Description
Working during the Renaissance period, the French composer Pierre Passereau was a well-known composer of ‘chansons’, many of which were of a rustic character featuring onomatopoeia, alliterative words, double entendres and obscenity. His songs were extremely popular in the early to mid-16th century.
Published in 1534 Passereau’s madrigal for four voices, Il est bel et bon (He is handsome and good), is the composer’s best-known work. This light-hearted song is essentially a conversation between two women gossiping about their husbands. One remarks that her husband doesn’t beat her – in fact he does the chores and feeds the chickens whilst she ‘takes her pleasure’ (make of that what you will!). Its lyrics features his trademark use of nonsense syllables to imitate chickens clucking.
Here Passereau’s wonderfully light and dance-like music has been arranged for wind quartet with his delightful phrases bouncing and echoing between the instruments.
