À l'enseigne du Grand Heaume

The origin of this project is based on a fanciful question... As we sometimes go give ourselves over to the “dance floor” joys for an evening as simple amateurs, in what atmosphere and on what “hits” could Parisian men and women dance together, some five hundred years ago? Our tentative answer can be heard through the ears of an anonymous participant, on the occasion of the imaginary re-enactment of an evening spent in the auberge du Grand Heaume - whose existence was attested in the 15th century near the current Place Baudoyer, located in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. With original sound effects evoking the atmosphere of a Renaissance tavern, the listener is invited on a unique journey through time, combining music, song, declamation and ambient sounds. The main theme of this album is dance, whose music was published throughout the 16th century by various printers in Paris, Lyon and Louvain. A testament to a European taste, some historians have even described it as a "French obsession", so numerous are the accounts of unprecedented parties and balls! With the help of a book written by a canon of Langres around 1590, L'Orchesographie, we can reconstruct the steps of the pavanes, gaillardes and other bransles so often evoked in literary accounts of the period. Today, we can experience in a lively and original way a part of France's immense immaterial heritage... Our CD album, which evokes an improvised ball in this tavern, has a dual purpose: on the one hand, to provide an immersive recording to listen to; on the other, to provide a medium for experimentation for all those interested in Renaissance arts. The booklet, in French and English, includes numerous dance instructions and choreographic suggestions inspired by Thoinot Arbeau's steps notation. The music is played on copies of Renaissance instruments: violin, guitar, shawm (oboe), sackbut (trombone), dulcian (bassoon), etc., trying to get close to something historically authentic... while keeping our 21st-century sensibility! Beyond the purely musical aspect of this album, our project is to serve as a soundtrack for all those who wish to experience this 16th-century French passion. If the imagery deployed around the Enseigne du Grand Heaume can arouse the desire to discover this fascinating period in greater depth, and spark the idea that we may not be so far from our peers of five hundred years ago... then we may have won part of our challenge! More information on our website (French only) : https://lesmeneursdebal.com/fr/publications/a-lenseigne-du-grand-heaume.php Tracklist La grant rue Saint Martin 01:50 Suite de branles doubles de Champagne (after C. Gervaise) 03:57 Suite de branles simples (after J. d'Estrée / J. Mangeant) 03:04 Suite de branles gay (after P. Phalèse & C. Gervaise) 03:01 Or nous réjouissons (after J. Chardavoine) 02:54 Branles de la Saint-Julien (after P. Attaingnant & J. Chardavoine & C. Gervaise & J. d'Estrée) 03:05 Branles du Castel (after C. Gervaise) 04:21 Passage de garnison 00:55 Pavane pour le retour de Pologne (after A.D. Philidor) 02:21 Gaillarde en suite (after A.D. Philidor) 01:26 Suite de branles des Deux Epées (after T. Arbeau & J. Arcadelt) 03:54 Suite de branles de Poitou (after J. d'Estrée) 02:38 J'espère et crain... (Pierre de Ronsard) 01:47 Helàs je l'ai perdue (after Ms. F 12744) 03:22 Suite d'allemandes (after S. Vreedman) 03:02 La fille qui n'a point d'amy (after Ms. F 12744) 02:28 La rixe 0:39 Branle d'Hazebrouck (after C. Gervaise) 02:41 Branle de l'Echiquier (after C. Gervaise) 02:44 Faisons bonne chère (after Ms. F 12744) 02:24 Branles des Lavandières et des Pois (after T. Arbeau) 05:24 Suite de gavottes (after J. d'Estrée) 04:12 Branles d'Ecosse (after T. Arbeau) 04:12 Le faubours St Jaques 04:16 Les Meneurs de Bal Les Meneurs de Bal is a troupe of musicians who wish to rediscover the joy, strength and energy of the great music and dancing festivals of the Renaissance. Either in a suit or in jeans & sneakers, come as you are, and let the ball begin! Adrien Reboisson • recorders, shawms, dulcian Gaelle Durand • fiddle Maxime Fiorani • drums Isaure Lavergne • dulcian Yannick Lebossé • guitern, cittern Rémi Lécorché • sackbut, buisine Nicolas Sansarlat • Renaissance violin, lira da braccio Vivien Simon • voice Bernard Subert • bagpipes Jean-Michel Deliers • sound recording, mixing, sound effects Additional voices by Charles di Meglio and Saraé Durest.