Trois Chansons: No. 2, Quant j’ai ouy le tabourin sonner by Claude Debussy

Recorded by Seraphic Fire in May 2021 at Comber Hall in Coral Gables.
Claude Debussy’s Trois Chansons, set to a text by the 15th-century French poet Charles d’Orléans, are an unmistakable nod to the renaissance by a thoroughly modern composer. Published in 1908 during the mature part of Debussy’s career, these three a cappella choral miniatures (the only such pieces in Debussy’s output) are a conscious nod to the historical music revival that had begun in France during the 19th century’s fin de siecle and continued into the 20th century. By using Renaissance modalism combined with jazz-inspired harmonies, Debussy created a seamless connection between French music’s past and present.
Text
Quant j’ai ouy le tabourin
Sonner pour s’en aller au may,
En mon lit n’en ay fait affray
Ne levé mon chef du coissin;
En disant: il est trop matin,
Ung peu je me rendormiray,
Quant j’ai ouy le tabourin
Sonner pour s’en aller au may.
Jeunes gens partent leur butin;
De Nonchaloir m’acointeray,
A lui je m’abutineray;
Trouvé l’ay plus prochain voisin,
Quant j’ai ouy le tabourin!
Translation
When I heard the drum
Summoning us to go maying,
I neither leapt from my bed
Nor lifted my head from the pillow.
And I said: it is too early.
I shall sleep a little longer:
When I heard the drum
Summoning us to go maying.
Let the young divide their spoils,
I shall be happy to remain indifferent
And share my spoils with him -
For he was my nearest neighbour,
When I heard the drum beat.

[@Rayervin711]

This is exquisite!

[@francoisbloch7772]

Superbe !