This programme, dedicated to the women musicians and composers who practised their art at the French Court
the French Court during the lifetime of Louis XIV, is intended to be both a
mosaic representation of the musical society of the Sun King's entourage the Sun King's entourage as well as a watermark of the possibilities available to women at the time who wished to make a career in this field.

In Italy, composition and music had long been accessible to and practised by women.
accessible to and practised by women (especially among the aristocracy and
aristocracy and convents, but also in orphanages), the emergence of the emergence of female personalities in the French musical world had to take the French musical world took more time. It was not until the splendour of Louis XIV and the massive involvement the massive involvement of musicians at Court to see the development of real musical dynasties dynasties inheriting positions and functions, whether in the King's Chamber the King's Chamber, his Chapel or his Stables. Within these dynasties were born daughters were also born who, like their brothers, received the best musical musical education. The most gifted of them, such as Mademoiselle de Ménetou or
Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre were introduced to the King as children and went on to and went on to pursue prominent careers.

However, although musical talent is a valued quality in a woman, the
However, although musical talent is a valued quality in a woman, embarking on a career in this field called questioned their morality. Those who did, were strongly supported by their families by their families and husbands.

Some of the women composers whose works you will have the pleasure of hearing in this
works in this programme have a sadly typical background as women of the time: Antonia Bemann Antonia Bembo had to flee Italy and her violent husband, abandon her children Antonia Bembo had to flee Italy and her violent husband, and abandon her children, before finding protection at the French Court. Her style, more style, more dramatically Italian, allows us to see the variety of music that was heard in the entourage of the Sun King. Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre War, the first French composer of cantatas, mastered both Italian and French Italian and French styles and includes them in her works covering the repertoire for solo harpsichord
for solo harpsichord to the genre of opera ballet. One could say that it was the reign of Louis XIV that women gained recognition for their musical their musical talents on an equal footing with men, which subsequently opened This opened up the possibility of being appointed as music teachers to the royal family.
Indeed, Mademoiselle de Ménetou was the first woman, at only 11 years of age, to publish a collection
only 11 years old, to publish a collection of her works with the famous publisher Ballard. The next, almost 40 years later, was Julie Pinel.
None of the women we will hear from today
They were composers, musicians and singers, and they defended themselves just as well as their male colleagues, who respected them and drew inspiration from them.
It is this variety, this respect, this collegiality and these talents that we would like to present to you
would like to present to you today in :

**La Françoise - Women Musicians and Composers at the Court of Louis XIV**

With : 

Maud Haering - Soprano
Claire Foltzer - Baroque violin
Rachel Heymans - Baroque recorder and oboe
Mathilde Gomas - Viola da gamba
Gwennaëlle Alibert - Continuo

Concert with the Ignis Musicalis ensemble

A programme of medieval music from the Livret Vermeil de Montserrat, the Codex Calixtinus, the Cantigas of Alfonso X The Wise and the songs of pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela.
With the Discantus ensemble, directed by Brigitte Lesne. 
More information [here](https://cmm-paris.fr/fr/calendrier/alla-francesca-discantus-alta/af-passes/480-concert?date=2021-07-11-00-00).

Chemin d'étoiles, songs of popular fervour 

Closing concert of the second edition of the Ranqu'Art Festival whose theme is nature and humankind. 

The programme is based on pieces from the French Ars Nova and the Italian Trecento (14th century music), with ballads, ballata, madrigals and virelais by Guillaume de Machaut, Donato da Firenze, Francesco Landini and instrumental pieces from the Faenza manuscript. All these pieces, in their own way, evoke an animal, a hunting episode, the nature that surrounds us and the way humans look at it. 

Olivier Camelin : organetto\
Luc Gaugler: fiddle
Maud Haering : soprano

An extraordinary garden, the medieval imagination of nature and wild animals

A concert conducted by **Patrizia Bovi** (Micrologus Ensemble) after a week-long academy at the Centro Studi Europeo di Musica Medievale Adolfo Broegg in Spello (Umbria). 

A colourful musical walk through the *madrigale*, *ballata*, *caccia* and *saltarello* of the Trecento, which will introduce the audience to the richness and diversity of this 14th century Italian repertoire. Polyphonies for 2 or 3 voices as well as monodies will take you back to a time when the text and its symbolism were highlighted by different musical processes and a very clear sung declamation in these pieces.

