Josquin Desprez: Motets & Chansons

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
The Hilliard Ensemble bathes these vital vocal works by Josquin in a Mediterranean light: clear, warm, and brilliant. Josquin was a northerner who, like so many other composers of the Renaissance, descended to Italy to pursue his career. The singers bring to life the composer's marriage of the Flemish preoccupation with technique and the southern instinct toward lyricism. This is an extraordinary disc. --Joshua Cody

Tracks:

Miserere
Ave Maria For Double Choir
Sicut Lilium I
Praeter Rerum Seriem
Pater Peccavi
Ego Flos Campi
Tota Pulchra Es
Descendi In Hortum Meum
Alma Redemptoris Mater
Salve Regina
Ave Regina Caelorum
Gloria

Tracks:

Media Vita
In Manus Tuas
O Nata Lux
Audivi Vocem
Exaudiat Te Dominus
Ah, Robin
Salve Regina
Kyrie
Gloria
Credo
Sanctus
Agnus Dei

Customer Reviews:

Great choral music CD.......2007-01-26

This CD is excellent - a "must have" for every collection. Beautiful voices, relaxing music.

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2007-01-08

The pieces on these two discs are taken from over fifteen years of recording by the Tallis Scholars, startng with the now-famous recording of Allegri's 'Miserere' from 1980. Allegri lived well into the Baroque era, dying in 1562, Therefore, he did not write the 'Miserere' in renaissance polyphony; and his chordal structure leaned toward the Baroque.
Victoria's 8-part 'Ave Maria' and Palestrina's 'Sicut lilium' are both pieces iln a contemplative mood, the first making direct reference to the Virgin Mary, and the second indirect reference to her via the poetry of the 'Song of Songs'. The remaining selections on Disc l, maintain the consistent, intense sonority of Flemish polyphony.
Disc 2 falls into two parts. The pieces by Sheppard, Tallis,White and Cornysh come from the first half of the sixteenth century and are part of the 'English School' of writing. Here the music is made up of long lines, more notes than syllables, with the emphasis on the part-writing and not the harmonic background.
The second part of Disc 2 is Byrd's five-part Mass, which was written in the 1590's for a recusant Catholic community. Byrd's music has drawn closer to the Flemish style; that is imitative voice parts, largely syllabic in setting with the occasional examples of word-paintings, and the voice parts closer together. But the mood has a different intensity than the writing on Disc one; darker and more questioning. Never was polyphony more passionate than in Byrd's masses,of which the five-part is the crowning achievement.
The members of the Tallis Scholars vary from year to year, and the list of participating singers is included in the accompanying booklet; but it does not tell you which singers are singing each year. That bothered me somewhat because I like to know to whom I am listening specifically. It does mention, however, that the solo group in Allegi's 'Miserere' is Alison Stamp (treble), Michael Chance (countertenor) Jane Armstrong and Julian Walker.
The recording is outstanding in every way. Perfect balance between the voices, perfect emotional investment, flawless dicton and the most beautiful vocal sounds you will ever hear; just Two and One-half hours of pure pleasure!!!!!

Lovely!!!.......2006-06-02

This set of CDs is truly wonderful. I am fond of sacred choral music and purchased the CD mostly to obtain the recording of Gregorio Allegri's "Miserere Mei." This song alone is worth buying the set. I heard it live by an excellent college choir in my hometown and immediately set out to find the best recording of it. Most buyers recommended this recording over the others. (By the way "Miserere Mei: by Gregorio is hard to find.) Additionally the other songs are also so relaxing, flowing, and meditative. I will be honest . . .the Tallis Scholars sing well but not as flawlessly as the Cambridge Singers. You will note that not every consanant is hit in unison, but this is not overly disturbing. (Still that is the only reason for giving four stars instead of five.) The sound is still lovely and the songs gorgeous. In Media Vita is another gorgeous song (first on second CD). If you haven't heard it, I'm sure you'll love the flowing melody!

Beautiful, but a little cold.......2006-02-06

The Tallis Scholars are the zenith of this type of singing, but sometimes they lack the vocal warmth that they probably could achieve if they were guided to do so. Still, this is a great CD, and even better for the 2 CDs of fine and uplifting singing.

The Greatest Hits of a Pioneer Ensemble.......2005-09-27

For years, Tallis Scholars have been quietly revolutionizing our recovery of sacred music. This is their "greatest hits" collection and quite great indeed. The Miserere which begins the set is alone worth the price of the set. The only fault with it is that it is so startling, so obviously genuine, that you will still be hearing it as you play through the rest of the set. The Scholars' ongoing recovery project only proves how integral music is to the human psyche, how essential the sacred is to basic human sanity. And how the severence of the two in the public space and the popular imagination -- the sacred from music -- has severely damaged us all en masse.

