Musical reconstructions of Adam de la Halle's 'Jeu de Robin et Marion', 1870-1930

Nineteenth-century musical reconstructions of Adam de la Halle's "Jeu de Robin et Marion", such as those by Jean-Baptiste Weckerlin and Julien Tiersot, fused medieval melodies with thoroughly Romantic accompaniments. A notable departure from this trend was the May 1928 performance of the "Jeu" in Quebec City under the musical supervision of Jean Beck. Beck made special claims to authenticity in his orchestration, appealing in particular to a motet found in the Montpellier and Bamberg codices. He nonetheless managed to retain certain Romantic elements in his musical rendition. Following a presentation of the intriguing events leading up to the 1928 performance, I examine how Beck combined motet and chanson resources to create his unique rendition of Adam's "Jeu".