With : 

Annabelle Daguise, Marthe Davost, Maud Haering and Orelle Pralus : soprano\
Benjamin Ingrao and Mauricio Montufar : tenor\
Ryszard Lubieniecki : organetto\
Sara Maria Fantini : medieval lute and guiterne\
Valentine Lorentz : viola a arco

Chiama il bel Pappagallo - Sfumature di Ars Nova Italiana

This concert focuses on the cantigas de Santa Maria, Galaic-Portuguese songs recounting legends and miracles of the Virgin, collected by King Alfonso X, known as 'el Sabio' (the wise one), a great protector of the arts and sciences, who welcomed the most eminent personalities of the three cultures of the Book. Discantus has selected seven of these cantigas and set them against songs to the Virgin - in the langue d'oc - by the troubadours Guiraut Riquier and Folquet de Lunel (who were present at Alfonso's court for a long time), as well as Marian antiphons (Gregorian chant) and polyphonies, particularly from the manuscript of the Cistercian nuns of the Las Huelgas monastery. The concert thus offers an approach to the sound universe of a court in the Iberian Peninsula in the 13th century, and its feminine side at the time of the rise of the cult to Mary.

With the Discantus ensemble, directed by Brigitte Lesne, as part of the Voix et Route Romane festival in Alsace.

With the Discantus ensemble, directed by Brigitte Lesne.
More information [here](https://cmm-paris.fr/fr/calendrier/alla-francesca-discantus-alta/af-passes/486-concert?date=2021-09-03-00-00) and [here](https://www.selestat.fr/agenda/2021/septembre/concert-voix-et-route-romane.html).

Santa Maria - Alfonso X, troubadour of the Virgin - Songs to the Virgin in 13th century Spain

Western Christendom underwent a true Renaissance, following the reform of ecclesiastical discipline initiated by Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085). The abbey of Cluny took on a new splendour, a Gothic church was built under the abbatiate of Suger at Saint-Denis, soon followed by Sens, Paris, Laon, Chartres and many others throughout Europe, architectural marvels that reflected the prevailing spiritual fervour. Saint Bernard led a stricter observance of the Benedictine rule at Cîteaux.

In 1120, Saint Norbert established a community of religious in this 'pre-monstratensian' area who did not withdraw from the world but, in a way prefiguring the mendicant orders (Franciscans and Dominicans) of the 13th century, devoted themselves to the care (*cura*) of the faithful in the parishes. The many female Premonstratensian foundations recorded in France in the 12th and 13th centuries attest to the active involvement of women in the development of the Order.

Despite several attempts at unification, the liturgy of this order remained mostly in accordance with regional habits. The chants we have borrowed here from Premonstratensian manuscripts (from the 13th to the 16th century) differ from the universal repertoire only in the variants that bear witness to their spatial and temporal ties. The antiphons composed for the feast of Saint Norbert, canonised in 1582, were added to the antiphonaries in use at the time.

The themes of the Nativity, the Resurrection and the construction of the Temple of God inspired poets and musicians, such as the master Abelard (1079-1142), Peter the Venerable (abbot of Cluny, 1092-1156) and Philip the Chancellor (master at the University of Paris, chancellor of Notre-Dame Cathedral, 1165-1236), and resounded under the high arches of the new buildings. The omnipresence of the figure of the Virgin Mary on the sculptures or in the light of the stained glass windows attests to the role of mediator (*mater Dei, porta caeli*) that was given to her in the poetic compositions of this period more than in any other. Finally, the architectural elevation led to the lyrical flights of music of this time; with the great Parisian masters of polyphonic art, Leonin and Pérotin (Chapel Masters at Notre-Dame Cathedral), a new form of polyphony took off, which was to be heard, in an increasingly elaborate manner, during the second half of the 12th century and throughout the 13th century. The 'organ' voice, supported by the ancient chant, accompanied it while drawing it upwards, while new poetry was magnified by the sound of the conduits, motets or rondeaux of the Ecole Notre-Dame de Paris.

Marie-Noël Colette

Ensemble Discantus, under the direction of Brigitte Lesne.

Saint Norbert and the Notre-Dame School

This programme, dedicated to the women musicians and composers who practised their art at the French Court
the French Court during the lifetime of Louis XIV, is intended to be both a
mosaic representation of the musical society of the Sun King's entourage the Sun King's entourage as well as a watermark of the possibilities available to women at the time who wished to make a career in this field.