Average customer rating:

A good reference disc
Beautiful music.
Beneath the objective criticism often lies a subjective grandeur
The Orlando Consort sings Desprez much better...
Splendid

Josquin Desprez: Motets & Chansons
Josquin Desprez , Paul Hillier , and The Hilliard Ensemble
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Chansons | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli, Missa Aeterna
Perotin / The Hilliard Ensemble
Machaut: Messe de Notre Dame / The Hilliard Ensemble
Josquin des Prés: Missa Pange Lingua; Missa La Sol Fa Re Mi
Guillaume de Machaut: Motets

ASIN: B000002SSH
Release Date: 1997-01-21

Tracks:

Ave Maria... Virgo serena (Motet a quatre voix)
Absalon fili mi (Motet a quatre voix)
Veni Sancte Spiritus (Motet a six voix)
De profundis clamavi (Motet a quatre voix)
Scaramella va alla guerra And Scaramella fa la galla
In te Domine speravi
El grillo
Milles regretz (chanson a quatre voix)
Petite camusette (chanson a six voix)
Je me complains (chanson a cinq voix)
En l'ombre d'ung buissonet (chanson a trois voix)
Je ne me puis tenir d'aimer (chanson a cinq voix)
La deploration de Jehan Ockeghem

Amazon.com essential recording

The Hilliard Ensemble bathes these vital vocal works by Josquin in a Mediterranean light: clear, warm, and brilliant. Josquin was a northerner who, like so many other composers of the Renaissance, descended to Italy to pursue his career. The singers bring to life the composer's marriage of the Flemish preoccupation with technique and the southern instinct toward lyricism. This is an extraordinary disc. --Joshua Cody

Customer Reviews:

A good reference disc.......2007-03-20

These performance are crystal claer, but seem to lack emotional investment.

Beautiful music........2007-01-05

I just wish there was more recorded Desprez out there. Enjoy this lovely CD.

Beneath the objective criticism often lies a subjective grandeur.......2006-07-14

3 1/2

Sacred choral works sung with the subtle graces of stained glass refracting light, still at times synonymous sentiment in tonality looses value in between a few more upbeat numbers. While focusing and authenticating to the vibration of what was undoubtedly a symbolic pillar of faith many centuries ago, one benefits more from a detached awareness from composition in favor of utter immersion into the sublime transitions throughout these hallowed vocals. Although hardly a definitive collection, this disc serves as a good introduction (& painful reminder) to the ancient, purist reception this stilling music once knew.

The Orlando Consort sings Desprez much better..........2005-03-28

This unexpensive and rather short cd offers a selection of Desprez's works, both sacred and profane in a 50/50 ratio.

While some people may find the contrast between the (extremely)slow, stately religious pieces and the quick, playful songs in French and Italian stimulating, I found it slightly disturbing. I definitely would have preferred a selection of pieces with a greater unity of mood and style.

While the performance is certainly first-rate, the recording seems to me to be below average: when you turn up the volume, an annoying hum is heard in the background. Is this problem due to the inferior quality of my hi-fi? It might be, but the fact is that this maddening defect has appeared only on very few of my cds (it is also very evident on recordings of the King's College Choir).

I recommend in addition to this cd Ockeghem's Mass "De plus en plus" by the Orlando Consort. Ockeghem's Great Lament for the death of Jean Binchois is in my opinion much more beautiful and moving than Desprez's own lament for Ockeghem on this cd.

I also warmly recommend "Desprez: Motets", also by the Orlando Consort, an imported October 2000 Deutsche Grammophon CD, for me one of the best, if not the best Renaissance sacred music recording. IMHO, The Orlando Consort sings and interprets Desprez infinitely better than the Hilliard Ensemble and even beats the Tallis Scholars.

The total duration of this recording is 50 minutes.

Splendid.......2005-02-23

Other reviewers have pretty much said it all-- all I can add is-- if you don't like James's voice, then don't listen to Hilliard. David James is to the Hilliard Ensemble what The Edge is to U2. ;)

Beyond Chant: Mysteries Of The Renaissance

Average customer rating:

Great literature... but thats about it
Essential listening.
Captivating!
Lofty music
Slow down Maestro !

Beyond Chant: Mysteries Of The Renaissance

Manufacturer: Delos Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Hymns | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Voices Of Ascension: From Chant To Renaissance
The Greatest Choral Music of Palestrina: Prince of Music
Mysteries Beyond: Songs and Chants in Praise of Mary
Duruflé: Requiem Op.9/Messe Cum Jubilo,Op.11
Josquin Desprez: Motets & Chansons

ASIN: B0000006ZN
Release Date: 1994-05-23

Tracks:

