Josquin: Missa Pange Lingua & Motets

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The Missa Pange Lingua is widely considered to be Josquin's greatest Mass cycle; it's certainly the most widely recorded. The Mass is based on a particularly lovely tune, a plainchant hymn venerating the Body of Christ. Unusually for Josquin, the titular melody is not stated in long notes in the tenor voice; rather, all four voices sing variations on the tune, forming a sort of extended fantasia. The recorded sound here--in the Mass and the three plainchant hymns on the disc, including "Pange lingua"--is rather different from that of the other issues in Ensemble a Sei Voci's admirable Josquin series. The acoustic is very resonant, and the microphones were evidently placed at some distance from the singers. The resulting halo of reverberation camouflages some occasionally messy execution from the children singing the top line, but it also seems to confer an air of spirituality on the music-making. On the whole, the performance is impressive--not as sublime as that by Ensemble Clément Janequin and Ensemble Organum, perhaps, but very good indeed, and the Agnus Dei is breathtaking. The disc also includes three motets performed by adult male voices only; tellingly, perhaps, the recorded sound is much closer and clearer in these pieces. Oddly, the most interesting of the three seems to be a forgery: "Christus mortuus est," a six-voice motet published under Josquin's name 40 years after his death. It's a worthy piece, and A Sei Voci does well by it, regardless of its pedigree. --Matthew Westphal --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Josquin: Missa Pange Lingua & Motets, Music, Gregorian Chant, Josquin Desprez, Bernard Fabre-Garrus, A Sei Voci, Orchestre Philharmonique de Pays de Loire, Choral, Choral Music, Classical, Classical Music, Early Music / Chant, Mass, Mass Section, Motet, Western European Chant

Josquin des Prés: Missa Pange Lingua; Missa La Sol Fa Re Mi
Average customer rating:

Josquin- Divine performance

Beautiful music...

FAMOUS BELGIANS

Michael tierra

Astonishing inventiveness -- staggering genius!

Josquin des Prés: Missa Pange Lingua; Missa La Sol Fa Re Mi
Josquin Desprez , and Tallis Scholars
Manufacturer: Gimell UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Josquin Desprez: Motets & Chansons

Josquin: L'homme armé Masses

Dufay: Missa L'homme armé; Supremum est mortalibus bonum

Monteverdi: Vespro Della Beata Vergine

Josquin: Missa L'homme armé; Ave Maria; Absalom fili mi

ASIN: B00005ATCX
Release Date: 2001-06-12

Tracks:

Pange Lingua
Missa Pange Lingua: Kyrie
Missa Pange Lingua: Gloria
Missa Pange Lingua: Credo
Missa Pange Lingua: Sanctus & Benedictus
Missa Pange Lingua: Agnus Dei I, II & III
Missa La Sol Fa Re Mi: Kyrie
Missa La Sol Fa Re Mi: Gloria
Missa La Sol Fa Re Mi: Credo
Missa La Sol Fa Re Mi: Sanctus & Benedictus
Missa La Sol Fa Re Mi: Agnus Dei I, II & III

Amazon.com

This disc is very much a mixed bag. The Tallis Scholars give Josquin's great Pange lingua Mass a rather pedestrian reading: all the variations Josquin works on the plainchant hymn tune are audible, but the balances are off (Phillips has transposed the music up to suit his sopranos and altos); some key rhythmic relationships were misread; and the singers sound yet again as if they'd rather be doing Palestrina. Something happened during the recording sessions, though, because their Missa "la sol fa re mi" is stunning. The titular theme (A-G-F-D-E) of this inspired Mass is present throughout, run forward, backward, and upside-down by Josquin with ingenuity and beauty. The Tallis Scholars capture all the music's inspiration and spirituality in a performance that, quite frankly, seems touched by the Divine. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Josquin- Divine performance.......2007-05-25

I own an extensive library of Sacred chant and choral music, this Cd is at the top of my collection. The performance and recording quality are superior to any of the other 5 Josquin cds I own. This is the Josquin cd to own pure and simple. Having studied classical music I can honestly say this is an amazing piece of work and truely Divine in it's nature....