In Italy, composition and music had long been accessible to and practised by women.
accessible to and practised by women (especially among the aristocracy and
aristocracy and convents, but also in orphanages), the emergence of the emergence of female personalities in the French musical world had to take the French musical world took more time. It was not until the splendour of Louis XIV and the massive involvement the massive involvement of musicians at Court to see the development of real musical dynasties dynasties inheriting positions and functions, whether in the King's Chamber the King's Chamber, his Chapel or his Stables. Within these dynasties were born daughters were also born who, like their brothers, received the best musical musical education. The most gifted of them, such as Mademoiselle de Ménetou or
Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre were introduced to the King as children and went on to and went on to pursue prominent careers.

However, although musical talent is a valued quality in a woman, the
However, although musical talent is a valued quality in a woman, embarking on a career in this field called questioned their morality. Those who did, were strongly supported by their families by their families and husbands.

Some of the women composers whose works you will have the pleasure of hearing in this
works in this programme have a sadly typical background as women of the time: Antonia Bemann Antonia Bembo had to flee Italy and her violent husband, abandon her children Antonia Bembo had to flee Italy and her violent husband, and abandon her children, before finding protection at the French Court. Her style, more style, more dramatically Italian, allows us to see the variety of music that was heard in the entourage of the Sun King. Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre War, the first French composer of cantatas, mastered both Italian and French Italian and French styles and includes them in her works covering the repertoire for solo harpsichord
for solo harpsichord to the genre of opera ballet. One could say that it was the reign of Louis XIV that women gained recognition for their musical their musical talents on an equal footing with men, which subsequently opened This opened up the possibility of being appointed as music teachers to the royal family.
Indeed, Mademoiselle de Ménetou was the first woman, at only 11 years of age, to publish a collection
only 11 years old, to publish a collection of her works with the famous publisher Ballard. The next, almost 40 years later, was Julie Pinel.
None of the women we will hear from today
They were composers, musicians and singers, and they defended themselves just as well as their male colleagues, who respected them and drew inspiration from them.
It is this variety, this respect, this collegiality and these talents that we would like to present to you
would like to present to you today in :

**La Françoise - Women Musicians and Composers at the Court of Louis XIV**

With : 

Maud Haering - Soprano
Claire Foltzer - Baroque violin
Rachel Heymans - Baroque recorder and oboe
Camille Bloch - Viola da gamba
Gwennaëlle Alibert - Continuo

La Françoise - Female musicians and composers at Louis XIV court

Unlike the French Ars Nova, which finds its centre in Machaut (and his epigones), the Italian Ars Nova is similar to a river that branches out into a dozen streams, each corresponding to the activity of a certain composer, or to a set of anonymous compositions referring to a very circumscribed socio-cultural context. 

The manuscript sources that have come down to us - almost all compiled at a later date, in some cases up to 70 years after the composition of the pieces they contain - give us the image of a kaleidoscope of artistic experiences grouped in two large geographical areas, each ideally linked to a river: the Arno, in Tuscany (with Florence as its main centre), and the Po, which ran along the northern courses of the Scaligeri, Carrara and Visconti. 

Our itinerary gives us a glimpse of this rich musical season, from the monodic madrigals and *ballate* of the Rossi Codex, copied in the Veneto, to the polyphonic *ballate* of the most famous Italian composer of the 16th century, the Florentine Francesco Landini, and the *cacce* (madrigals in canon) of Vincenzo da Rimini and Lorenzo da Firenze. 

Finally, some stages of the tour will show the other face of Italian Ars Nova, the instrumental repertoire, transmitted almost exclusively in the Faenza 11th and London add. 29987 codices.

Sara Maria Fantini

Shades of Trecento

As part of the days dedicated to Saint Louis in Corbeil-Essonnes and the 750th anniversary of his death, this concert brings to a close the weekend of various events and conferences around the relics of Saint Louis and a manuscript of the Golden Legend by Jacques de Voragine, immersing you in the sacred and secular music of the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries. 

Whether polyphonic or monodic, the various pieces chosen by the *Sine Cum* ensemble will take you on a journey to the time of the Crusades, and also to Paris with the motets composed on one of the medieval hits "Flos fillius" from the Stirps Jesse composed by Fulbert de Chartres. The concert will end with the inauguration of a medieval garden in honour of Alice de Bergère, a generous 12th century donor without whom the Saint-Jean de Corbeil commandery would not have been created. The women composers (Hildegard von Bingen, Blanche de Castille) and those praised for their gentleness and goodness (Machaut, Thibaut de Champagne) will be given pride of place. 