Sicut Cervus
Ave Maria
Justorum Animae
Jesu Rex admirabilis
Exultate Deo
Exultate Justi
Jesu,Dulcis Memoria
Ave Verum Corpus
Psalm 90
Psalm 96
Hodie Christus Natus Est
O Maria Virgo Pia
Tu Pauperum Refugium
O Sacrum Convivium
If Ye Love Me,Keep My Commandments
Hosanna To The Son Of David
O Quam Gloriosum
Selig sind die Toten
Heu Nos Miseros
Exaltabo Te
O Sing Joyfully
O Magnum Mysterium
Laudate Nomen
Cantate Domino

Amazon.com

Go right to the first track and prepare for one of the most masterful and stylish performances of Palestrina that you'll ever hear. It's not flashy music nor is the singing especially virtuosic, but the unified phrasing, ideal balance among sections, and overall ensemble technique is impressive, and Palestrina's little motet simply opens and displays itself like a beautiful flower. The rest of the program, which includes a variety of beautiful flowers from composers such as Josquin, Sweelinck, and Tallis, maintains the same standard. Anyone looking for an introduction to Renaissance sacred choral music will find much here to encourage further exploration--standards like Byrd's "Ave verum corpus" and Victoria's "O magnum mysterium"-- and lesser known tiny masterpieces such as Victoria's "Jesu, dulcis memoria." The Voices of Ascension ranks with the world's finest choirs, and this recording reflects both the highest standard of choral singing and the highest standard of choral composition during the Renaissance. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

Great literature... but thats about it.......2007-06-17

This cd was mildly dissapointing, to say the least. The literature is fantastic. Some of the greats are featured on here with some of their best works. No doubt a great taste of the Renaissance, especially for someone new to it. However, I'm sorry to say that the performance is second-rate, at best. Dennis Keene apparently is either unaware, or just simply understudied when it comes to the Renaissance. He shows an incredible lack of messa di voce, which was what drove the counterpoint of the Renaissance. His interpretations rob this music of its deeply personal purpose. I would suggest the Hilliard Ensemble over any ensemble for Renaissance literature, and find it dissapointing that so many people praise such emotionless, understudied Renaissance ensembels such as the Voices of Ascension, the Tallis Scholars, and the Oxford Camerata, just to name a few. Very good literature... But always pick the Hilliard Ensemble or Anthony Rooley's Consort of Musike when you have the option. It seems like Paul Hillier and Anthony Rooley are the only two true Renaissance scholars currently conducting ensembles.

Essential listening........2007-03-05

This was my first CD of Renaissance choral music, as it undoubtably has been for a great many people. It offers the best possible introduction to the genre for 2 main reasons: 1. No other CD of Renaissance choral music contains such a varied cross-section of early to late Renaissance sacred music styles. 2. The performance and recording quality are fabulous.

Keene uses a variety of different voicings and numbers of singers according to the needs of each particular piece, sometimes with only 2 on a part. The ensemble heard on this recording is a select professional core of The Voices Of Ascension, one of the best choral groups in the country. The voices are all very rich and resonant, and the intonation through the entire CD is unquestionably on par with the best in the world. The singing is, for the most part, completelly vibratoless and extremely smooth, which creates a gorgeous purity that allows this music to shine. However, it does become strident at times, which may put off some choral conductors who are strongly against straight-tone singing.

Of particularly high quality and beauty are the Viadana "Exultate Justi", Byrd's "Ave Verum Corpus", Tallis' "O Sacrum Convivium", and the Victoria and Sweelinck pieces. Another extraordinary track is Leonardo Leo's "Heu Nos Miseros", a late Baroque piece included because of its influence from earlier styles. It is a 9 part double choir piece full of extravigant dissonances and emotion, performed breathtakingly.

Captivating!.......2006-04-12

I was christened as a choral music fan once, as a college student, I heard the music of the Cambridge Singers. Inundated with classical music for years, how could I never have heard such music?! It was as if my musical senses were born anew: for it was with the same awe as a child encountering the world for the first time, that I discovered this novel and fascinating world of a cappella choral music. There were landmark discoveries along the way: Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge; Concordia Choir; St. Olaf Choir; the Dale Warland Singers; the Kansas City Chorale; Kantorei; the West Coast Mennonite Chamber Singers...and (as you expected!) I must end with the Voices of Ascension. The clarity of their pure voices can only be paralleled by the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge. Chant haters, do not avoid this CD - you will find no chants here! Chants hold absolutely NO intrigue for me and I cannot endure listening to them for long periods of time. By contrast, this music, aptly named "Beyond Chant," truly does uncover hidden musical treasures of the Renaissance for those who would ordinarily avoid such music. The intricately woven a cappella harmonies are captivating and satisfying. I highly recommend this CD to all choral music fans.

Lofty music.......2005-10-14

Some of the earliest pieces of Christian music are the various kinds of chant. These hearken back to synagogue singing; there were various kinds of chant, including Gregorian, Old Roman, Mozarabic, Cistercian and Anglican chant. These tend toward the monophonic, singing with a single 'tune' or lone. They are generally without regular beats or set meters. However, in the Renaissance, monophonic chant grew into a polyphonic form, and this is one of the most glorious eras of music. (My shelves at home are filled with CDs of this sort.) Composers in this era include many represented on this disc - Palestrina, Desprez, Victoria, Lassus, Byrd, Gibbons and Tallis were some of the leading lights of the time. Lesser known but still glorious include Tye, Viadana, Sweelinck, Hassler, Batten and Schutz.

