Les Jardins de Courtoisie - Adam de la Halle: D'Amoureus Cuer Voel Chanter (2006) CD-Rip

Adam de la Halle (c. 1237 - 1288) was one of the first composers to receive the honour of having manuscripts copied comprising his complete works, surely indicative of the esteem in which he was held. De la Halle moved between two worlds as the music of the courts of the nobility was moving out into the aspiring merchant classes of the cities.
His songs of courtly love are characterised by, to use his own phrase, "mal joli", or delightful woe. Vocalist Anne Delafosse-Quentin is perhaps not the most polished singer around but that perhaps gives these pieces a slight "folk" feel. She is accompanied by a changing combination of cistre (a kind of lute), percussion, flute and vielle, or sometimes performing alone.
Standout track is the first - a nearly ten minute long epic beginning "Amours m'ont si douchement navré que nul mal ne sent" - love has wounded me so gently that I feel no pain - with its hypnotic and mesmerising cistre melody, lamenting vielle and stuttering heartbeat of percussion.
Packaged in foldout digipak with booklet containing notes in French & English on de la Halle's music and the performance choices made by the ensemble "Les Jardins de Courtoisie", plus full lyrics in the original langue d'oïl alongside modern French and English translations.