Catalogue

Summary:

No period in the bass viol’s history proved more fertile than the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries in France. From this milieu emerged a repertoire of remarkable subtlety—music that has shaped the instrument’s identity ever since.

In contrast to the assertive Italianate tradition, French viol music favors intimacy, nuance, and restraint. Our choice to accompany the viol solely with theorbo reflects this aesthetic: its complementary timbre invites a conversational interplay that a fuller continuo ensemble would obscure.

Tracklist:

MARIN MARAIS (1656-1728)
Suite in G Major from Pièces de viole, Livre 3
1. I Prelude (92)
2. II. -Allemande & Double (94 & 95)
3. III. Sarabande Grave (99)
4. IV. La Musette (105)

5. Le Badinage (87) from Pièces de Viole, Livre 4

LE SIEUR DE MACHY (fl. 1655-1700)
6. Prelude

MARIN MARAIS
7. Plainte (55) from Suite in D Major from Pièces de viole, Livre 3

Suite No. 1 in A minor from Pieces de viole, Livre 38.
8. I. Prelude (11)
9. II-Fantaisie (1)
10. III. Allemande (2)
11. IV. Courante (3)
12. Minuet et Autre (8 & 9)

MONSIEUR DE SAINTE-COLOMBE (1640-1700)
13. Chaconne

ANTOINE FORQUERAY (1672-1745)
Suite No. 1 for Viola da Gamba and Basso Continuo
14. I. Allemande (La Borde)
15. II. La Forqueray
16. III. La Cottin
17. IV. La Bellemont
18. V. La Portugaise
19. VI. La Couperin

MARIN MARAIS
20. Les Voix Humaines (63) from Pièces de viole, Livre 2