One of the interesting features of this disc is that it includes three pieces by Sweelinck, two psalm settings and 'Hodie Christus Natus Est'. (Sweelinck is very under-represented in recording and performance today). Some pieces are very well known - Byrd's 'Ave Verum Corpus' is perhaps one of the most familiar pieces from this period, as is Palestrina's 'Exultate Deo'. This is a collection that draws from the breadth of the Western Christian tradition of music from this time, with composers from Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Spain.

The composers here wrote liturgical music for Masses and other worship services, as well as other pieces - motets and other kinds of new music. This disc represents music that is two or three steps removed from plainsong and basic forms of chant - some are quite a bit distant. Viadana's composition for 'Exultate Justi', for example, was actually composed later, and despite being done in a more Renaissance style, shows decided influences of the Baroque (this might also be part of the performance of the Voices of the Ascension that gives this impression).

The Voices of Ascension, under the direction of Dennis Keene, grew out of the choir of the Church of the Ascension in New York City. Many of the singers are active soloists in addition to being part of this group (whose numbers vary, but often around 40). Keene is a conductor, organist and teacher (not an uncommon combination). Trained at Juilliard, he has led the Voices of Ascension through many outstanding recordings and performances.

This is a performance that is definitely uplifting, and a good collection of music in its breadth to introduce the glories of Renaissance polyphony to those who with little exposure to it. The recording quality is very good, and the choir is quite full and well suited for the music. Some have commented upon the tempo, but this was not a concern for me, and did not stand out as unusual or a problem upon listening (indeed, there were a few points at which I might wish for it to be a bit faster, rather than slower).

A collection that soars!

Slow down Maestro !.......2004-01-04

Another reviewer writing about another album by Dennis Keene wrote:

"Yet the performance is not the slowly flowing honey usually served up by, say, the Tallis Scholars (as good as that is). Particularly in the Gloria and Credo of the Mass, Dennis Keene deliberately de-emphasizes the rise and fall of the different voices' lines in favor of a more naturally speech-like declamation of the long Latin texts. This means a surprisingly fast tempo--and some rhythmic spring and syncopation one might not expect in Palestrina. Some (not all) of the motets get a similar treatment: it works well in joyous pieces like the Pentecost motet Dum complerentur, but listeners might miss that melodic rise and fall in some of the slower works. The singers of Voices of Ascension are quite skillful, and the slight edge in their tone helps make the different melodies unusually audible. Very worthwhile, but not your father's Palestrina."

As a matter of fact, I used to like this album quite much although it was certainly not my favorite. That was until I listened to Robert shaw's "O Magnum Mysterium", which is amedley of Renaissance, negro spiritual, Russian and Western contemporary religious music. I was struck by Shaw's profoundly spiritual interpretation of the pieces by Victoria and Tallis that are also recorded on "Beyond Chant".

From then on I could no longer listen to this cd without feeling feeling increasingly dissatisfied. I tried to find a precise reason and not being a music specialist I was quite at a loss until I found the review above. Maybe the quick tempo is the key to my dislike.

I definitely feel that Dennis Keene and his singers do not have the depth of the Robert Shaw Festival Singers although the booklet accompanying the cd claims that the audience was spellbound by their performance, which took place in a cathedral in New York.

Tracks:

Ave Maria
Ave Maria, Mater Dei
Magnificat
Stabat Virgo Maria
Maria, Quid Ploras
The Angel Cried Out
Regina Caeli Laetare
Alma Redemptoris Mater
Ave Maris Stella
O Thou Joy Of All The Sorrowful
Ave Regina Caelorum A 8
Ave Maria A 4
Salve Regina A 5

Amazon.com

In the wake of its previous, Grammy-winning disc of contemporary madrigals (Colors of Love), the all-male a cappella ensemble that calls itself Chanticleer--in homage to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales --comes home to roost in this theme album of early music. After all, this is the territory that Chanticleer first staked out when the group banded together in 1978, and the return is most welcome. Magnificat offers manifold rewards, from the sensitive, imaginative culling of its program to the warmth and lithe interweaving of vocal layers in its execution (vividly recorded in splendid 20/24-bit process at the Skywalker Ranch)--not to mention the capsule music history that it traces. Like depictions of the Annunciation in medieval and Renaissance paintings, musical settings of texts that are centered on Mary abound during this period. Chanticleer's anthology includes familiar gems (the hymn "Ave Maris Stella"), but the group is delightfully unpredictable in many of its choices: examples of the polychoral sacred music of Russian Vasily Titov, contrafactum reworkings of two Monteverdi madrigals to Marian texts, and a full Magnificat setting by Tudor master John Taverner. The latter gives a microcosm of Chanticleer's vocal versatility, presenting stern, unadorned plainsong side-by-side with melodies that blossom like tendrils. Or listen to the ensemble's dynamic control, from the exultant climaxes of the Titov choral concerto to the achingly beautiful, held diminuendo on the second Monteverdi piece. Most impressive of all is that Chanticleer manages to avoid the bane of a cappella groups--a bland, homogenized sameness of sound--through its subtle variations in color and thoughtful musicality. A real treasure. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful with excellent sound engineering and singing.......2007-06-27

