# John Dunstable recordings



## quisby

Hello all 

I was curious if anyone had any recommendations for John Dunstable recordings? 

I don't have any recordings of his work on hand and I'm not familiar with the landscape.  Cheers.


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## Mandryka

As far as dedicated CDs are concerned, I know the ones by Hilliard, Orlando Consort and Clemencic Consort . You need to listen to all of them, they're all interesting and they're all different. From memory Hilliard was particularly exceptional, but I may well be mistaken and feel differently next time I hear it. There's also one by Tonus Peregrinus which I've not heard. 

I'll have a think tomorrow about what's scattered around in compilation recordings.

He was, I think, a very agreeable composer.


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## quisby

Thanks Mandryka! I'm looking forward to exploring his work and different interpretations.  Hilliard sounds like a good place to start.


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## Pugg

Here's a list with works for the composer; 
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/c/Dunstaple
perhaps that's helping also.


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## JSBach85

For Renaissance Polyphony I prefer men choirs with boys (if applicable) over mixed choirs of men and women (this is how Renaissance religious music must be performed according to period practice). Under this criteria I have the following recommendations:

Dunstable - Motets (Hilliard Ensemble)/Veritas









Music for the War 100 Years - The Binchois Consort, Kirkman/Hyperion


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## Mandryka

One of my favourite recordings of early music is vol 3 of Gothic Voices' The Spirits of England and France. It only has one song by Dunstaple, but it's a corker! 

Just as special for me is the Sancta Maria by The Deller Consort.

I started to listen to the CD by Tonus Peregrinus, there's a certain magic there I think, I'm not yet ready to say more. Larger choir with some ladies but that's not a deal breaker for me. I thought there was a certain magic in their Missa Tournae too, I haven't heard anything else but I'm quite curious about what they do with the Gibbons.

The magic is to do with the impression they give of singing which is responsive, in the moment, in the zone, fresh.

They sing with vibrato. It would be interesting to have a whole separate discussion about vibrato in early music. Their bass singer is very prominent in the mix, which makes for an interesting sound (compare Beauty Farm in their first Gombert.)


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## quisby

All these sound fantastic! I look forward to listening 

I just listened through Dunstable - Cathedral Sounds from Clemencic. The use of organ is interesting to me.


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## quisby

Mandryka said:


> They sing with vibrato. It would be interesting to have a whole separate discussion about vibrato in early music.


Not entirely pertinent, but this makes me think of a group (Ensemble Graindelavoix) I stumbled across that has a lot of Western polyphony dressed in a kind of eastern-ish vocal style. It sounds bizarre to me, but it's interesting. This may be common but it was a new idea for me.


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## Mandryka

quisby said:


> Not entirely pertinent, but this makes me think of a group (Ensemble Graindelavoix) I stumbled across that has a lot of Western polyphony dressed in a kind of eastern-ish vocal style. It sounds bizarre to me, but it's interesting. This may be common but it was a new idea for me.


It is very common, some influential early music performers took some inspiration from traditions which have not been corrupted by 18th and 19th century ideas about how to sing. From indigenous North African, Balkan, Corsican, Sardinian styles, and elsewhere. I think the people from Graindelavoix have explored Turkish singing.


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## Mandryka

quisby said:


> All these sound fantastic! I look forward to listening
> 
> I just listened through Dunstable - Cathedral Sounds from Clemencic. The use of organ is interesting to me.


The organ is replacing chant, I think it's quite a historically justifiable thing to do, I'm not sure- I just wish he'd used a more characterful organ!


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## JSBach85

Mandryka said:


> I think the people from Graindelavoix have explored Turkish singing.


And I suspect that Ensemble Organum in some of their recordings sings as if they were in Constantinople!


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## quisby

That's fascinating about the vocal styles. YouTube has Ensemble Organum and Graindelavoix's versions of Machaut's Messe de Nostre Dame. Makes for an interesting comparison. So much to listen to in early music


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## Mandryka

JSBach85 said:


> And I suspect that Ensemble Organum in some of their recordings sings as if they were in Constantinople!


One major influence on Peres was Cypriot singing I think, and the Greek singer Lykourgos Angelopoulos.


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