# Landini: Ecco la primavera



## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Landini's ballata _Ecco la primavera_, composed in the 14th century, is a beautiful isorhythmic duet celebrating spring and love. Landini has come down as the foremost composer of the Trecento period, also known in music as the Italian Ars Nova, the earliest part of the Renaissance.

It's currently on the 81st tier of the Talk Classical community's favorite and most highly recommended works, and I couldn't find a thread where it had been discussed before, so it may not be very well known here yet. Maybe we can change that!

Does anyone here like or love this work? What do you like about it? Do you have any reservations about it?

Also, feel free to recommend favorite recordings!


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

This came up for me quite recently because it appeared on this new CD which I like very much






This performance of it seems to me to be specially interesting because of the harmonies






The song is often played with jaunty rhythms, as if it was a song to go with a rustic dance. I hate that sort of music myself! I don't know why, but I've never seen any manuscript for it. David Munrow treats it a bit like that, and the tradition kind of lives on, here's a very modern performance in the Munrow vein from Enea Sorini with Catalina Vicens on an organetto.


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

When we first came to classical music, it was from the folk tradition. We started with David Munrow and the Early Music Consort.

One of the first LP's we listened to was his Ecco La Primavera with a range of Landini's work. We recently got a CD of this and found it just as good as we remembered. As well as the songs, there are a range of dance music. There is a track listing here - https://www.discogs.com/Early-Music-Consort-Of-London-David-Munrow-Ecco-La-Primavera/release/6809214

As folkies we don't see any problem with dancing to songs or singing in dance rhythms. Think Newcastle or Lillibulero. The ballata is a dance form so it seems reasonable to sing ballata in dance rhythms.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Taggart said:


> The ballata is a dance form .


Are you sure?

da;lfdnjaolfcdn


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

Mandryka said:


> Are you sure?


It may have been originally, considering the name, but it probably wasn't at Landini's time.



Mandryka said:


> da;lfdnjaolfcdn


Ooh, yes -of course.


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

Mandryka said:


> Taggart said:
> 
> 
> > The ballata is a dance form .
> ...


Just going on what I read - https://www.allmusic.com/composition/ecco-la-primavera-ballata-for-2-voices-s-58-mc0002388989 or https://musc520-musical-styles-s14.fandom.com/wiki/Landini-_Ecco_la_primavera_(R._Niu)



premont said:


> It may have been originally, considering the name, but it probably wasn't at Landini's time.


See the references I quoted.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

I think it occurs in many manuscripts including Squarcialupi, but I don't know which is the most reliable and the earliest.

Does anyone know how and why it gets labelled ballata? There's an excellent CD of ballate by Landini which doesn't include it, I wonder why not









One of those websites that Taggart uses says it's in 3/4 and that it's lively. Does anyone know if this is justifiable? I mean, how can it be justified?

Interestingly the CD by Camerata Nova above has very few lively songs and the style is very plastic.

The discogs site above says that ballate were originally for dancing. This is a new one for me, it may be true but I've never seen the idea before. John Stevens's book _Words and Music in the Middle Ages_ has a chapter on dance songs and doesn't mention ballate.

I listened again last night to the CD with Marie Nishyama I gave a YouTube link for, it's very good! And anyone interested in the form will not regret lending an ear to a interesting voice and organ recording by Esther Lamandier, which again doesn't include Ecco la primavera.









As Lamandier does many of them, I find it hard to imagine a dance, certainly not a rustic one.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

science said:


> Landini's ballata _Ecco la primavera_, composed in the 14th century, is a beautiful isorhythmic duet celebrating spring and love. Landini has come down as the foremost composer of the Trecento period, also known in music as the Italian Ars Nova, the earliest part of the Renaissance.
> 
> It's currently on the 81st tier of the Talk Classical community's favorite and most highly recommended works, and I couldn't find a thread where it had been discussed before, so it may not be very well known here yet. Maybe we can change that!
> 
> ...