Beautiful music..........2004-06-11

--Josquin des Prez--
Josquin des Prez was one of the greatest Dutch composers. Born about 1450, he worked through much of his career in church positions. A student of Johan Ockeghem, a Flemish contrapuntist, he developed this considerably during his career. A singer in papal choirs under two popes, Josquin also spent time in Florence and Burgundy. One of his star pupils wrote a book of music methodology in which Josquin is described as 'princeps musicorum'. Josquin's contrapuntal style differs from straight polyphony in points of emphasis, but were universally admired in his time, and continue to be used in churches to this day. Josquin died in 1521

--Plainchant--
Plainchant is basically another word for chant of Gregorian or other styles, being monophonic and in free rhythm. The particular piece here, Pange lingua, was originally a hymn for the feast of Corpus Christi. The first track on this CD presents the plainchant version without embellishment; perhaps as one would have originally heard it in a medieval monastery.

--Missa Pange lingua--
This mass, set for four voices, was possibly Josquin's last mass setting of his long career. Likely dating as late as 1520 (it wasn't published until 1539), it is a mature piece, no longer chasing after musical puzzles to be solved, but rather free and flowing in form. Gustave Reese (quoted in the liner notes) describes it as a 'fantasy on a plainsong.' Soprano is highly used in this mass.

--Missa La sol fa re mi--
This mass is an earlier one, published in 1502, and sets the task of setting a mass based on medieval scales (think here 'Sound of Music' and the do-re-mi) - the pattern of five notes, A-G-F-D-E is evident throughout the parts of the mass, particularly in the tenor. This is a technical and sophisticated masterpiece.

All of these pieces are wonderfully performed, and taken together, they make a wonderful snapshot of Roman Catholic/high Anglican sensibility from the time of triumphant church, just before the Reformation (but still influencing high-church worship and music to this day). They also serve to show a wonderful history of development from the simple to the complex, and the virtues of the music at both stages.

--Liner Notes--
Being internationally acclaimed, the Tallis Scholars' CDs typically present their commentary and texts in English, French, German and Italian; that is true of this disc, which unfortunately does not contain the text of the mass or the plainchant Pange lingua. The cover art also typically represents visual arts contemporary with the compositions - here it is The Deposition, painted circa 1510 - 1515, a piece by Gerard David, who was an historical contemporary of Josquin des Prez. One drawback is that there is little information on the Tallis Scholars or Peter Phillips in the booklet.

--The Tallis Scholars--
The Tallis Scholars, a favourite group of mine since the first time I heard them decades ago, are a group dedicated to the performance and preservation of the best of this type of music. A choral group of exceptional ability, I have been privileged to see them many times in public, and at almost every performance, their singing seems almost like a spiritual epiphany for me, one that defies explanation in words. Directed by Peter Phillips, the group consists of a small number of male and female singers who have trained themselves well to their task.

Their recordings are of a consistent quality that deserve more than five stars; this particular disc of pieces of plainchant and Josquin des Prez deserves a place of honour in the collection of anyone who loves choral music, liturgical music or Gregorian chant, classical music generally, or religious music. This particular recording was made at Merton College, Oxford, in 1986.

FAMOUS BELGIANS.......2004-01-28

Josquin lived nearly a century before Palestrina and Lassus. He is thought to have spent some time in Italy and thus to have contributed to the Flemish influence on Italian polyphony, in which matter he was followed by Lassus himself. These two masses are widely separated by date, and is easy to discern a development in his style from the sectional structure of the Missa La sol fa re mi to the more continuous manner of the Missa Pange Lingua. The stylistic feature of antiphonal responses between the parts is one in which he was conspicuously followed by Lassus and much less by Palestrina, and may be a distinctively Flemish characteristic.