Ensemble Sine Cum

Valérie Lepage, Maud Haering and Esther Labourdette : soprano
Olivier Camelin : organetto 

Commanderie Saint-Jean\
24 rue Widmer, Corbeil-Essonnes

Music in the Time of Saint Louis

At the dawn of Gothic

This concert puts into perspective the cantigas de Santa Maria, Galician-Portuguese songs relating legends and miracles of the Virgin, collected by King Alfonso X, known as "el Sabio" (the wise one), a great protector of the arts and sciences, which hosted the most eminent personalities of the three cultures of the Book and some pieces by the Benedictine monk and troubadour Gautier de Coincy, who was one of the first and greatest poets in the Oïl language, as well as being Prior of Vic-sur-Aisne (1214) and of Saint-Médard de Soissons (1233) Discantus has selected seven of these cantigas and set them alongside songs to the Virgin - in the Oïl language - by Gautier de Coincy, as well as Marian antiphons (Gregorian chant) and polyphonies, notably from the manuscript of the Cistercian nuns of the monastery of Las Huelgas. The concert thus offers an approach to the musical universe around the miracles of the Virgin in the 13th century.

With the Discantus ensemble, directed by Brigitte Lesne.
More information [here](https://cmm-paris.fr/fr/calendrier/alla-francesca-discantus-alta/af-passes/486-concert?date=2021-09-03-00-00).

Alfonso X, troubadour of the Virgin, in the path of Gautier de Coincy

This concert puts into perspective the cantigas de Santa Maria, Galician-Portuguese songs relating legends and miracles of the Virgin, collected by King Alfonso X, known as "el Sabio" (the wise one), a great protector of the arts and sciences, which hosted the most eminent personalities of the three cultures of the Book and some pieces by the Benedictine monk and troubadour Gautier de Coincy, who was one of the first and greatest poets in the Oïl language, as well as being Prior of Vic-sur-Aisne (1214) and of Saint-Médard de Soissons (1233) Discantus has selected seven of these cantigas and set them alongside songs to the Virgin - in the Oïl language - by Gautier de Coincy, as well as Marian antiphons (Gregorian chant) and polyphonies, notably from the manuscript of the Cistercian nuns of the monastery of Las Huelgas. The concert thus offers an approach to the musical universe around the miracles of the Virgin in the 13th century.

With the Discantus ensemble, directed by Brigitte Lesne, as a part of the 900th birthday of the Abbaye Prémontré, next to Laon. 
More information [here](https://cmm-paris.fr/fr/calendrier/alla-francesca-discantus-alta/af-passes/486-concert?date=2021-09-03-00-00) and [here](https://www.aisne.com/actualites/premontre-900-ans-dhistoire).

From 17 to 19 November 2021, Angers will host an international symposium that will shed light on the polychrome portal of Angers cathedral. It will welcome the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, whose agency has been chosen to build the future contemporary gallery that will adorn its façade in 2024.

The polychrome portal of Angers cathedral will be the subject of a three-day international symposium, from 17 to 19 November, at the Université catholique de l'Ouest and the Musée des Beaux-Arts, the two organisers of the event with the DRAC des Pays de la Loire and the universities of Nantes and Poitiers.

"Stone, colour and restoration" will be the three main themes of the three-day event, which will present the results of the restoration of the cathedral's polychrome portal, as well as taking stock of knowledge about the portal and highlighting the progress made, in particular through the rediscovery of medieval and modern polychromy, which has been preserved in rare proportions.

The ensemble *Sine Cum* will illustrate in music the symbiosis of the two medieval and contemporary periods by interpreting pieces from the 12th century and a piece composed by Quentin Lafarge inspired by the Dies Irae.

Inauguration of the polychrome portal of Angers Cathedral

Winner of the prize for the best master's thesis presentation, Maud Haering will receive her prize at the end of a concert organised during the Next Generation Festival, which will honour the students of the Conservatoire's 2020 and 2021 classes. 

During a concert reserved for the winners of the various research prizes, Maud will perform three pieces from the baroque repertoire highlighting different characters, styles and languages. 

