John Dunstable 3.7.22

[ardcarp]

The EMS website is confusing as usual, but I think John Dunstable is the subject of next Sunday's episode. He is a fascinating figure whose influence went well beyond England. As a student, I remember 'discovering' his Quam Pulchra Es in The Treasury of English Church Music ed. Denis Stevens. Three of us used to sing it in the gents' WC where the acoustics were marvellous!

[MickyD]

I'm pretty sure I have an old Hilliard Ensemble CD of Dunstable somewhere, must fish it out.

[Pulcinella]

I see that Wiki and the Presto site give his surname as Dunstaple:

John Dunstaple (or Dunstable, c. 1390 – 24 December 1453)

[cat]

I always like to catch his Magnificat whenever I see it on an evensong music list (I think there's only one: secundi toni). I haven't explored the rest of his work so will look forward to listening to this episode.

[AuntDaisy]

I'm pretty sure I have an old Hilliard Ensemble CD of Dunstable somewhere, must fish it out.

Is it this CD / reissue? I have the Veritas 2 CD reissue with Power (& added Vim).

[Pulcinella]

Is it this CD? I have the Veritas 2 CD reissue with Power (& added Vim).

Looks like Virgin have re-surnamed him too!

[AuntDaisy]

The EMS website is confusing as usual, but I think John Dunstable is the subject of next Sunday's episode. He is a fascinating figure whose influence went well beyond England. As a student, I remember 'discovering' his Quam Pulchra Es in The Treasury of English Church Music ed. Denis Stevens. Three of us used to sing it in the gents' WC where the acoustics were marvellous!

Oh to have been a fly on the wall.

[AuntDaisy]

Was Dunstable a whatnot? I had visions of furniture.
"An Astrologian, a Mathematician, a Musician & what not"

[Mandryka]

Hilliard's good -- but I think there's something magic about Tonus Peregrinus on Naxos, somehow they create the impression of spontaneous singing.

[Joseph K]

Hilliard's good -- but I think there's something magic about Tonus Peregrinus on Naxos, somehow they create the impression of spontaneous singing.

That's the one I have.

[ardcarp]

Aunt Daisy, your Veritas record-cover reminds me that Leonel Power was another of our student 'discoveries'. His Ave Regina Coelorum is also in The Treasury of English Church Music. Another 3-part wonder

[Mandryka]

That's the one I have.

Someone who looks as though knows about this sort of stuff told me that they use very dodgy performing editions, that their cross relations are totally unjustifiable from the sources - in this and most especially in The Eton Choir Book. I don’t know that I care, the music making is good even if it’s not historically correct.

[AuntDaisy]

Aunt Daisy, your Veritas record-cover reminds me that Leonel Power was another of our student 'discoveries'. His Ave Regina Coelorum is also in The Treasury of English Church Music. Another 3-part wonder

Just listening to the Power now... it's the first track on the Veritas double CD.

[AuntDaisy]

Someone who looks as though knows about this sort of stuff told me that they use very dodgy performing editions, that their cross relations are totally unjustifiable from the sources - in this and most especially in The Eton Choir Book. I don’t know that I care, the music making is good even if it’s not historically correct.

Tonus Peregrinus were new to me - but the Dunstable sounds excellent on the Naxos Music Library (courtesy of our local library).
As for "historically correct" - so long as it's enjoyable to listen to, I'm happy. Not sure about some dry academic deciding what's historically correct - just wait until the next lot get tenure & change their minds.

[RichardB]

Not sure about some dry academic deciding what's historically correct

Yet again the assumption that "academics" - people who've dedicated their lives to an area of study they feel passionately attracted to, must be "dry". This is the 21st century, not the middle ages. "Deciding what's historically correct" is a brutal simplification of the detail and nuance and honest speculation that goes into most scholarly work on music. Surely the world is a slightly better place for the presence of such people in it. Others just want to hear a nice-sounding piece of music, which is of course completely fine, but please don't talk about early music scholars as if they were sour-faced monks.