There are three works on this disc, and there is a separate style of recording for each. We are evidently dealing with a very clever recording consultant here. The plainsong Pange Lingua, one of the most marvellous of the plainchants, is given an echoing acoustic suggestive of the standard image of hooded monks as one might encounter that in, say, a Vincent Price film. I buy the effect wholeheartedly, except to say that it certainly does not recall to me the acoustic of the impressive but hardly monastic chapel of Merton College Oxford. Meretricious or not, the effect has at least one out-and-out admirer, and my pleasure was further enhanced on hearing the last two stanzas, the dreaded Tantum Ergo of so many excruciating Victorian settings, sung to its great original melody.

The Missa La sol fa re mi, (the notes A,G,F,D,E in modern parlance and cantance) seems to be regarded as a triumph here by commentators in general. Whether this short canto fermo originated in a parody of the phrase `Lascia faremi' or `Be missing', supposedly associated with some unknown but clearly important personage, is not established. The singing and mastery of style that we have come to associate with so many Oxford and Cambridge groups in recent years are here blessed with a recorded sound that is a masterpiece of clarity and natural resonance. Something changes for the Missa Pange Lingua. I cannot myself perceive here any unsuitable affinity with the style of Palestrina. The vocal line itself is most un-Palestrina-like, and the rendition has a slightly nervy alertness that would not suit Palestrina to my ears. What is conspicuously different is the recorded sound, this time more constricted and slightly more distant. If this was a misjudgment, it was at least a misjudgment in the right direction, as the style of this Mass is less `winning' than that of the other, and more austere. I am reluctant to be judgmental about this, given the obvious virtuosity of the recording engineer. Whether I like the different effect or not, I can't suspect it was unintentional.

A notable issue one way or the other, and heartily recommended.

Michael tierra.......2002-01-10

Usually only a connosieur would buy an album such as this. The fact is that in today's world of singing renaissance music, it just doesn't get any better than the Tallis Scholars. An album to the greatest composer of the 15th century, Josquin Des Pres by them has to be definitive singing of this rich polyphonic music. This is not the usual mood-based rehash of medieval music as is sung by solo women's voices. However beautiful this is, despite the claim that it was sung in 'nunneries' which no one but other nuns would have heard, sacred medeival and renaissance music was mostly intended to be sung by men as boys, countertenors, tenors and basses. Hildegarde and Anonymous Four set the stage for many copycat women's ensembles to do similar music. However, the Tallis Scholars have women who sing with pure sound with a minimum of vibrato - anathema to this kind of music. Intonation is impeccable as one would expect. But the added thing is that Peter Phillips knows this music so well, he is able to add personal interpretative touches that gives their performance unique character and distinction. With Josquin, one is bathed in polyphony with gorgeious melifluous lines come at one from all sides. Yet, for those who are discerning and after repeated hearing, his music has a rhythmic and harmonic 'earthiness'. Josquin set the standard for over 150 years of music making after him.
Peter Philips and the Tallis Scholars set the contemporary standard for how this music should be performed and sung.

I would love to hear them do an album of Josquin's rowdy, and sometimes near-bawdy secular music.

Astonishing inventiveness -- staggering genius!.......2001-10-24

Josquin's musical legacy is one of extremes. Most lay people have never heard of him -- many musicologists consider him the greatest composer of all time. To be honest, I have not studied his music enough to agree wholeheartedly with the latter viewpoint, however, this beautifully performed and recorded CD shows how there may be a strong case for his claim to genius. The two works featured cover the span of his writing. Pange lingua was published in 1539 and Missa La sol fa re mi in 1502. Pange lingua shows his penchant for expressive variety, and La sol fa re mi his inventiveness at writing an entire mass retaining the statement of five notes throughout.