I got what I wanted ---some absolutely beautiful compositions with exquiste voices.
Should be a grammy nominee

Beautiful performances and some nice surprises.......2005-06-17

This is a nice anthology of Renaissance music encompassing key composers of both the Prima and Seconda Prattica, including one or two less known names. The uniting theme is that of they are all in praise of the Virgin Mary. Most of these works are old war horses such as the Josquin Ave Maria which is beautifully performed. Their tempo for the Josquin is similar to that of the spacious approach of the Hilliard Ensemble, and unless you like this music performed at breakneck speed you will likely find this performance perfectly satisfying. If you are interested in an anthology of Renaissance music then this is a great choice, however for those of us with a strong interest in music of this period what really makes this essential listening is the two extraordinary pieces by Vasily Titov.

Titov composed at the time of Tsar Peter the Great's modernisation drive in Russia. He brought in composers from the West and Titov's music represents a marriage of the Italian compositional styles of the Seconda Prattica with the traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church. Like the grand architecture of St Petersburgs, and the Hermitage this is an fascinating mixture of Western influences with distinctly Russian ones. The twelve part polychoral writings have some of the dark solemnity of Russian Orthodox music while clearly being heavily influenced by the likes of Monteverdi, Gabrielli, Lassus and Palestrina. Perhaps a more authentically Russian approach to this music would have given far more prominence to the basses, but this still has trumendous impact. It makes it strange that there is so much interest in composers such as Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Moussorsky, Shostakovich and the like but the Early Music movement have yet to catch up with Eastern Europe - Titov is very easily their equal and I would welcome more substantial recordings devoted to exploring this neglected composer.

This is a great recording recommended both to a general audience as well as to lovers of Renaissance music alike. The recorded sound is natural and full bodied. You can pick out individual voices in the chorus without them being drowned into an amorphous porridge of sound - a sign of a good recording. Still, I have heard wider sound staging and a wider dynamic range, so for all its virtues this is almost - but not quite - audiophile quality. Clearly a SACD format DSD recording would have been preferable.

Heavenly.......2003-01-04

This is one of my first two DVD-audio discs. Some tracks are recorded from the audience perspective, with the choir across the front and cathedral ambience all around, and those are beautiful, but I gotta say I love the, "choir-around the room" recordings a little more. Track 3 in particular has the choir "doubled" with parts recorded seperately with the choir at the rear of the cathedral, a then they moved 'em all down front, and stuck the tracks together through the magic of digital editing. I don't have a DVD-audio player yet so I'm just listening to the compressed Dolby 5.1 tracks. Can't imagine it sounding any better, though. Get this disc. Seriously, do it so you can go to heaven!

Marvelous sound.......2002-03-08

This recording wraps you up in a gorgeous sonority, and I'm only listening in stereo. I can't wait to hear it when I fill out my speaker ensemble.

Gorgeous choral voices surrounding you.......2002-02-03

I hesitated to buy this disc until a friend told me he knew one of the members of Chanticleer; then again I also had nothing like it in my collection. The sound is rich and resonant. You should know it is recorded realistically, in a variety of soundfields, i.e. sometimes there is a processional from front to rear, sometimes choruses on upper left/right, or from all around you, depending on the material. If that sounds disconcerting be assured it isn't. This is a beautiful and soothing disc with a nice variety to it, and the sound is wonderful.

Voices Of Ascension: From Chant To Renaissance

Average customer rating:

The best early choral music recording I've heard!