Maud Haering: soprano
Théo Couillez : soprano chalumeau
Méline Aléonard and Alexandre Turmel : baroque violin
Mimoe Todo : continuo

**POSTPONED UNTIL NEXT SPRING**

Concert of the laureates of the Koninklijk Conservatorium - CANCELLED

### Programme

**Henry du Mont** (1610-1684)

Allemande – Sinfonie

**Henry Purcell** (1659-1695)

Hail ! Bright Cecilia, *pour solistes, chœur et orchestre*

**Henry du Mont**

Super flumina Babylonis, *pour chœur et orchestre*

Allemande grave

**Marc-Antoine Charpentier** (1643-1704)

Te Deum H.146, *pour solistes, chœur et orchestre*



Organist, harpsichordist, **Sébastien Daucé** is driven by the desire to bring to life an abundant and still little-known repertoire: that of 17th-century French music. In 2009 he founded the ensemble Correspondances, which he conducts from the harpsichord or the organ, and with which he travels throughout France and the world, frequently recording for radio. His exploration of a little-played, often unpublished repertoire has led, with the support of the harmonia mundi label, a pioneer in many respects in the baroque repertoire, to a discography of sixteen critically acclaimed recordings. In parallel to his activities as a musician, Sébastien Daucé collaborates with the best specialists of the 17th century, regularly publishing articles and participating in important "performance-practice" projects. Passionate about the question of musical style, he edits the music that makes up the ensemble's repertoire, going so far as to propose complete recompositions when necessary (*Le Ballet Royal de la Nuit*).

Te Deum / Caecilia - Ensemble Correspondances

### Programme

**Henry du Mont** (1610-1684)

Allemande – Sinfonie

**Henry Purcell** (1659-1695)

Hail ! Bright Cecilia, *pour solistes, chœur et orchestre*

**Henry du Mont**

Super flumina Babylonis, *pour chœur et orchestre*

Allemande grave

**Marc-Antoine Charpentier** (1643-1704)

Te Deum H.146, *pour solistes, chœur et orchestre*

Organist, harpsichordist, **Sébastien Daucé** is driven by the desire to bring to life an abundant and still little-known repertoire: that of 17th-century French music. In 2009 he founded the ensemble Correspondances, which he conducts from the harpsichord or the organ, and with which he travels throughout France and the world, frequently recording for radio. His exploration of a little-played, often unpublished repertoire has led, with the support of the harmonia mundi label, a pioneer in many respects in the baroque repertoire, to a discography of sixteen critically acclaimed recordings. In parallel to his activities as a musician, Sébastien Daucé collaborates with the best specialists of the 17th century, regularly publishing articles and participating in important "performance-practice" projects. Passionate about the question of musical style, he edits the music that makes up the ensemble's repertoire, going so far as to propose complete recompositions when necessary (*Le Ballet Royal de la Nuit*).

Concert broadcast live on RTS Service 2 (Concert nomade)

Programme : 

Historia der Auferstehung Jesu Christi, SWV 50

Die Sieben Worte Jesu Christi am Kreuz, SWV 478

Historia der Geburt Jesu Christi, SWV 435

CANCELLED Heinrich Schütz - Amsterdam Baroque Choir

Heinrich Schütz - Amsterdam Baroque Choir

Concert broadcast live on RTS Service 2 (Concert nomade)Bach's St. Matthew Passion was first performed in Leipzig's Thomaskirche on 11 April 1727 during Good Friday Vespers. In writing this work, the Cantor undoubtedly realised that he was giving a new impetus to the history of music. Never before had one heard a work of such inner coherence of text, with three choirs and two orchestras, bringing together an incredible variety of styles in use and of such vast dimensions (it lasts more than three hours!). And since then, this masterpiece has lost none of its emotional impact.

**Reinoud Van Mechelen** evangeliste-ténor\
**Florian Boesch** Jesus-basse\
**Dorothee Mields & Grace Davidson** soprano\
**Tim Mead & james Hall** contreténor\
**Samuel Boden & Guy Cutting** ténor\
**Peter Kooij & Tobias Berndt** basse

**Collegium Vocale Gent** choeur & orchestre\
**Philippe Herreweghe** chef d’orchestre

St Matthew Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach - Collegium Vocale Gent

In the Middle Ages, the relationship between man and animal was different from that of today, as both shared a daily life and the same environment. It is not surprising that animals are so often represented and mentioned during this period in historical accounts, fabularies, narratives, etc., in illuminations, on church capitals or in musical works.

It is not surprising, therefore, that by analogy, man used these animal images to teach his fellow human beings about morality, Christian dogma and politics, and subsequently to draw up sometimes virulent satirical portraits of contemporary society. Thus becoming a mirror of man, the animals began to speak and act like humans, delivering symbolic messages that everyone understood.

From Ovid's Metamorphoses, through the Bible, the Roman de Renart and Fauvel, to the more recent Fables of La Fontaine, stereotypical human characters are attached to certain animals: the power and presence of the lion reigning over the animal kingdom, the cunning and deceitfulness of the fox playing tricks, or the insidiousness and falsehood of the snake poisoning the heart and making people deaf and blind, etc.

