Love's Illusion: Music from the Montpellier Codex 13th Century
How's this for a concept: "True love may exist only outside of marriage, and a  man must subject himself totally to the will of his beloved, whether or not her requests seem  rational." If you think these ideas strange, be glad you weren't looking for love in France in  the Middle Ages. These precepts course through thousands of song lyrics and love poetry during  the 12th and 13th centuries and some of them appear on this exceptional recording by Anonymous  4. Specifically, these four women perform 13th century French motets found in an important  manuscript known as the Montpellier Codex. These polyphonic works span the entire century and  thus express a variety of styles. Sometimes the use of texts is striking, as when a love song, a  diatribe against hypocrisy, and a rousing drinking song are sung simultaneously. Not bad, if you  can get away with it. Anonymous 4 can-and does.--David Vernier