Voices Of Ascension: From Chant To Renaissance
Peter Stewart , English Anonymous , William Byrd , Gregorian Chant , Guillaume Dufay , Richard Farrant , Hildegard of Bingen , Marc' Antonio Ingegneri , Heinrich Isaac , Josquin Desprez , Antonio Lotti , Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina , Thomas Tallis , Thomas Weelkes , Dennis Keene , Kathy Theil , Susanne Peck , Alexandra Montano , Jeffrey Johnson , Neil Farrell , Thom Baker , and Voices Of Ascension
Manufacturer: Delos Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Chants | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Hymns | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Beyond Chant: Mysteries Of The Renaissance
The Greatest Choral Music of Palestrina: Prince of Music
Mysteries Beyond: Songs and Chants in Praise of Mary
Duruflé: Requiem Op.9/Messe Cum Jubilo,Op.11
Voices of Angels

ASIN: B0000006ZX
Release Date: 2002-01-08

Tracks:

Hildegard of Bingen: O virga ac diadema
Palestrina: Sitivit anima mea
Byrd: Justorum animae
Isaac: Sanctus
Josquin: Ave Christe
Dufay: Alma Redmptoris Mater
Byrd: Rejoice, rejoice
(chant): Kyrie eleison
Palestrina: Surge illuminare
(chant): Sanctus
Tallis: In ieiunio et fletu
Palestrina: Hodie Christus Natus Est
Byrd: Sing joyfully
Farrant: Lord, for thy tender mercy's sake
Hildegard of Bingen: Ave generosa
Byrd: Miserere mei, Deus
(anonymous): Rejoice in the Lord alway - Anonymous
(chant): Ave Verum Corpus
(chant): Agnus Dei
Lotti: Crucifixus
Ingegneri: Tenebrae factae sunt
Palestrina: Ascendo ad Patrem
Weelkes: Hosanna to the Son of David
Weelkes: Alleluia, I heard a voice

Customer Reviews:

The best early choral music recording I've heard!.......1999-07-25

This is a stunning recording, including well-known and not-so-well-known works.

Average customer rating:

Herreweghe at his best
sacred music at its best
a beautiful tribute to the blessed mother

Josquin Desprez: Stabat Mater, Motets
Josquin Desprez , Philippe Herreweghe , and La Chapelle Royale
Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000076F
Release Date: 1989-04-27

Tracks:

Motets: Ave Maria
Motets: Stabat mater dolorosa
Motets: Salve Regina
Motets: Ave nobilissima creatura
Motets: O bone et dulcissime Jesu
Motets: Usquequo, Domine, oblivisceris me
Motets: Miserere mei, Deus

Amazon.com essential recording

The Mass was for Renaissance composers what the symphony was for 19th-century composers--the most respected and prestigious musical form. One result of this is that today, most recordings devoted to specific Renaissance composers (as opposed to anthologies) concentrate on Masses, with perhaps a few motets thrown in on the side. Here Harmonia Mundi features nine of Josquin's finest motets, including the limpid Ave Maria/Virgo serena (something of a Renaissance warhorse), Stabat Mater (surprisingly serene for a text about Mary weeping at the foot of the Cross), and the sublime Miserere mei, Deus, a setting of the penitential Psalm 51 for Holy Week built around the tenor voice intoning "miserere mei, Deus" ("have mercy on me, O God") on each note of the scale in succession. Philippe Herreweghe is best known these days for his Bach and Beethoven, but he has a wonderful way with Renaissance music as well. The Paris-based La Chapelle Royale makes a clear, lean sound--somewhat cooler than that of Herreweghe's Belgian choir Collegium Vocale, yet well-suited to Josquin's lucid part-writing. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Herreweghe at his best.......2003-06-20

I must agree with the previous reviewers whose elaborate praise I need not repeat here. The intonation is flawless, the tempi and the mood could not be more perfectly suitable to the pieces sung. One of the most beautiful aspects of this recording is that it allows - or rather begs - the listener to hear the words as they are being sung and to comprehend them in the context of the music - a quality that is sorely lacking in other renaissance recordings. This is delightfully obvious throughout Stabat Mater (which stands out here as perhaps the most pleasing piece on the album along with the marvelous Miserere mei), especially in the 18th stanza where Mary is invoked to protect the faithful against the consuming fires on the Day of Judgement. The words are sung in perfect clarity, as Josquin here blatantly intended: 'Inflammatus et accensus, per te, Virgo, sim defensus in die iudicii'. Only the text included in the CD pamphlet reads 'Flammis ne urar succensus...etc.'. This of course does not change the stanza's meaning or intention in the least, and does little indeed to detract from the sheer acoustic beauty of the piece. Nevertheless, let the listener be informed that at least three (slightly) different versions of the motet exist. I think it would be nice if recording labels were to avoid such simple and needless discrepencies. If Josquin composed so clearly, if Herreweghe and La chapelle Royale can sing so transparently, then let's frost the cake by allowing this clarity to reach the listener (most of whom are probably unfamiliar to the latin text of this motet. Or perhaps indifferent, but that is another story altogether).
On a positive note, I am sorry that Herreweghe does not record more polyphony from this era. His interpretations are that rare and refined blend between musical proffesionalism and reverent mood. This is where the real harmony lies in renaissance music. I would love to hear Victoria's Requiem performed by Herreweghe and La Chapelle Royale (some other pieces of this caliber readily come to mind as well...).
Another strong recommendation by the same interpreter is Lassus's Lacrimae.

sacred music at its best.......2001-06-09

This is one of those rare CDs that I can put on in the morning, and play for the rest of the day...it has simplicity, grace, and majesty all on one disc. I love it for listening, or for background music...it surrounds me with peace and serenity, and is also a wonderful CD for meditation.

