The Jehan de Channey Ensemble conducted by Denis Duché is mainly made
up by young musicians , who have demonstrated their wish and will to move
on to a kind of music which is different from conventionnal structures and
learning.
So a dozen instrumentalists or singers, devoted to the past, communicate their
pleasure in playing and revive a repertoire which has been somewhat
forgotten.
The musicians, who are polyvalent , have rediscovered the original sound of
Krunhorn, bagpipes or basspipes (instruments with capped reeds which
harmonize with shawn and bagpipes). The more discreet recorders reply in
violins and bass viols. The brilliant brass sounds belong to the "sacqueboute"
(bass trumpet with 4 valves) or cornets. Small percussion instruments such as
tambourins, small cymbals and little spherical bells, or more impressive ones,
such as drum and kettledrum, put ryhtm to the dances. The lute with her
plucked chords add poetry to the variety of instruments.
Their repertoire starting with the 12 th century, which belongs to the
troubadours such as Ventadour, Vacqueyras or Marcabru shows a chromatic
progression, from Machaut’s Ars Nova in the 14 th century up to the
Renaissance at the end of the 16 th century and the beginning of the 17 th with
modern Schein or Praetorius.
The musicians from Avignon pay tribute to Jehan de Channey, a remarkable
printer, son of this city, who in 1532 used the new principles of noting music,
which had been invented a little earlier by Etienne Briard from Bar-le-Duc. He
was the first to use the loose new characters and printed in mainly round notes
the works of Elzéar Genet from Carpentras.