大象传媒

Donald Macleod recounts how the Dufay finds work at the Court of Savoy, an important centre of culture, and writes some exceptional music for the coronation of Pope Eugenius IV.

The beauty, originality and technical mastery of Guillaume Dufay鈥檚 music illustrate why the Florentine ruler Piero de鈥橫edici gave him the epithet 鈥渢he greatest ornament of our age鈥�. Undoubtedly he is one of the 15th century鈥檚 most distinctive voices. He was in his late 70s by the time he died in 1474; a long life by medieval standards. His outstanding talent transported him from an uncertain start in life as the illegitimate son of a servant and an unknown man, to being a musician who was feted at court, and respected by the church and the papacy alike. As his fame spread across Europe, he commanded the admiration of his fellow composers, influencing not only his direct contemporaries but also the generation of composers who succeeded him, among them Johannes Ockeghem.

Donald Macleod is joined by William Lyons, an historical music researcher and the artistic director of the ensemble The Dufay Collective. Pulling together what鈥檚 known about Dufay, across the series of five programmes, they build a picture of the man behind this illustrious figure, assess the key relationships he fostered, and consider how his music flourished as he navigated the turbulent political currents of the age.

From the 1430s Dufay's standing and versatility was such that he was able to supply music to one of the great European courts and turn his hand to writing music for the Pope of equal brilliance, seemingly at the drop of a hat.

Ballade: Se la face ay pale
Cut Circle
Jesse Rodin, director

Flos Florum
Ensemble Musica Nova
Lucien Kandel, director

Ecclesiae militantis
Blue Heron
Scott Metcalfe, director

Balsamus et munda cera
Huelgas Ensemble
Paul Van Nevel, director

Supremum est mortalibus bonum
Cantica Symphonia
Giuseppe Maletto, director

Ave Maris Stella
Ensemble Musica Nova
Lucien Kandel, director

L鈥檃lta tua bellezza
Cantica Symphonia
Giuseppe Maletto, director

Salve flos Tusce gentis
Ensemble Musica Nova
Lucien Kandel, director