Maud Haering - soprano\
Luc Gaugler - vièle à archet\
Olivier Camelin - organetto

Une Vipère en Cuer - Ensemble Palin(e)

*Lugentium siccentur oculi,\
plaudant senes, exultent parvuli,\
umbre mortis quoniam regio\
quos tenuit, splendoris visio*\
(Philippe de Vitry)

"Let the eyes of the afflicted dry
let the old men applaud, let the children exult
since, on those who were held back by the shadow of death
a splendid vision has arisen."

The culmination of the research project "Chanter les Motets de Philippe de Vitry" (CMPV), the creation of the ensemble *Arborescence* constitutes the point of convergence of the paths travelled: [interpretation of polyphonic music between *Ars antiqua* and *Ars Nova*](https://www.hesge.ch/hem/recherche-developpement/liste/termine/projet? page=17), encoding and diplomatic and critical editions of the manuscripts of the *Corpus Motetorum Philippo de Vitry*, practical application of the science of singing (notation, solmisation, counterpoint, ornamentation, improvisation, composition), encounters between poems and music, experiments on the pronunciation of texts, and a space for reflection on concerts between past and present music.

The ensemble *Arborescence* is made up of singers met over the years in training centres such as the early music departments of the [HEM](https://www.hesge.ch/hem/) in Geneva and the [CNSMD](http://www.cnsmd-lyon.fr/) in Lyon, as well as during professional training courses at the [Fondation Royaumont](https://www.royaumont.com/).

singing:
[Marthe Davost](https://marthedavost.fr)
Maud Haering\
Eugénie de Mey
Lionel Desmeules
Benjamin Ingrao
Mauricio Montufar

Management:
[David Chappuis](https://sites.google.com/site/davidchappuishomesite/)\
[Olivier Bettens](https://virga.org)

Douce Playsence - Ensemble Arborescence

*Lugentium siccentur oculi,\
plaudant senes, exultent parvuli,\
umbre mortis quoniam regio\
quos tenuit, splendoris visio*\
(Philippe de Vitry)

"Let the eyes of the afflicted dry
let the old men applaud, let the children exult
since, on those who were held back by the shadow of death
a splendid vision has arisen."

The culmination of the research project "Chanter les Motets de Philippe de Vitry" (CMPV), the creation of the ensemble *Arborescence* constitutes the point of convergence of the paths travelled: [interpretation of polyphonic music between *Ars antiqua* and *Ars Nova*](https://www.hesge.ch/hem/recherche-developpement/liste/termine/projet? page=17), encoding and diplomatic and critical editions of the manuscripts of the *Corpus Motetorum Philippo de Vitry*, practical application of the science of singing (notation, solmisation, counterpoint, ornamentation, improvisation, composition), encounters between poems and music, experiments on the pronunciation of texts, and a space for reflection on concerts between past and present music.

The ensemble *Arborescence* is made up of singers met over the years in training centres such as the early music departments of the [HEM](https://www.hesge.ch/hem/) in Geneva and the [CNSMD](http://www.cnsmd-lyon.fr/) in Lyon, as well as during professional training courses at the [Fondation Royaumont](https://www.royaumont.com/).

singing:
[Marthe Davost](https://marthedavost.fr)\
Maud Haering\
Eugénie de Mey\
Lionel Desmeules\
Benjamin Ingrao\
Mauricio Montufar

Management:
[David Chappuis](https://sites.google.com/site/davidchappuishomesite/)\
[Olivier Bettens](https://virga.org)

23 February 1653. Louis XIV was still only fifteen years old when he danced, covered in gold and jewels, in the Royal Ballet of the Night. The Sun King was born! This founding moment of the Grand Siècle is as well known to historians and musicologists as it was unheard of until then, remaining only in the memory of the public of the time and on the very incomplete scores of the king's librarian. Sébastien Daucé spent three years working on this exceptional musical reconstruction from the preserved musical fragments.

As the kingdom of France emerged from the troubles of the Fronde des Princes against the royal power, Mazarin returned to Paris accompanied by the young Louis XIV, then 15 years old. The powerful minister had been forced to leave the capital at the height of the conflict. This shrewd politician decided to organise one of these great entertainments, which he supervised the entire creation. Behind this seemingly festive and magnificent project, the minister envisaged above all a political object whose aim was to consolidate the power of the young king.

