Singing the motets of Philippe de Vitry
A film by Aurélien Poidevin about the research project led by David Chappuis.
Singing the motets of Philippe de Vitry, a major cultural figure of the 14th century, is still a singular challenge today. His musical output, comprising some twenty motets of disputed attribution, is difficult to access, both in terms of finding historical sources (over a hundred at present, scattered across some thirty European libraries) and reading them (deterioration of manuscripts, incomplete alterations, copyist errors).
These difficulties seemed to have been resolved by a transcription of fourteen motets, published in 1956 by Éditions de l'Oiseau-Lyre under the supervision of musicologist Leo Schrade. This transcription has served, and continues to serve, as the basis for almost all public performances and recordings. However, it does not meet the current requirements of historically informed musical practice: the sources are not mentioned, the poems are neither established nor translated, the editorial choices and additions are neither commented on nor justified, and the publisher has not taken into account the techniques constituting the 'science of singing' in the 14th century: solmisation, simple dechant and musical flowers.
The aim of this applied research project is to fill these gaps through artistic and scientific work on the original sources, by proposing :
- a database of motets ;
- a modular and interactive online diplomatic edition of each source;
- the compilation and translation of the poems;
- a critical edition of the motets, in print and online, incorporating the techniques of the 'science of song';
- a recording of the poems recited in 'Parisian dialect';
- concerts in Switzerland and abroad, as well as recordings of the main motets attributed to Philippe de Vitry, by the Arborescence ensemble of professional singers, created specifically for the project;
- two international symposia and their proceedings: in Geneva in November 2023 (in collaboration with the University) and at Royaumont in March 2024 (in collaboration with the Foundation).
