Gautier de Coincy appears to have led a rather retiring existence. None of the wand’ring minstrel about him: he was Prior in two successive monasteries over a 20-year period until his death in 1233. Most of his poetry, though written in praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is clearly grounded in the standard tropes and forms of the time. In fact, his output represents something of a crossover between the sacred and the secular. The opening lines of Amours dont sui espris are nearly identical with those of a song by Blondel de Nesle (recorded by Gothic Voices in “Music for the Lion-hearted King” on Hyperion, 10/89) which makes no reference to the Virgin. As to the music, Gautier simply adapted pre-existing compositions – a fairly common practice known as contrafactum. The music of Amours dont sui espris, for instance, is closely related to the conductus, Purgator criminum, coincidentally also found on the Gothic Voices disc just mentioned. The trick was for the new text to fit the old music as closely as possible – something at which Gautier appears to have been very skilful. Those familiar with this repertory should have little difficulty in tracing the borrowings.
Alla Francesca is essentially a triple-act consisting of the singers Brigitte Lesne and Emmanuel Bonnardot, and the irrepressible flautist, Pierre Hamon. All three are distinguished members of the French early music scene, appearing in a number of ensembles. In previous recordings they have augmented their number according to need; here, they are unassisted save on a single track, and I’m bound to say that they sound all the better for it. The function of instruments in this music is (as always) a delicate matter. Christopher Page has argued in favour of a tight distinction between genres, most recently embodied in the second volume of Gothic Voices’ “The Spirits of England and France” (Hyperion, 8/95). By those standards, certainly, these performances are positively luxuriant in their variety, and make no attempt at consistency. But if one accepts the flexibility of their premises, there is much to delight in: the rhythmic subtlety of Hamon’s bagpiping, the spirituality of Brigitte Lesne’s singing in particular, and (on most tracks) the general sense of ensemble. Yet the most satisfying aspect of this disc is the rounded presentation of Gautier’s many talents. Those who know this repertory fairly well will appreciate the ways in which this recording fits in with others currently in the catalogue. For those who don’t, it’s a great place to start.'