Blacatz de Proensa, lo gran guerrier - Flor Enversa (MP3)

Blacatz de Proensa, lo gran guerrier - Flor Enversa (MP3)

Blacatz (v. 1176-1239), a provençal nobleman and troubadour, nicknamed he great warrior and one of the nine valiant knights of Provence. This is a journey to the court of this "generous and just" nobleman who "loved women, chivalry, war, noisy festivals, songs and entertainements, anything which would give an honest man pride and self-worth". His court was one of the most chivalrous, and the most frequented by troubadours.

Take a trip to Provence at the time of the troubadours and trobairitz (female troubadours) who lived there and dedicates much time to « tensons » (singing vocal duets) which where very popular in the courts.

Flor Enversa revives these songs, accompanied by instruments restored to the nearest archaeological sources, sculptures, manuscripts, treaties of the time.

Contents of the album: Canso and tensons (dialogue songs) of Blacatz, as well as troubadours and trobairitz who attended his court: Cadenet, Raimbaut de Vaqueiras, Guy de Cavaillon, Albertet de Sisteron, Folquet de Romans, Sordel, Blacasset, Peire Vidal , Peirol and the trobairitz Na Tibors de Sarenom and Garsenda de Forcalquier, Countess of Provence.

Note that the CD version (with booklet including all texts and translations) is also available here.

Self-produced by Flor Enversa.

The band:

Flor Enversa performs a work of archeology and violin making, reconstitution of the instruments compared to the sources of the time, and revives these songs with the sounds that carried them.

From the duet to the larger ensembles, Flor Enversa (the inverse flower, according to a song by Raimbaut d'Orange) is a passion shared around the songs of troubadours. They sing the courtly lyric of the troubadours, and take their audience 800 years back, in Occitania of the Middle Ages, in these courts of the south of France inhabited by cortesia and fin'amor.

The troubadours compose poetry and music in langue d'oc, and offer in their songs a new art of living guided by love. They praise youth, beauty, generosity, courage, education and intelligence, sincerity and nobility of heart, which embellish the desired lady, the troubadour himself and his song.

Thierry Cornillon: singing, reciting, flute, jew's harp;
Domitille Vigneron: singing, vielles with bow;
Olivier Féraud: novel lute, vielles with bow, guiterne.

Titles:

1. Vida de Blacatz  - 1 min 18 s
2. Vida de Blacatz
3. Peire Vidal pos far m'avetz tenso (tenso between Blacatz & Peire Vidal, fl.1183-1204 - contrafactum on "Tard mi veiran" by Peire Vidal)
4. Lo bel dos temps me platz (Blacatz, c.1160-1239)
5. A mi non fai chantar (Albertet de Sisteron (fl.1194-1221)
6. Plus que'el paubres (arr. by Flor Enversa of chanson by Peire Vidal) [instr.]
7. Bel dos amic (Na Tibors de Sarenom, c.1130-1198 - contrafactum on "Ara pot hom" by Raimbaut de Vaqueiras)
8. En Raembaut ses saben (tenso between Blacatz & Raimbaout de Vaqueiras, fl.1180-1205 - contrafactum on "Gerras ni plaich" by Raimbaut de Vaqueiras)
9. Aups (instrumental improvisation)
10. Ben volgra que venques merces (Blacasset, fl.1233-42)
11. Gasquet vai t'en en Proensa (Anonymous - contrafactum on "Contra amor vau durs embroncs" by Raimon de Miraval)
12. Vos que'm semblatz (tenso between Comtessa de Proensa [Garsenda de Forcalquier, c.1180-c1242] & Gui de Cavalhon, fl.1200-29 - contrafactum on "Ja mais null temps" by Gaucelm Faidit)
13. Non sai qual conselh mi prenda (Cadenet, c.1160-1235)
14. Far vuelh un nou sirventes (arr. by Flor Enversa of chanson by Folquet de Romans) [instr.]
15. S'ieu trobava mon compair' en Blacatz (Cadenet - contrafactum on "S'al cor plagues, ben fora ueimais sasons" by Folquet de Marselha)
16. Plus que.l paubres (Peire Vidal)
17. Gaita ben (Raimbaut de Vaqueiras; music: D. Vigneron & T. Cornillon)
18. Contra amor vau durs embroncs (arr. by Flor Enversa of chanson by Raimon de Miraval)
19. Planher vol en Blacatz (Sordel, c.1200-1269 - contrafactum on "Pos tant me força amors" by Guilhem de St. Leidier)

Extract: Gasquet vai t'en en Proensa