Magdalena Manuscript Sources

Magdalena

Manuscript Sources for songs and contrafacta on CD "Magdalena" Avie AV 0026

Track 1 Magdalena degna da laudare

C. 100 v. / 110 v.

This song is from the late 13th century Cortona Laudario.

We sing Magdalena degna da laudare in a 3/4 rhythm followed by a fidel and hurdy-gurdy instrumental that takes the same melody into 6/8.

Track 2 O Madalena che portasti grande amore

Number 91 from the Laudario Giustinianeo - MS40 Biblioteca dei Padri Somaschi della Salute. Alas this lauda survives without musical notation so we have contrafacted it to another lauda - Fa mi cantar amor de la biata - from the Cortona Laudario (C. 19 v. / 22 r.).

Jennie sings the solos accompanied by harp and pizzicato fidel. Belinda starts to improvise from the third verse, and Caitriona from the fourth verse.

Track 3 Ave clari generis dulcis Magdalena

Text: A fol. 248 a. - Cfr. Anal. III, 197 sq.
The music here is one of Belinda’s favourite pieces of 3-part polyphony - Flos in monte cernitur - a Notre-Dame conductus.

Track 4 Chanter voel par grant amour

Ms. Paris, Arsenal 3517, f. 147r.
A chanson pieuse by an anonymous trouvère. Sung by Jennie and accompanied by Riccardo.

Track 5 Victime paschali laudes

In this 11th century Easter sequence by Wipo of Burgundy we use a version found in the Florence Laudario (Fols. 138v-140v). Jennie and Belinda sing the solos.

Track 6 Ortorum virentium/Virga Yesse/Victime paschali laudes

Also from the 14th century Florence Laudario (Fols. 146v-148r).
Belinda sings the first part (Ortorum), Caitriona the second part (Virga Yesse) and Jennie the third (Victimae paschali).

Track 7 Benedicamus Domino/Victime Paschali laudes

Played here instrumentally on fidel and hurdy-gurdy this third setting of the Victime paschali laudes comes from the St. Martial Codices (fol. 158v.) and is preceded by a setting of Benedicamus Domino from the Las Huelgas manuscript (Hu No. 39, f.25v.).

Track 8 Novum festum celebremus

Cod. Parisin. (ol. Martialen.) 3549. saec. 12.
Cod. Parisin. (ol. Martialen.) 7319. saec. 12.
This song is taken from the famous St. Martial Codices. We perform verses 1, 6 and 7 of 7 verses. Caitriona sings the first part, Jennie sings the second, and for the final verses Belinda improvises a 3rd part.

Track 9 Parlamento

London, British Library, Additional 29987. Fol. 60r, v. This piece is one of the mere handful of purely instrumental compositions to survive from the Middle Ages.

It is an Istampita from the collection of Italian Ars Nova (14th century) pieces commonly referred to as the "London" manuscript because it resides at the British Library.

Riccardo plays it on the Gothic harp.

Track 10 Co la madre del beato

Fols. 30r-31r

A lauda from the 14th century Florence Laudario.

Caitriona sings the solos.

Track 11 Hodie mater gaudeat ecclesia

Brev. ms. Tullense saec. 14. Cod. Spinalien. 233 (166).
Brev. ms. Tullense saec 15. Cod. privat.
Brev. ms. Sancti Deodati saec. 16. Clm. Monacen. 10909.
The melody was improvised by Belinda in the mixolydian mode (here in A - like modern A major, but with a G natural). It gradually developed a form so that Dessi, Jennie and Caitriona could sing the refrain-like ends of each verse.

Track 12 Salve, pia Magdalena

Tracks 12, 13 and 14 are from Legenda Sanctissimae Mariae Magdalenae Add MS 15682 in the British Library. This is a 14th century vellum manuscript full of antiphons and hymns devoted to MM that have not been published in any modern editions. It was written in Germany by Bertholdus Heyder.

Caitriona sings this chant alone.

Track 13 O Maria Magdalena

BL Add MS 15682

Jennie sings this chant alone.

Track 14 Benedicamus Domino Magdalena

BL Add MS 15682

Dessi, Belinda, Jennie and Caitriona sing unaccompanied.

