This piece is almost an early musical, a setting of an ironic satire based on the French corut and the papal court during its exile in Avignon. The composition dates from 1310-1316. It was considered blasphemous at the time, which made it all the more popular. The author of the first story is unknown, but likely to be Gervais du Bus, an official at court in Paris. Fauvel stands in as an acronym for six major vices of the court, and of course, Fauvel rises rather quickly in the court to become very powerful.

The story was added to several years later, this addition without doubt from du Bus, in which Fauvel tries to marry Fortuna, but ends up with Dame vaine glorie, and the two populate the world with offspring.

The music here draws upon the styles of the time - polyphony, motet, chant-inspired pieces, conductus, sequence, prosa, lai, rondeau, virelai - there is a real variety here.

This is a wonderful recording of rare music.

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