The seven Penitential Psalms are a group of Psalms, numbers 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143 in the Anglican numbering (in the Vulgate all except Psalm 6 are numbered one digit lower), which have been in liturgical use for penitential prayer since early Christian times and, in the later Middle Ages, were prescribed … Continue reading Orlande de Lassus : dare spirito alle parole
The Orlando Consort has paused their traversal of the songs of Guillaume de Machaut (their intention to record them all has yielded three CDs so far) and devoted their latest release to charting the radical development of music between the late thirteenth and mid fifteenth centuries—the transition from what is at essence embellished chant to … Continue reading The Orlando Consort’s latest : the radical development of music between the late-13th and mid 15th centuries
John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir did something pretty special in 2004. They attempted the pilgrimage to Santiago as it might have occurred in the Renaissance period. Gardiner said at the outset: This will be our 40th anniversary year, and I cannot envisage a more fitting way of celebrating this milestone than by undertaking … Continue reading John Eliot Gardiner : el Camino de Santiago
Almost exactly one year ago I wrote a short overview of Carlo Gesualdo on the occasion of his 450th birthday, March 8, 1566. I have to admit that I am not entirely pleased with that short article since it played into the recurring stereotype of Gesualdo as an unhinged murdering count. While it is true … Continue reading Gesualdo da Venosa : the music, not the life
St Anthony of Padua held a very particular significance in the devotions of Guillaume Dufay. The single holy relic in his possession was a piece of the Saint’s belt, or girdle, listed among the ‘jewels’ in the account of the executors of his will. But the main expression of his veneration was undoubtedly the Mass … Continue reading Dufay’s Missa de Sancti Anthonii de Padua
Jerome Roche writing in Palestrina (Oxford Studies of Composers), claims that Palestrina wrote 41 complete sets of Lamentations for Tenebrae, although in his notes to their recording of Lamentations for Holy Thursday, Book III, Simon Ravens, director of Musica Contexta, says that only four sets survive. These Lamentations come from the Roman liturgy for Holy Week, which … Continue reading Palestrina : Lamentations by Musica Contexta
Stephen Rice's Brabant Ensemble is a choir that closely resembles, at least in size, the kind of vocal group Palestrina would have been familiar with. Generally utilizing three singers to a part Palestrina's polyphony is put across clearly and strongly. The documentary evidence indicates that this mass falls early in Palestrina's career, but it is not a … Continue reading Palestrina : Missa Ad coenam Agni
Under strong Flemish influence, Spanish composers of real quality and pronounced character emerged at the end of the fifteenth century, associated with the royal chapels of Ferdinand and Isabella and with the choirs of the great cathedrals, notably Toledo and Seville. Francisco de Peñalosa shares pre-eminence with some fine contemporaries such as the Basque Juan … Continue reading Francisco de Peñalosa : Bruno Turner & Pro Cantione Antiqua
This recording is a celebration of the vast outpouring of masterpieces which survived the destruction by earthquake of the Lisbon libraries solely due to the dedication of the Vila Viçosa copyists. It is a collection of Renaissance polyphony celebrating Easter Week in Renaissance Portugal by some big names, Palestrina, Lobo, and Victoria but also includes … Continue reading Holy Week at the Chapel of the Dukes of Braganza : A Capella Portuguesa, Owen Rees
I think we tend to take polyphony for granted. We inherited a form of music which has been with us for centuries and, in fact, we have even seen major-minor harmonic polyphony peak in the 18th century and then gradually give way and break down completely. However, what we take for granted took centuries to … Continue reading The Rise of Polyphony : Magister Leoninus and Magister Perotinus
Musica Kaleidoskopea 