Hari, Bouriquet

Claudin de Sermisy’s Hari, Bouriquet is a four-part French chanson from the Renaissance. The music opens with a clear, imitative texture, the voices entering in succession. The playful text, likely secular, speaks of teasing and laughter, with the repeated refrain ‘Hari bouriquet’ adding a lighthearted, almost nonsensical element. The SATB voicing allows for rich harmonic interplay, characteristic of the chanson genre, as the different voice parts weave together to express the text’s spirited mood. This piece would be a charming addition to any programme of Renaissance secular music.