This performance by Philippe Herreweghe of these beautiful 16th century motets is impeccable...and the sound is great. It's hard to pick any favorites out of these 7 pieces, as they blend one to the other in one stream of transcendant music.

The enclosed booklet has the words to these sacred works in Latin, and an explanation of the music in 3 languages, though I found the English (a translation from the French), impossible to understand ! The cover painting by the 14th century artist Simone Martini is the perfect complement to this exquisite CD, one of my most treasured, and most often played.

a beautiful tribute to the blessed mother.......2000-04-23

this recording must have been sent from heaven it is great from beginning to end the voices are brilliant it makes you fell great. truely a must for anyone looking for inspirational music.

Average customer rating:

One of the highlights of the Clerk's group Ockeghem series

Ockeghem: Missa Prolationum: 5 Motets
Jacob Obrecht , Johannes Ockeghem , Antoine Busnois , Johannes Pullois , Josquin Desprez , Clerks' Group , and Edward Wickham
Manufacturer: Gaudeamus
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Ockeghem: Missa Cuiusvis Toni / Missa Quinti Toni
Ockeghem: Missa Mi-Mi
Ockeghem: Requiem; Missa Fors Seulement
Ockeghem: Missa L'homme Arme, Missa Sine Nomine a3
Perotin / The Hilliard Ensemble

ASIN: B0000030OM
Release Date: 1995-11-14

Tracks:

Humilium Decus
Missa Prolationum: Kyrie
Missa Prolationum: Gloria
Missa Prolationum: Credo
Missa Prolationum: Sanctus
Missa Prolationum: Benedictus
Missa Prolationum: Agnus Dei
Gaude Coelestis Domina
In Hydraulis
Flos De Spina
Illibata Del Virgo Nutix

Customer Reviews:

One of the highlights of the Clerk's group Ockeghem series.......2005-08-03

Johannes Ockeghem (c1410 - 1497) was a composer who had one of the most far reaching impacts on the history of music. He was also the father of the musical form of the canon. So whether it is a canon by a modern composer, by Bach or by Pachabel - all these are but ripples of the impact that this man had on the destiny of Western music. However of all of the surviving works - there is a sadly lost 36 part mass cycle - the Missa Prolationum is the one that shows the grandiosity of his musical vision, his audacity and the genius of his mind perhaps far greater than any other. Ockeghem is the father of period of flowering of Renaissance music that after him reached a peak of complex richness that has perhaps never had its equal since. On his death the finest composers in Europe gathered together to pay him tribute - including Josquin, la Rue, and Obrecht.

The Mass is a canon cycle in which different sections of the choir sing the canon simultaneously at two different tempi (prolationum refers to different subdivisions of the whole note) - in other words it is a double canon. The cycle progresses with each section starting with a double canon at the unison, then at the second, third and so on up a double canon at the octave. It all sounds phenomenally complex in theory but listening to the work, the results have an effortlessly fluent yet powerful impact of unflagging communicative power.

The recording here by the Clerk's group has much to recommend it. While many still swear by the recording by the Hilliard that recording is becoming difficult to obtain and some may prefer the use of sopranos in place of countertenors. At times the Clerk's group convey a greater drama and urgency that overall they compare favorably to the more subdued and introspective approach of the Hilliards.

The recording however is rather on the dry and boxy side with a grainy texture. In fact the recording from Musica Ficta under Bo Holten from Naxos sounds better than this - indeed they also have a recording of the Missa Prolationum. The Clerk's group couple their Mass with works by Josquin and Busnois.

One of the finest things about this release is the excellence of the program notes written by none other than Rob Wegman - a major authority on the music of these times, especially Obrecht - and a work that he argues strongly to be by him, Humilium Decus, is also included here in this recording. Program notes so good as to be worth special mention are as rare as hens teeth but Wegman's notes are a true model of their kind.

All things considered the recording overall still deserves to awarded five stars and if the quite nicely varied coupling suits then this should be seriously considered in choosing a recording of the Missa Prolationum - a work that is a perfect introduction to this composer.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful CD for ANY time of year!

Christmas Carols & Motets

Manufacturer: Gimell
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
ASIN: B00005ATCY
Release Date: 2001-11-13

Tracks:

Medieval Carols: Angelus Ad Virginem
Medieval Carols: Nowell Sing We
Medieval Carols: There Is No Rose
Medieval Carols: Nowell: Dieu Vous Grade
The Coventry Carol: Lullay: I Saw
The Coventry Carol: Lullay: Lully, Lulla, Thou Little Tiny Child
The Coventry Carol: Lullaby
Ave Maria: Four Voices
Ave Maria: Beata Es Virgo/Ave Maria/Seven Voices
Ave Maria: Four Voices
Ave Maria: Double Choir
German Chorales: Es Ist Ein' Ros'
German Chorales: Jospeh, Lieber Joseph
German Chorales: In Dulci Jubilo
German Chorales: Wachet Auf, Ruft Uns Die Stimme

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful CD for ANY time of year!.......2004-11-11

This was my first Tallis Scholars CD. I love it, especially "Angelus ad Virginum". One of the later tracks, (#9?), I have been fooled several times into thinking I heard strings, when of course, it was simply their very clear and precisely blended vocals. Unbelievable. Highly recommended.

