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Early Music Chamber Choir Based in the Derbyshire Peak District

French Chanson

Claude Lejeune was a French composer of the late Renaissance. He was the primary representative of the musical movement known as musique mesurée and a significant composer of the "Parisian" chanson, the predominant secular form in France in the latter half of the 16th century. His fame was widespread in Europe and he ranks as one of the most influential composers of the time.

Claude Lejeune

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Revoici Venir Du Printemps    Claude Lejeune (1528—1600)    2.50 mins

This five part French chanson is perhaps Lejeunes’s most famous piece. It depicts the onset of Spring “.. the season of love and beauty” and describes the greening of the countryside and the behaviour of birds and animals at this time.
After the opening chorus, the composition builds from a two part verse (chant a deux) to the final five part verse with the chorus (rechant) between.

The piece was informally recorded during a live performance in St Matthew’s Church, Leeds and appears on the choir’s CD Sacred and Secular

More information about Claude Lejeune