La Messe De Nostre Dame / 9 Weltliche Werke = 9 Secular Works

Released by Archiv Produktion under catalog number 2533 054, this recording stands as a cornerstone of the label’s mid-20th-century commitment to early music performance practice. The album features Guillaume de Machaut's 'Messe de Nostre Dame,' widely considered the most famous setting of the Mass Ordinary from the fourteenth century, alongside nine of his secular works. It was produced during an era when the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis was pioneering the revival of historical performance, seeking to strip away Romantic-era orchestral conventions in favor of period-appropriate timbres and vocal techniques.

The ensemble, directed by August Wenzinger, approached the repertoire with a scholarly rigor that defined the Archiv Produktion aesthetic. By utilizing historically informed vocalists like Ernst Haefliger and Kurt Widmer alongside specialized instrumentalists, the production aimed to capture the intricate polyphonic textures and rhythmic sophistication characteristic of the Ars Nova period. Upon its release, the recording was praised by musicologists and critics for its technical clarity and for bringing the esoteric complexity of medieval compositions to a wider, appreciative audience.