The music of the two most important known medieval composers are featured on this Continuum, They are Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377) and Guillaume Dufay (1397-1474). Machaut is the first known composer of music for a sacred liturgical mass and Dufay composed music that is considered the first important compositions leading into the Renaissance period. On the program are excerpts from Machaut’s Mass of Notre Dame and Dufay’s many secular music compositions. Recordings used are: Guillaume de Machaut - Messe de Notre Dame (Hilliard Ensemble) - Hyperion CDA66358, Guillaume de Machaut - Ay Mi! (Emmanuel Bonnardot) - Opus 111 OPS 30-171, Guillaume Dufay - Complete Secular Music (Medieval Ensemble of London) - DECCA 452 557-2, and Dufay - Missa “Se la face ay pale” (Early Music Consort of London) - Veritas Virgin Classics 7234 5 61283 2 3.
CONTINUUM: Machaut and Dufay
