Doulce Mémoire

An early music ensemble specializing in the Renaissance period, Doulce Mémoire was formed in 1989 by flutist and musicologist Denis Raisin Dadre. Based in Paris, then Tours, the ensemble played on period instruments, performing on local stages before becoming known for the authenticity of its recordings for Auvidis, Naïve, Zig-Zag Territoires and Alpha Classics, highlighting little-known Renaissance composers and publishers such as Pierre Attaingnant, whose first volume appeared in 1995. Over the course of three decades and some thirty thematic albums, Doulce Mémoire has forged an international reputation, performing on stages across Europe, in North and South America, and in Asia, each time in a different setting. Critically acclaimed recordings include Pierre Attaingnant, Imprimeur du Roy: Chansons Nouvelles et Danceries (1995), Folie Douce, Renaissance, Improvisations (1999), Le Siècle du Titien, la Musique à Venise (2001), Cristobal de Morales: Office des Ténèbres (2002), Vinci: L'Harmonie du Monde (2003), La Porte de Félicité: Constantinople 1453, Entre Orient et Occident (2012) and the 6-CD box set, L'Italie Renaissance (2012). After the traditional songs of Chansonnettes Frisquettes, Joliettes et Godinettes (2013), the ensemble devotes two volumes to French music under the reign of François I, then does the same for Henri IV with Grand Bal à la Cour d'Henri IV (2017), followed by Leonardo Da Vinci: La Musique Secrète (2019), Desprez : Tant Vous Aime (2022), Du Bellay: Heureux Qui, Comme Ulysse with Vincent Loiseau dit Kwal (2022), L'Amour de Moy (2023) and Ronsard et la Musique: Cueillez, Ceuillez Votre Jeunesse! (2024). On September 29, 2025, founder and artistic director Denis Raison Dadre was found dead at his home in Tours.

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