Search - Stevie Wishart, Sinfonye, Vivien Ellis :: The Sweet Look And The Loving Manner - Trobairitz, Love Lyrics and Chansons de Femme from Medieval France / Wishart, Sinfonye

Among the most storied achievements of the "12th-Century Renaissance" are, of course, the poetry and songs of the troubadours and their northern French counterparts, the trouvères. Less well-known is the fact that there were at least 20 trobairitz (female troubadors) and two female trouvères. Sinfonye explores their works--along with the chanson de toile and chanson de femme, two distinct forms--written from a woman's viewpoint--on The Sweet Look and the Loving Manner. Unfortunately, only one song, A chantar m'er by the Comtessa de Dia, survives with a melody; Sinfonye solves this problem by using a standard medieval procedure--contrafactum, i.e., fitting existing melodies (in this case, by male troubadours) with new texts (by trobairitz). Vivien Ellis brings a plain, folkish voice to these songs--she doesn't achieve all the subtlety one might want, but her singing has an appealing directness and simplicity. The instrumental preludes occasionally seem disconnected from the songs they introduce, but the playing is otherwise lively and sensitive. --Matthew Westphal