Heavenly Spheres (L'Harmonie des Spheres)

Average customer rating:

I'm no scholar, but this is just lovely!
Beautiful, Unhackneyed Music
The title says it all...
Excellent Harmony! A powerful, yet relaxing experience!

Heavenly Spheres (L'Harmonie des Spheres)
Nicolas Gombert , Josquin Desprez , Orlande de Lassus , Cristobal de Morales , Jean Mouton , Tomas Luis de Victoria , Giaches de Wert , Orlando di Lasso , Giovanni Palestrina , Giacches de Wert , Christopher Jackson , Le Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montreal , and Christopher Jackson
Manufacturer: Musica Viva
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Richafort: Requiem in memoriam Josquin Desprez; Motets /Huelgas Ensemble * P van Nevel
Lassus: Masses for Five Voices; Infelix ego
Willaert: Missa Christus Resurgens, Magnificat Sexti Toni, etc / Summerly, Oxford Camerata
An Inconvenient Truth

ASIN: B00000HYTG
Release Date: 1999-01-26

Tracks:

e sur la mort de Josquin: Musae Jovis voix
Motet: Inviolata, integra et casta es voix
Motet: Tulerunt Dominum meum voix
Motet: Nesciens mater voix
Motet: Andreas Christi famulus voix
Motet: Salve Regina voix hautes
Motet: Beatus Laurentius voix
Motet: Omnes de Saba venient voix en deux choeurs
Litaniae de Beata Virgine Maria voix - Palestrina
Motet: Vidi speciosam sicut columbam voix
Motet: Ascendente Jesu in naviculam voix
Motet: Peccavi super numerum voix

Amazon.com

If you heard this record in a blind test, you'd probably guess it was Philippe Herreweghe's European Vocal Ensemble or midcareer Tallis Scholars (before their immaculate singing took on a glassy-eyed chill). Surely a choir from some European hotbed of early music like... Montreal?! Yes, indeed. Christopher Jackson and his Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal have been quietly working away up north for years; only in the late 1990s have they been making commercial recordings in a big way. Each one of these discs is better than the last: the group's Palestrina/Victoria release of 1998 and this anthology make a marvelous introduction to the a cappella sacred music of the Renaissance. Jackson and his choir capture the limpid reverence of Josquin's Inviolata and the thick richness of Mouton's Nesciens mater, the melancholy of Gombert's Musae Jovis and the cheer of Victoria's Vidi speciosam, and the combination of all those qualities in Gombert's Tulerunt Dominum meum and Palestrina's Salve Regina for four high voices. What's more, they do it with the same clarity of line and beauty of tone that made the Tallis Scholars world famous. May they have similar success. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

I'm no scholar, but this is just lovely!.......2001-08-27

This was my first experience listening to music from such an early period, and I was spellbound. I'm not qualified tojudge the scholarly accuracy of the performance practices, nor can I compare these to other performances of the same pieces. I can say only that the music has an unearthly beauty of a kind which is not found in later music. The vocal style is different from what we find in baroque, classical and romantic choral pieces. It has a profound purity which comes, at least partly, from an absence of vibrato. There are eight composers represented, among whom Josquin and Palestrina are the best known. (One of the composers is Giacches de Wert, who, contrary to the Amazon listing, is not the conductor! The conductor is Christopher Jackson, and the ensemble is the Montreal Studio of Ancient Music, if I've translated the French correctly.) A beautiful recording. It was my first CD of "early" music, but it will not be my last!

Beautiful, Unhackneyed Music.......2001-06-05

The opening Gombert Lament is a stunner, as is everything on this disk. It is recorded in a live, but not muddy, acoustic which really puts a beautiful "glow" on the proceedings. This would have gotten 5 stars from me except for the lack of texts and translations.

The title says it all..........2000-12-19

Truly, the music on this CD must be what heaven sounds like! The "Tulerunt Dominum Meus" is outstanding. The only thing that could be added to this CD is a translation from Latin to English. Even so, not knowing the meaning of the words will not keep one from being transported in ecstasy while listening to this gorgeous music.

Excellent Harmony! A powerful, yet relaxing experience!.......1999-05-23

This is a great choice for someone who loves tight well organized harmony.The arrangements on some of the eight-part harmony is outstanding!A truly great album.A must for any collection.