Johannes Tourot

Program: #24-01   Air Date: Jan 01, 2024

Note: All of the music on the program came from the recording Johannes Tourot: Portrait of an Imperial Cantor  featuring the Capella Mariana directed by Vojtěch Semerád. It is on the Pasacaille label and is recording 1124. It is one of the projects supported by the Alamire Foundation: https://www.alamirefoundation.org/en/

Johannes Tourout is known from several Central European manuscripts, especially from Bohemian sources the Strahov Codex and the Codex Specialnik. The only well-known source to his biography is the recently discovered document which mentions him as a cantor of Emperor Friedrich III of Habsburg and that he was a cleric from the diocese of Tournai.

By spelling his name it indicates that he might come from the town of Torhout in western Flanders, otherwise his person is shrouded in mystery. With large number of compositions in important manuscripts he must have been highly regarded in region of Central Europe in second half of 15th century.

The program of the CD is a like portrait which shows most representative pieces of this unknown personality through different genres. Vide variety of stylistical and compositional art give to the listener a unique opportunity to look into the musical world of undiscovered beauty.

Tonrroutt, Thauranth, Tauront, Taurath, Torenth... few composers have had their names mangled by scribes so badly as the protagonist of this recording. The identity of the composer behind these variants has long remained shrouded in mystery. It is known that a certain Johannes Tourout was cantor in the chapel of Emperor Frederick III of Habsburg. The composer must have been very popular in Central Europe: a large number of his works can be found in important manuscripts from that region. Given the stupendous craftsmanship evident in his compositions, it is surprising that modern musicians have not paid greater attention to them. On this release, Cappella Mariana attempts to rectify this gap in his recorded repertoire.As a result, the identity of the Flemish composer behind these variants has long remained shrouded in mystery. His name suggests the composer’s place of birth, most probably the town of “Tourout” (Torhout) in the diocese of Tournai. Given the stupendous craftsmanship evident in his compositions, it is surprising that musicians have not yet paid greater attention to the Flemish composer. Johannes Tourout was cantor of the cappella of Emperor Frederick III of Habsburg, so his music was also preserved and found in manuscripts in central Europe, including in Prague.

In collaboration with the Passacaille CD label, the Alamire Foundation has created the series Alamire Foundation Editions, which aims to bring the unexploited musical heritage from our regions back to the public. Prague-based ensemble Cappella Mariana is providing the first official production with a portrait album of Tourout. On the occasion of the release of this album, the Alamire Foundation, together with the Delegation of Flanders, the Belgian Embassy in the Czech Republic as well as the Collegium Marianum, organized a press meeting and concert given by Cappella Mariana in the St Agnes Monastery in Prague. The mayor and the alderman of culture of the Belgian town of Torhout also attended the event, together with a delegation from the Alamire Foundation. The guests were given the opportunity to consult the original manuscript with music by Johannes Tourout in the beautiful library of the Strahov Monastery.

Composer Info

Johannes Tourout

CD Info

Pasacaille label 1124