Average customer rating:

Glorious
Absolutely first rate

Josquin des Préz: Missa Pange Lingua
Josquin des Préz , James O'Donnell , and Westminster Cathedral Choir
Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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

ASIN: B000002ZRS
Release Date: 1994-01-12

Tracks:

Missa Pange Lingua: Kyrie
Missa Pange Lingua: Gloria
Missa Pange Lingua: Credo
Missa Pange Lingua: Sanctus
Missa Pange Lingua: Benedictus
Missa Pange Lingua: Agnus Dei
Planxit Autem David
Planxit Autem David: ... Montes Gelboe
Planxit Autem David: ... sagitta Jonathae
Planxit Autem David: ... Doleo Super te
Vultum Tuum: Vulturn tuum (Introit Substitute)
Vultum Tuum: Sancta Dei Genetrix (Gloria Substitute)
Vultum Tuum: Intemerata Virgo (Credo Substitute)
Vultum Tuum: Ave Maria (Offertory Substitute)
Vultum Tuum: O Maria (Sanctus Substitute)
Vultum Tuum: Tu lumen (Elevation Motet)
Vultum Tuum: Mente tota (After Elevation)
Vultum Tuum: Christe, Fili Dei (Agnus Dei Substitute)
Vultum Tuum: Ora Pro Nobis (Deo Gracias Substitute)

Customer Reviews:

Glorious.......2002-02-03

I bought this recording because I am desperately in love with the composer -- Josquin Desprez. For reasons I can't quite explain, his music moves me and inspires me as few other Renaissance composers can. I first became acquainted with him while singing his "Missa de Beata Virgine" with my own university choir a few years back. Since then I have acquired several recordings of his music, all by mixed choirs, and all of which I greatly enjoy. But I thought it would also be nice to hear his music performed by a choir of men and boys, as Josquin originally intended.

I was right; this is an excellent recording, and the Choir of Westminster Cathedral is superb. They are right at home with this music -- the intricate rythms and counterpoints that characterize Josquin's music are executed virtually flawlessly on every occasion. The balance of voices is also very good -- the trebles strong, but not too loud; the gentlemen powerful but not overbearing, including the very fine tenor and bass soloists in the "Benedictus." In addition to the Missa Pange Lingua, Josquin's best-known mass, the recording features over a dozen other Josquin pieces, including the very lovely "Ave Maria," and "Ora Pro Nobis," whose ending is so beautiful I had to close my eyes to soak it in.

There is not much else to say except that if you like Josquin Desprez in particular, Renaissance music in general, and/or Westminster Cathedral Choir, then there is no way this CD could disappoint you. Buy it, sit back, and enjoy.

Absolutely first rate.......2001-06-26

There has been quite a few mixed-choir versions of this music recorded in the intimatacy of smaller churches, but this music really comes to life with trebles and in a cathedral setting. James O'Donnell gives a direct, unembellished view of Missa Pange Lingua. It is easy to take the refinement of the choir for granted, and the recording is up to the standard of other Westminster recordings on Hyperion. For those who want an up-to-date version with trebles, this is the CD to buy.

Early Sixteenth Century Venetian Lute Music

Average customer rating:

Apollo's Lyre come to life

Early Sixteenth Century Venetian Lute Music

Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Royal Lewters: Music of Henry VIII & Elizabeth I's
Lusty Gallant: England's Golden Age
Baroque Lute Music, Vol. 1
Early Venetian Lute Music
Lute Music, Vol. 2

ASIN: B00000I9GI
Release Date: 1999-03-09

Tracks:

Pavana alla venetiana
Saltarello
Piva
Recercar primo
De tous bien playne
De tu biens plaene: De tu biens plaene - nel ton del primo recercar
Padoana belissima
Spagna seconda
Recercar II:XIII: Recercar II:XIII - che sono mi solo. bello. che altri che mi on la
O mia ciecha e dura sorte
Che farala, che dirala
Recercare
Malor me bat
Piva
Laudato Dio
Recercar
Calata ala spagnola ditto terzetti
Recercar quinto: Recercar quinto - belissimo
Non ti spiaqua l'ascoltar - motetto bello
La vilanela
Recercare
Adiu mes amours
Recercare
Tientalora, Balletto da ballare
Et interra pax: Et interra pax - niun non la solum mi
Qui tolis pechata mondi: Qui tolis pechata mondi - chosa belisima
Tastar de corde - Recercar dietro
Pavana alla ferrarese
Saltarello
Piva

Customer Reviews:

Apollo's Lyre come to life.......2005-05-03

Five hundred years ago, a humble lute student by the name of Vidal recorded his master's compositions in a hand-drawn tabulature book. Well aware of the ill-fate befalling musical masterpieces with the passage of time and generations, he decided to embellish the book's pages with fantastic hand-painted scenes - "so that even the unlearned man, seduced by its visual beauty, may preserve it and pass it on intact."