Mazarin required the talent of the kingdom's greatest artists for the composition of this great Night Ballet; it was also the first time that a court ballet was performed in front of an audience on the stage. In the course of four vigils, entries (episodes danced by masked and costumed characters) follow one another, in which thieves, shepherds, rogues, beggars, princes, allegories of games and pleasures, the Fates, Sadness and the Graces appear successively.

This totally whimsical litany finds its unity in the main subject of the ballet: all illustrate in their own way this wonderful and sometimes unreal world of the Night. As dawn approaches, Dawn appears and announces a new brightness whose brilliance has no equal: it is the Sun, danced by Louis XIV. Thus, victorious over the darkness, the young king dances, surrounded by the princes who have rallied to his cause.

The Royal Concert of the Night combines entire scenes from this ballet with scenes from the first Italian operas performed in France and commissioned by Mazarin. Through allegories, entertainments and dreams, this original programme, which saw Louis XIV appear as the Sun King for the first time, is brought to life again by the Correspondances ensemble.

Concert Royal de la Nuit - Ensemble Correspondances

From 23 to 31 July 2022, 10 musicians from the Correspondances ensemble will travel through Normandy, from Calvados to the Seine Maritime, via the Eure: 8 stages from the Pays de Falaise to the Pays de Bray to meet the public in exceptional heritage sites for 9 musical and festive afternoons or evenings in the heart of the Normandy countryside.

On the programme, a discovery of the most beautiful polyphonies for women's voices and ancient instruments which made the musical splendour of the convents in the 17th century. All the commentators of the time report that when listening to their songs, the musical angels of heaven appeared before their eyes!

For ten days, the musicians offer a cycling tour open to the public from one concert venue to another: let yourself be taken on the tour alongside the artists on the roads of Normandy through workshops to discover baroque music for everyone - young and old - visits and discoveries of the historical, artistic and natural heritage, and intimate concerts close to the musicians.

Angels' voices - Ensemble Correspondances (bike tour)

A century after the tragic episodes of the Wars of Religion between Catholics and Protestants, Europe once again found itself in a period of relative serenity in the 17th century. On both sides of the Rhine, new forms of spirituality and ceremonial emerged and forged new codes, notably through music. Domestic religious practices also evolved. The Protestant rite was to focus on a form of austerity to encourage concentration on the scriptures alone.

It was in this context that a tradition of spiritual concerts was born, particularly in Lübeck, in more intimate circles, distinct from the traditional liturgy. The now famous musical evenings known as 'Abendmusik' appeared in the middle of the seventeenth century and took place in the Church of St. Mary in Lübeck, bringing together increasingly large devout circles. Dietrich Buxtehude was part of this tradition of Lutheran devotion which lasted until the 19th century and which made the musical reputation of Northern Germany.

Correspondances has recorded one of the composer's best-known cantata cycles: the Membra Jesu Nostri are composed of seven sacred cantatas on the Passion of Christ.

Membra Jesu Nostri and Actus Tragicus - Ensemble Correspondances

After a childhood marked by the death of his father, the political troubles of the kingdom, the authority of his Spanish mother, the paternal presence of an Italian minister worthy heir of Machiavelli, hunger, cold and civil war, on 7 June 1654 in the cathedral of Reims, Louis Dieudonné de Bourbon was crowned King of France.

Reims welcomed this ceremony with all the pomp and circumstance possible: the streets were urgently renovated, accommodation was prepared for the great assembly that was about to take place, bridges were restored, and all sorts of victuals, furniture and tapestries were transported... Reims was to be the centre of a kingdom that was being rebuilt around the young 16-year-old king for several days.

The ceremonial was as impressive as that of a theatre, the cathedral of Reims was decorated with tapestries, carpets, stands and a throne on the rood screen; all the great men of the kingdom of France, but also the sovereigns of Europe, were present and installed in their places at dawn. They all had in mind the Royal Ballet of the Night, in February 1653, whose unprecedented splendour had consecrated "the greatest king in the world" in people's minds. This symbolic and secular coronation was now replaced by a real coronation before God: the gold, the machines and the costumes gave way to the staging of the throne, the sumptuous crown, the ermine, the sceptre and the hand of justice, and the processions of the most prestigious figures in the kingdom, accompanied by volleys of bells and the ringing of oboes.

Although there is no indication of the precise music played on this occasion, a large number of clues can be traced through a meticulous investigation: the course of the ceremony, the texts sung, the different musical groups present, the instruments used, the number of performers, their location in the cathedral and the types of music.

