Le Délire des Lyres : Baroque Music at La Maison Française

To sing “without being forced to accommodate anyone but oneself,” as Giulio Caccini wrote, is a skill that opens vast horizons for both performer and audience. This ability grants them a degree of liberty for which the relationship between signer and accompanist rarely allows, even after dedicated practice and hard work.

Since the earliest days of music, accompanists have mixed the sound of plucked or bowed strings with the inflections of the singer’s voice, accompanied it with notes or chords, and added a rhythmic energy that the voice could not find alone. Whether it be the ancient lyre, the harp of medieval troubadours, the lute of Ronsard’s contemporaries, Hume’s viola da gamba, Caccini’s chitarrone or Lambert’s theorbo, the idea is the same: to create a sonic space where “the voice is free” and words can be clearly spoken and heard, so that poetry may touch the listener.

Marco Horvat and Francisco Mañalich are among the rare modern performers capable of giving life to this essential practice of Baroque music. They took care to craft a program worthy of their talent, in which the repertoire would incorporate the many combinations of voice and instrumentation that they can create.

PROGRAM : 

Gabriel BATAILLE, El Baxel esta en la playa

Henry PURCELL, For Love every creature

Tobias HUME, The Soldiars’ song

Thomas CAMPION, When to her lute Corinna sings

Henry PURCELL, Julia

André CAMPRA, Viens, ma lyre

Charles DUFAUT, Sarabande

Charles HUREL, Air à boire

DUBUISSON, Prélude

Anonyme, Les Airs de différents auteurs, Depuis que j’aime Lisette

François CAMPION, Apollon, c’est toi que j’implore

Giulio SAN PIETRO DE’ NEGRI, Bionda, mia bella

Belleforonte CASTALDI, Chi vidde più lieto

Carlo MILANUZZI, Non voglio amare

Anonyme, Canzonette spirituali e morali, Passacaglia della vita