It is thanks to Vidal's foresight that today this precious manuscript survives, along with the sublime music it contains. And this CD is one of the absolute best performances of it I have heard.

Paul O'Dette chose three composers to represent early Northern Italian lute output: along with Vidal's master (Vincenzo Capirola, dated around 1517), there is the music from the two earliest surviving printed lute tabulature books - Francesco Spinacino and Joanambrosio Dalza (1508).

This early lute music is extremely diverse and fascinating, and O'Dette does it full justice in both piece-selection and interpretation. Dalza is best known for his bold dances, which show a strong influence of when the lute was played with a plectrum rather than picked with the fingers. Spinacino stands out for his fiery ricercari, with alternating fast single-note runs and brief counterpointal meditations. But it is Capirola and his vast tapestry of colors that gets the lion's share in this CD (dances, ricercari, vocal pieces set for lute).

Words cannot describe how expressive and varied this music is. Listen to tracks 4 (Ricercare primo), 7 (Padoana bellissima) and 8 (Spagna seconda) to get a sense of the confidence and the maturity that this style had achieved by the early 16th Century.
The lute was rigtfully considered the most versatile musical medium, second only to the human voice - and O'Dette's performance of this incredible music makes you understand why.

Even among O'Dette's excellent CD lineup, this selection stands out as an extraordinary achievement. I could not recommend it more enthusiastically.

Juan de Anchieta: Missa Sine Nomine; Salve Regina

Average customer rating:

Ave naxos !
Ave naxos !

Juan de Anchieta: Missa Sine Nomine; Salve Regina

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Opera & Vocal | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000W3XP2
Release Date: 2004-01-20

Tracks:

L'homme Arme
Introitus: Salve Sancta Parens
Kyrie Eleison - Christe Eleison - Kyrie Eleison
Kyrie I
Gloria In Excelsis Deo
Graduale: Benedicta Et Venerabilis Es (Gregorian Chant)
Reyna Muy Esclarecida
Credo
Sancta Mater Istud Agas (Instrumental)
Offertorium: Ave Maria, Gratia Plena (Gregorian Chant)
Ave Sanctissima Maria
Sanctus - Benedictus
Hymn: Pange Lingua
Virgo Et Mater
Agnus Dei
Communio: Beata Viscera (Gregorian Chant)
Salve Regina (Antiphon)

Customer Reviews:

Ave naxos !.......2005-10-14

Pour moi, ce Juan de Anchieta et sa musique m'étaient totalement inconnus. Très belle interprétation, belle prise
de son.

Ave naxos !.......2005-10-14

Pour moi, ce Juan de Anchieta et sa musique m'étaient totalement inconnus. Très belle interprétation, belle prise
de son.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful!

Une messe imaginaire

Manufacturer: Astree
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

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ASIN: B00004RBWY
Release Date: 2000-02-08

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful!.......2002-02-03

This is a fabulous recording, and not only because it features works of my favorite Renaissance composer, Josquin Desprez. Also featured are gorgeous pieces by other Renaissance masters, including the most beautiful version of Allegri's "Miserere Mei" I have ever heard; it is a scholarly version, not the standard version one usually hears featuring that soaring high C. I certainly do love the standard version (the recording of St. Paul's Cathedral Choir with Jeremy Budd as the treble soloist is magnificent), but the A Sei Voci version brings a new freshness to the piece that I can't help but to slightly prefer. In particular, the soprano has a lovely tone and sings some soul-stirring melodies above the lower voices.

