Bianca Maria Meda (1661?–1732/33)
Jesu mi clementissime
Vibrate
Anime bella
O quante contra me
In foco ardentissime
O lacrime amare
Volo vivere
No non tentate
Spirate vos zeffiri

Cappella Artemisia
Candace Smith, direction

Bianca Maria Meda a vécu pendant les 35 dernières années du XVIIe siècle. Sa biographie est mal connue mais une édition de 1691 porte l'inscription « donna » indiquant son statut de professeur dans un couvent bénédictin : San Martino del Leano à Pavie. Cette année-là elle publie un recueil de douze « Motetti à 1, 2, 3 e 4 voci, con violoni ». Ce disque reprend huit de ces motets, en langue italienne et non latine, de nature sacrée mais non liturgique. La Cappella Artemisia a pris le parti, dans certains d'entre eux, de transposer à l'octave supérieure les voix initialement écrites pour basse et ténor (passant ainsi à alto et soprano), pratique courante dans les couvents féminins de l'époque. L’effectif, éminemment variable d'une pièce à l'autre, comprend neuf voix de femmes, deux violons et un ensemble complet de basse continue. Les voix sont agréables, particulièrement en chœur, en dehors d'une voix d'alto assez imprécise (plages 1,7,9) avec un accompagnement solide quoiqu'un peu lointain, dont un orgue trop présent mais une doulciane remarquable. Une mu-sique variée et inventive, à connaître. (Michel Lagrue)

The revival on record of forgotten music by a Benedictine nun: a valuable discovery for fans of the early Baroque. Even in the extensive library of little-known composers whose music has found a niche on Brilliant Classics, the name of Bianca Maria Meda (1661?–1732/33) counts as obscure. Little is known about Meda other than the scant details printed on the title page of the edition of these motets, printed in 1691: her name; her title: donna (indicating her position as professa in a Benedictine convent); and the name of the monastery where she lived: San Martino del Leano, in Pavia. She probably took holy orders as a teenager, and she was followed by several other members of her family. These motets are sacred but not designed for liturgical use, setting first-person texts (possibly by Meda herself) on themes such as the renunciation of worldly pleasures, an ardent love for Jesus the bridegroom, and requests for intercession by Mary, the Queen of Heaven. The wide range of the vocal lines, as well as the difficulty of the vocal and instrumental parts, indicate that both singers and instrumentalists in Meda’s convent were highly skilled. Although the scores can be performed by a mixed voice ensemble, this recording restores them to the kind of performance that would have been heard in the convent of San Martino del Leano, with a light instrumental ensemble accompanying an all-female choir. The album is an absorbing sequel to Capella Artemisia’s debut on Brilliant Classics with ‘Weep and Rejoice’ (BC94638), also reviving little-known Italian 17th- and 18th- century composers.