This collection comprises the third section of a series of songs and motets from the French Ars Nova, which began with "The Medieval Romantics" (Helios CDH55293) and continued with "Lancaster and Valois" (Helios CDH55294). In the 14th century, French composers and poets viewed love as an objective field of study. The cover of this recording depicts an inquisitive scholar researching various topics, while the musical expressions within the works are diverse.
Some songs feature flowing melodies with interesting accents at specific points. Other compositions reflect a pursuit of harmonic grace. Many four-part pieces, including "Jour à jour" and "Le basile," are characterized by consonant harmonies. The impressive compositions "Marticius qui fu" and "Fist on, dame" are written in B-flat major, a key popular at the time.
Guillaume Machaut is featured in all three recordings, and his expressive works demonstrate his artistic range. "Trop plus / Biauté paree / Je ne suis" could be performed briskly, although a slower interpretation better reveals its complexity. Other compositions, such as "Dame, je vueil endurer" and "Se mesdisans," showcase Machaut's distinctive style. "Il me convient" dates from the early 15th century and belongs to a collection of songs for two identical voices. The recording concludes with Pycard's Gloria, which impresses with its rhythmic complexity.
Pycard's Gloria, with its remarkable intricacy in notation and isorhythm, is reminiscent of the aesthetics of the French Ars subtilior. This composition represents one of the most rhythmically complex Gloria works of the entire Middle Ages and demands in-depth analysis.