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JeanHenri dAnglebert Dans nos bois Menuet in G major
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Jean-Henri d'Anglebert: Dans nos bois (Menuet in G major) • Played by Luke Arnason on a French harpsichord after Blanchet at a=293 hz • This minuet is included among a series of transcriptions of orchestral works by Lully at the end of d'Anglebert's first suite in G major in his published volume of Pièces de clavecin (1689). The original source is a minuet by Lully in the Trios pour la chambre du roi . People seem to have found the tune to Lully's piece catchy and words were added in a variety of different sources (for details see Buford Norman's site on Quinault: http://www.quinault.info/Home/l-oeuvr.... The lyrics are attributed to Philippe Quinault, a prominent dramatist and Lully's official and trusted librettist not only for his operas, but (before that) for many court ballets, and go as follows: • Dans nos Bois • Silvandre s’écrie • Dans nos Bois, • Il redit cent fois, • Que c’est un mal dangereux que l’Amour ; • Helas ! j’en vais perdre la vie ; • Que c’est un mal dangereux que l’Amour, • Helas ! j’en vay perdre le jour. • Gardez-vous • Des yeux de Silvie, • Gardez-vous • De ces yeux si doux ; • Pour avoir pris à les voir trop d’amour, • Helas ! il m’en couste la vie ; • Pour avoir pris à les voir trop d’amour, • Helas ! il m’en couste le jour. • (an 18th century source adds this 3rd verse) • Mon ardeur • L'irrite l'ennuye, • Ma langueur • Aigrit sa rigueur : • Pour n'avoir pu l'enflammer à mon tour, • Helas ! helas ! je vais perdre la vie ; • Pour n'avoir pu l'enflammer à mon tour, • Helas ! helas ! je vais perdre le jour. • These lyrics inform the title of the piece in d'Anglebert's collection ( Dans nos bois as opposed to just Menuet , of which there is another, composed by d'Anglebert himself earlier in the suite), and, I believe, the character of the piece. Somewhat surprisingly, the piece is given the tempo indication lentement , which is uncharacteristic of a minuet which is usually a fairly brisk dance. D'Anglebert seems to have done this in order to enable the player to add a lot of ornamentation to the melody, favouring the potential for ornamentation over the dance genre of the (original) piece. And he forces the player to adhere to his suggested tempo by staggering the time at which the chords in the left hand are struck from the very first note (the G and B of the initial G major chord in the left hand are followed one 8th note later by the D that completes the triad). I also think that this obligation to play the piece slowly is also in order to encourage the player to try to render the spirit of Quinault's text, which is a bittersweet pastoral complaint about how Silvandre's love-sickness for Sylvie, he believes, will be his death. That is how I have decided to play it in any case, but you will find that orchestral versions of the original Lully trio are much sprightlier than my rendition. • As in many of d'Anglebert's transcriptions of Lully, the left hand functions as something of a reduced continuo part, while the florid right hand acts as an obligato part. But whereas in his other transcriptions he uses this configuration to convey a grandness (as in the overture to Cadmus et Hermione), upbeat energy (as in the chaconne from Phaëton) or even mystery (as in the ritournelle pour les fées from Roland), here he uses it to produce a subdued, bittersweet tone. Some of the chords in the left hand are just rich enough to add lushness and sensuality, while the generally spare texture of the piece and the lilting inégalité of the bass in the B section adds enough lightness to prevent the piece from becoming too serious or laboured. Altogether, this piece exemplifies the simplicity so prized by the French baroque, and the sweet but slightly melancholic major key pieces at which that tradition excels.
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