A Christmas Bouquet from Paris

For my final share before Christmas is upon us, I thought I might return to the roots of this blog as a repository for 10-inch LPs. I have for you a lovely mid-50s collection combining Renaissance music for the season with Christmas carols.

The cover of Bouquets de Noel shows an organ even though this is a choral LP without an organ in sight (or sound). The performers are the Ensemble Vocal de Paris, a notable chorus of the time. Directing the proceedings is André Jouve, who was in his mid-20s at the time and in the midst of a recording contract with the French Ducretet-Thomson label, which had him conduct both orchestral and choral music. Several of these can be found on Rene Gagnaux's excellent site.

Ducretet-Thomson Cover

There is little information on Jouve available on line, but I do know that that he was born in Marseille and educated at the Paris Conservatoire. But I have no clue about his activities after his Ducretet-Thomson contract was up in 1958.

Regardless, this is a very good record with the vocal ensemble handing Renaissance music by du Caurroy, Costeley and Praetorius as nicely as the carols on side 2. My transfer is from a German Telefunken pressing with good sound.

Happy holidays to all!