A Sei Voci is obviously a world-class ensemble. The quality of singing is solid throughout and the music itself is beautiful, even haunting at times. The premise behind the selection of music -- each piece culled from a separate work and put toegther to form one mass -- is interesting, and I think they chose wisely. If you like Renaissance choral music and the sound of a small vocal ensemble, add this recording to your collection. I also highly recommend their recording of Josquin Desprez' "Missa de Beata Virgine", which includes the mass as well as a number of lovely motets.

Missa Pange Lingua/Missa La Sol Fa Re Mi
Average customer rating:

Top Ten

Magical

Terrific and moving performances

Exquisite

Missa Pange Lingua/Missa La Sol Fa Re Mi
Josquin Desprez , and The Tallis Scholars
Manufacturer: Polygram Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000001I4P
Release Date: 1996-09-17

Tracks:

Plainchant: Pange lingua
Missa Pange Lingua: Kyrie
Missa Pange Lingua: Gloria
Missa Pange Lingua: Credo
Missa Pange Lingua: Sanctus & Benedictus
Missa Pange Lingua: Agnus Deli I, II& III
Missa La sol fa re mi: Kyrie
Missa La sol fa re mi: Gloria
Missa La sol fa re mi: Credo
Missa La sol fa re mi: Sanctus & Benedictus
Missa La sol fa re mi: Agnus Dei I, II& III

Amazon.com essential recording

This disc is very much a mixed bag. The Tallis Scholars give Josquin's great Pange lingua Mass a rather pedestrian reading: all of the variations on the plainchant hymn tune are audible, but the balances are off (Phillips has transposed the music up to suit his sopranos and altos) and the singers sound yet again like they'd rather be doing Palestrina. Something happened during the recording sessions, though, because their Missa la sol fa re mi is stunning. The titular theme (A-G-F-D-E) of this inspired Mass is present throughout, run forwards, backwards and upside-down by Josquin with real ingenuity and beauty. The Tallis Scholars capture all the music's inspiration and spirituality in a performance that, quite frankly, seems touched by the Divine. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Top Ten.......2000-05-26

I mean, this is one of the top ten pieces of all time, and on this disk, the music is performed and recorded impeccably. I cannot imagine anyone being disappointed with this recording.

Magical.......2000-01-10

When, last year, I found the Tallis Scholars reduced to just twelve for their recording of Russian Orthodox Music, I thought that they had reached their limit. However, I was mistaken: on this disc there are just EIGHT of them! (So few in fact that a photo is provided- so we can put faces to the familiar names...) This tiny group nonetheless makes a strong case for two of Josquin's Masses. Though their sound throughout is wonderfully conducive to relaxation and meditation, I have to say that the "Missa La Sol Fa Re Mi" emerges a notch above the other: it amply shows Josquin's skill at drawing the most magical sounds out of simple, basic four-part polyphony (impressive and breathtaking particularly when you consider that Josquin's near-contemporaries frequently used five-part choirs to produce a full-bodied texture and timbre in their choral works). A beautiful disc- well done!

Terrific and moving performances.......1999-07-04

One of the other reviewers is of the opinion that the Pange Lingua is a little pedestrian. I've heard this disc dozens of times, and seen them sing it live. Maybe my ignorance confuses me, or maybe my ignorance allows me to listen with more clarity, but I would use the word 'joyous' rather than pedestrian. Both are wonderful pieces of music sung by virtuoso performers. Oh, and I don't think they prefer Palestrina either!

Exquisite.......1998-12-21

This CD is incredible; I'm not a classical music scholar, but I cannot imagine another work performed by another ensemble approaching this. In fact, track 3 from this CD is slated to be played at my funeral (50 years from now, I hope), very, very loud. There will be no dry eyes. Bottom line -- the most beautiful music I know.

