Although he lived a bit later, Oswald von Wolkenstein was a figure in many ways comparable to Guillaume Machaut. In addition to being a composer or songwriter and singer, he was a politician, diplomat, and knight who traveled widely, as far as what is now the Republic of Georgia, and he recounted his experiences in monophonic songs. He was also alert to new musical developments and wrote secular and sacred polyphonic pieces that, although they're not as intricate as Machaut's, are elegant and often display delightful poetic ...
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Although he lived a bit later, Oswald von Wolkenstein was a figure in many ways comparable to Guillaume Machaut. In addition to being a composer or songwriter and singer, he was a politician, diplomat, and knight who traveled widely, as far as what is now the Republic of Georgia, and he recounted his experiences in monophonic songs. He was also alert to new musical developments and wrote secular and sacred polyphonic pieces that, although they're not as intricate as Machaut's, are elegant and often display delightful poetic skills and even a sense of humor. One macaronic text here has six languages, another five. The listener is at a disadvantage here with no full texts in the booklet. Claimed to be available online, when checked, only a modern German translation was available, not the promised English or French. The program gives an idea of the range of Wolkenstein's music, something that's not so common. The performances by Ensemble Leones are led by Marc Lewon, who sings and plays several...
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