By crossing all this information, mainly from all the reports made by contemporaries, official or not, sometimes extremely detailed, with the musical sources of that time, in particular the Deslauriers Manuscript and the Tours Manuscript, we propose today, with the precious help of the musicologist Thomas Leconte, a coronation of Louis XIV in music, opening the ears of the music lover of the XXIst century to treasures of polyphonies of past times.

With the collaboration of Thomas Leconte, Centre de musique baroque de Versailles (CMBV research centre, CESR team - UMR7323).

With the support of the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles.

Sacre de Louis XIV - Ensemble Correspondances

Trois Anneaux et autres nouvelles décaméronesques

A show that takes you far and wide

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 We are in the Middle Ages and we sail in the heart of the Mediterranean basin, between the West and the East. Three stories are told to the sounds of the fiddle, flutes, oud, chitarrino, lute and powerful ancestral songs. In each of these stories, there is a remarkable woman, twists and turns and... a ring!

Sara Maria Fantini : lute, chitarrino, oud
Maud Haering: singing (soprano)
Valentine Lorentz : fiddle, flutes
Sylvie Mombo : Storytelling

Outside view: Sophie Pavillard

Production: Onéroi/Le Phare/L'Abbaye de Royaumont

With the precious support of the Tchekchouka collective and the MJC - Teatre des 3 Vallées in Palaiseau

Aube du Gothique - Ensemble Discantus

If Charpentier found his way to posterity with the first notes of his Te Deum H.146, chosen to illustrate the credits of the Eurovision programmes in the 1950s, the Messe de Minuit is probably the second work that has made him known throughout the world. It is an invitation to immerse oneself in a musical world where the learned and popular traditions are not opposed, quite the contrary: all of Charpentier's art and science are illustrated in this invitation to these carols within a mass composed for Christmas Eve. These melodies are known to all, peasants and gentlemen alike, who recognise them, interwoven within a subtle counterpoint and a renewed harmony. The pleasure of music is offered to everyone: to recognize a known tune, or to grasp its extraordinary arrangement. The simplicity of the original chants also gives the whole mass a candour and simplicity that is not without depth when one considers that it spoke universally at the time.

The In nativitatem H.416 serves as a vigil before the midnight mass: in the manner of Charpentier's great sacred stories, the work recounts the story of the Nativity, in which the Angel Gabriel announces to the shepherds the great news of Christ's birth.

Messe de Minuit - Ensemble Correspondances

Handel's Messiah - Amsterdam Baroque Choir and Orchestra

A show that takes you far and wide

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We are in the Middle Ages and we sail in the heart of the Mediterranean basin, between the West and the East. Three stories are told to the sounds of the fiddle, flutes, oud, chitarrino, lute and powerful ancestral songs. In each of these stories, there is a remarkable woman, twists and turns and... a ring!

Sara Maria Fantini : lute, chitarrino, oud Maud Haering: singing (soprano) Valentine Lorentz : fiddle, flutes Sylvie Mombo : Storytelling

Outside view: Sophie Pavillard

Production: Onéroi/Le Phare/L'Abbaye de Royaumont

With the precious support of the Tchekchouka collective and the MJC - Teatre des 3 Vallées in Palaiseau

These three two-day singing sessions based on 7 pieces by Hildegard von Bingen are intended for singers of a good amateur (or semi-professional) level who enjoy singing a capella and are already familiar with Gregorian chant.
Hildegard von Bingen are aimed at singers of a good amateur (or semi-professional) level, who like to sing a capella and are already initiated into Gregorian chant, and who are curious to discover the music of the abbess of Bingen as well as ancient notation and manuscript reading. 

In addition to the 3 sessions, personal work as well as attendance at at least 2 sessions will be welcome in order to complete the public performance on 17 September.

sessions 2023 : 

4-5 February
13-14 May
16-17 September

more practical information here : https://ensemblesinecum.wixsite.com/website/page-vierge

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Stage découverte de la musique de Hildegard von Bingen 1/3

The Provins library has in its collection of ancient manuscripts five works specific to local liturgy in the Middle Ages: pieces in honour of Saint-Quiriace, Saint-Thibaut and Saint-Nicolas; pieces from the mass, antiphons, sequences, responsories and processions... Pieces dating from the 13th to the 15th century from these five manuscripts will be interpreted in the form of improvised polyphony and instrumental instrumental pieces intermingled with monodic pieces will echo the rich musical musical practice of this period.