Josquin Desprez /Gregorio Allegri: Masses / Choir of St John's College / George Guest (Meridian)

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Josquin Desprez /Gregorio Allegri: Masses / Choir of St John's College / George Guest (Meridian)

Manufacturer: Meridian
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00005TP8Q
Release Date: 1993-09-20

Tracks:

Pange Lingua: Verset 1
Missa Pange Lingua: Hymn: Pange Lingua
Missa Pange Lingua: Kyrie
Missa Pange Lingua: Gloria
Missa Pange Lingua: Credo
Pange Lingua: Verset 2
Missa Pange Lingua: Sanctus
Missa Pange Lingua: Benedictus
Missa Pange Lingua: Agnus Dei 1, 2, 3
Pange Lingua: Verset 3
Missa Vidi Turbam Magnam: Kyrie
Missa Vidi Turbam Magnam: Gloria
Missa Vidi Turbam Magnam: Credo
Missa Vidi Turbam Magnam: Sanctus
Missa Vidi Turbam Magnam: Benedictus
Missa Vidi Turbam Magnam: Agnus Dei

The Spirits of England and France, Vol. 5: Missa Veterem Hominem

Average customer rating:

A Mass from a Glorious Period in English Music

The Spirits of England and France, Vol. 5: Missa Veterem Hominem

Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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ASIN: B000002ZYV
Release Date: 1997-05-09

Tracks:

Jesu, fili virginis
Doleo super te
Gaude Maria virgo
Deus creator omnium
Kyrie: Deus creator omnium
Gloria
Jesu salvator
Credo
A solis ortus
Sanctus and Benedictus
Salvator mundi
Agnus Dei
Christe, qui lux es
To many a well
Sancta Maria virgo
Mater ora filium
Ave maris stella
Beata Mater
Pange lingua

Amazon.com

If it weren't for the fact that English music was successfully exported to the Continent during the early 15th century, we would know far less about it. Most of the remaining sources, including that which contains the Missa Veterem Hominem--composed around 1440--exist only outside of England. Fortunately, a virtuoso vocal ensemble such as Gothic Voices takes an interest in exploring repertoire that eludes the understanding or repertorial focus of most other groups. There's some incredible music here, and it's performed in such a lively, energetic, technically faultless style that we just listen in astonishment and appreciation. You won't believe the dazzling, jumping rhythms and leaping melodies of the Kyrie; and you'll marvel at the radiant, shimmering harmonies that result from the singers' perfect tuning and balance. Get this disc and prepare for a memorable experience. --David Vernier

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A Mass from a Glorious Period in English Music.......2005-05-17

This "Old Man" mass (the old man is Adam) comes from a flourishing period of English music when English sacred music spread widely over the European continent. In addition to the ordinary of the mass, which is beautifully sung, this recording includes numerous examples of Sarum chant, some of which are still used in Anglican and Roman Catholic churches today. This is the fifth volume of a series by the Gothic Voices titled "The Spirits of England and France" -- every volume in this series is fascinating. The recording booklet is a model of what documentation should be for music of this era.

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World Classics: Belgium and Netherlands

Manufacturer: Columbia River Ent.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000067VU
Release Date: 1998-03-17

Tracks:

Een Meysken Eens Voerbij Passeerde - Colleguim Vocale/Wolfgang Fromme
Il Bianco E Dolce Cigno - Colleguim Vocale/Wolfgang Fromme
Lecker Beetgen En Clyn Bier - Colleguim Vocale/Wolfgang Fromme
Scene De Ballet - Gustav Svardstrom/Hans Michael
De Plus En Plus Se Renouvelle - Erika Metzger-Urlich/Otto Pinge
Missa L'homme Arme: Kyrie - Ursula Lambert-Brahms/Voc Ens Pro Musica
Missa L'homme Arme: Gloria - Ursula Lambert-Brahms/Voc Ens Pro Musica
Missa L'homme Arme: Motetus 'Flos Florum' - Ursula Lambert-Brahms/Voc Ens Pro Musica
Allegro in C - Stuttgart Chm Orch/Bernhard Guller
O Amoureusich Mondeken Root - Colleguim Vocale/Wolfgang Fromme
Chorale in a - Kurt Rapf
Chorale in E - Hans-Christoph Becker-Foss

