes to emphasise that we really don’t have much idea how this music was originally performed. Each generation must finds its own way of making sense of the bare notes on the page.