Alla Francesca - Gautier de Coincy: Les Miracles de Nostre-Dame (1995)

This Opus 111 disc, performed by Alla Francesca, a vocal and instrumental ensemble that focuses on music of the 12th through the 15th centuries, is devoted to songs by 13th century cleric Gauthier de Coincy. De Coincy, who considered himself primarily a poet, left a large body of work, including two books of Les Miracles de Nostre-Dame, the source of the 14 songs recorded here, but he also provided music for his songs, usually arranging preexisting melodies. Alla Francesca performs the songs with simplicity, as was certainly de Coincy's intention, because his stated goal was to inspire devotion through the texts. A variety of soloists, all with pure, sweet, unmannered voices, perform the songs. The accompaniments were not provided in the manuscripts, so the players, using instruments such as viol, fiddle, transverse flute, harp, bagpipes, and tambourine, improvise accompaniments that are at once inventively worked out and unobtrusive enough not to obscure the melody. The simple modal melodies, though elegant, reverent, and frequently lovely, aren't blood-stirring, and may not be the ideal introduction to the medieval period for listeners new to this music, but early music enthusiasts are likely to appreciate the quality of the performances and the singers' and players' attentiveness to appropriate performance practice. The sound is clean and clear, with a good sense of presence.