It's been interesting exploring this song on record yesterday and today because it's become clear that the big cheeses of Landini on record - La Reverdie, Micrologos, Thomas Binkley, Malta Punica, Anonymous 4, Gothic Voices, Camerata Nova - have all chosen to ignore it with the exception of Anonymous 4.


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

Mandryka said:


> ... because it's become clear that the big cheeses of Landini on record - Micrologos, *Thomas Binkley*, Anonymous 4, Gothic Voices, Camerata Nova - have all chosen to ignore it with the exception of Anonymous 4.


Studio der frühen Musik, München's recording is here (from the early 1960es):

https://www.discogs.com/Studio-Der-...-Italien-Frankreich-Und-Burgund/master/739659


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Oooh, I haven't come across that one before!


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Mandryka said:


> It's been interesting exploring this song on record yesterday and today because it's become clear that the big cheeses of Landini on record - La Reverdie, Micrologos, Thomas Binkley, Anonymous 4, Gothic Voices, Camerata Nova - have all chosen to ignore it with the exception of Anonymous 4.


Is there any particular work by Landini that is more respected or more frequently recorded?


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

science said:


> Is there any particular work by Landini that is more respected or more frequently recorded?


The second part is statistical and it may be possible to find our by means of an online database. The first part I cannot answer.


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

science said:


> Is there any particular work by Landini that is more respected or more frequently recorded?





Mandryka said:


> The second part is statistical and it may be possible to find our by means of an online database. The first part I cannot answer.


See http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/composers/landini.html

Ecco la primavera B a2 has 31 recordings

Gram piant' a gli ochi, greve doglia al core B a3 has 30 recordings


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

_Gram piant' a gli ochi, greve doglia al core_ has a certain ironic poignancy because Landini was blind.



> I weep and find no peace since you no longer let me behold you.
> I fell in love at the sight of you, hoping for your mercy, but now that I can no longer see you I lose hope and suffer.
> My soul weeps and finds no peace
> Since you have deprived me.
> ...


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

Taggart said:


> See http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/composers/landini.html
> 
> Ecco la primavera B a2 has 31 recordings
> 
> Gram piant' a gli ochi, greve doglia al core B a3 has 30 recordings


A number of these are counted twice because of different releases of identical recordings.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

premont said:


> A number of these are counted twice because of different releases of identical recordings.


Yes, I noticed that, and I also noticed some real rarities. The Anthonello Early Music Ensembke - I know them amongst other things for a fabulous recording dedicated to Tobias Hume - have recorded Landini and Dufay it seems.

And a Landini CD from the Dutch group Ensemble Super Librum


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Knecbekhfnemjfnemhfnemnc rmcn3 nm


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

Mandryka said:


> Yes, I noticed that, and I also noticed some real rarities. The Anthonello Early Music Ensembke - I know them amongst other things for a fabulous recording dedicated to Tobias Hume - have recorded Landini and Dufay it seems.
> 
> And a Landini CD from the Dutch group Ensemble Super Librum


I begin to feel it frustrating more than exhilarating that recordings like these are so difficult to get hold of.


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

Mandryka said:


> Knecbekhfnemjfnemhfnemnc rmcn3 nm


And again - in the continuation of my former posts- i am beginning to understand, what you are talking about.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

Mandryka said:


> I think it occurs in many manuscripts including Squarcialupi, but I don't know which is the most reliable and the earliest.
> 
> Does anyone know how and why it gets labelled ballata? There's an excellent CD of ballate by Landini which doesn't include it, I wonder why not
> 
> One of those websites that Taggart uses says it's in 3/4 and that it's lively. Does anyone know if this is justifiable? I mean, how can it be justified?


Ballatas are defined by form: ABbaA, the same form as the French virelai.

The meter in Italian works of this era is not ambiguous and is readily determined. Sounds like 9/8 to me. In this system the breve is the basic unit. _Ecco la primavera_ sounds (to me) like it uses three breves at the higher level of meter (_divisio prima_), each divided into three at the next lower level (_divisio secunda_). I haven't seen a score, although I have facsimiles on hand of several other works by Landini.


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