Track 15 Magdalenam laude plenam

Text: Collect. ms. Llantoniense saec. 13. Cod. Colleg. Corp. Christi Oxonien. 59.
Music: W1 9,25, f. 115r
The song is performed by Caitriona and Jennie, with Belinda playing a bell.

Track 16 Ave, beata femina, O Magdalena domina

The music for Ave, beata femina, O Magdalena domina is taken from another piece dedicated to a popular female saint - Saint Catherine - from the Las Huelgas Manuscript - Hu No. 132, f.119 v.

Track 17 Psallat immensa chorus omnis odas

Brev. ms. Nobiliacense saec. 13. Cod. Burdigalen. 85.
Brev. ms. Columbense saec. 13. Cod. Ebroicen. 31.
Brev. ms. Cellense saec. 14. Cod. Trecen. 1974.
Brev. ms Bisuntinum saec. 14. Cod. Bisuntin. 63.
Brev. ms. Bisuntinum saec. 15. Cod. Parisien. 10487.
Brev. ms saec. 13. Cod. Parisien. 1255.
Brev. ms. Bisuntinum saec. 15. Cod. Bisuntin. 69.
Brev. ms Bisuntinum saec. 15. Cod. Bibl. Archiep. Remen.
This seems to have been a popular celebratory text!

The melody is that of the virelai E, Dame jolie from northern France. The solos are sung by Dessi with refrains from Caitriona, Jennie and Belinda, and Riccardo plays the hurdy-gurdy. The instrumentals between sections are based on another northern French virelai: C'est la fin.

Track 18 Ave, plena Magdalena

Cod. Andecens. fol. 83 a.
Cod.Tegurin. I. fol. 157 a.
Cod. Underdorfens. fol. 117 b.
Cod. Palat. Vindob. 4087 saec 15 fol. 267 a.
The melody is number 300 from the enormous 13th century collection Las Cantigas de Santa Maria.

Caitriona is the soloist with chorus provided by Belinda, Dessi, Jennie and Riccardo. Riccardo is playing the hurdy-gurdy and Ben is stamping his feet in a style reminiscent of traditional hurdy-gurdy/bagpipe music of the Auvergne.

The hurdy-gurdy melodies between verses are based on Cantiga de Santa Maria 249.

Track 19 O Maria, prius via

Miss. ms. Soror. de Paenitentia Argentinensium ann. 1472-79. Cod. Parmen. Parm. I 39 (1255). - 4a, 1 Magdalene.
For this text we have used a melody from the popular Ludus Danielis - it is the conductus to which the queen enters. The melodies in the Ludus Danielis (Play of Daniel) appear contrafacted in many other collections so it is satisfying to find one that suited our MM poem so beautifully.
The singers were given full rein to improvise drones and counter melodies with this simple tune.

Track 20 Peccatrice nominata (instrumental)

From the Florence Laudario (Fols. 124v-125).

Ben improvises around this unusual and asymmetrical melody on the fidel.

Track 21 Estampie: Chançon legiere

This instrumental is devised from various songs of the trouvères, the most famous of which here is Conon de Béthune. The first melody played by Ben is Li tans nouveau (Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale, 12615. 113r-v) by Gontier de Soignies, then the hurdy-gurdy joins for Chançon legiere (Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale, 12615. 101r-v) by Conon de Béthune and the anonymous Amors me semont (Paris, Bibliotheque de l'Arsenal, 5198. 357).

Track 22 Peccatrice nominata

C. 38 v. / 39 v.
The text of this Cortona lauda is nearly identical to the version in the Florence Laudario (played above as a fidel solo) but it has a different melody in this manuscript.

Belinda sings the solo whilst Jennie, Caitriona and Dessi chant the chorus on a drone.

Track 23 O Madalena ch'andasti al sepolchro

This text survives in the Florence Laudario (Fols. 33r-35r) but, alas, without musical notation, so we have used another Florence laudario melody (whose text is also an Easter theme - Voi ch'amate lo criatore Fols. 25v-26v).

Belinda sings the solo, Riccardo, Caitriona, Jennie and Dessi singing the chorus to the accompaniment of harp and fidel.

Track 24 O Maria, noli flere

MS. Mm 2g Cambbridge University Library.

Caitriona, Jennie, Belinda and Dessi sing this chant unaccompanied.