Tracks:

Sym in d: Lento - Allegro Non Troppo - Nuremberg SO/Rato Tschupp
Sym in d: Allegretto - Nuremberg SO/Rato Tschupp
Sym in d: Allegro Non Troppo - Nuremberg SO/Rato Tschupp
Prld, Fugue Et Var Op. 18 - Kurt Rapf
Pastorale Op. 19 - Kurt Rapf
Finale Op. 21 - Kurt Rapf

Tracks:

Kyrie - Vox Ens Pro Musica/Collegium Inst/Johannes Homberg
Innsbruck, Ich Muss Dich Lassen - Collegium Vocale Caloniensis/Wolfgang Fromme
Susser Vater, Herre Gott - Franz Xaver Lehrndorf
Passio Domini Nostri - Friederike Sailer/Margarete Beuce/Naan Pold/August Messthaler/Schwabisher Singkreis Chor...
Final: A Sexta Antem Hora - Friederike Sailer/Margarete Beuce/Naan Pold/August Messthaler/Schwabisher Singkreis Chor...
Audi Dulcis - Capella Carolina (Dome Chor Aachen)/Rudolph Pohl
Besser Ist Gut Wein Denn Bier - Collegium Vocale Caloniensis/Wolfgang Fromme
Bon Jour Mon Coeur - Collegium Vocale Caloniensis/Wolfgang Fromme
La Nuict Froide Et Sombre - Collegium Vocale Caloniensis/Wolfgang Fromme
Matona Mia Cara - Collegium Vocale Caloniensis/Wolfgang Fromme
Missa Super Crediti Propter: Kryie - Capella Vocale Hamburgiensis/Martin Behrmann
Missa Super Crediti Propter: Gloria - Capella Vocale Hamburgiensis/Martin Behrmann
Missa Super Crediti Propter: Credo - Capella Vocale Hamburgiensis/Martin Behrmann
Missa Super Crediti Propter: Sanctus - Benedictus - Capella Vocale Hamburgiensis/Martin Behrmann
Missa Super Crediti Propter: Agnus Dei - Capella Vocale Hamburgiensis/Martin Behrmann
Prophetiae Sibyllarum: Carmina Chromatico - Capella Vocale Hamburgiensis/Martin Behrmann
Prophetiae Sibyllarum: Sibylla Persica - Capella Vocale Hamburgiensis/Martin Behrmann
Prophetiae Sibyllarum: Sibylla Libyca - Capella Vocale Hamburgiensis/Martin Behrmann
Prophetiae Sibyllarum: Sibylla Delphica - Capella Vocale Hamburgiensis/Martin Behrmann
Prophetiae Sibyllarum: Sibylla Hellespontica - Capella Vocale Hamburgiensis/Martin Behrmann
Prophetiae Sibyllarum: Sibylla Phrygia - Capella Vocale Hamburgiensis/Martin Behrmann
Prophetiae Sibyllarum: Sibylla Europaea - Capella Vocale Hamburgiensis/Martin Behrmann
Noch Weet Ick Een Schoen Joffrau Fyn - Collegium Vocale Caloniensis/Wolfgang Fromme

Tracks:

Pieces: Allemande 'La Dialogue Des Graces Sur Iris' - Michael Schaffer
Pieces: Sarabande 'La Mallassis' - Michael Schaffer
Pieces: Canarie 'L'amant Content' - Michael Schaffer
Missa Pange Lingua: Kyrie - Cantoria Berlin Spandau/Martin Behrmann
Missa Pange Lingua: Gloria - Cantoria Berlin Spandau/Martin Behrmann
Missa Pange Lingua: Credo - Cantoria Berlin Spandau/Martin Behrmann
Missa Pange Lingua: Sanctus - Benedictus - Cantoria Berlin Spandau/Martin Behrmann
Missa Pange Lingua: Agnus Dei - Cantoria Berlin Spandau/Martin Behrmann
Baisez Moi, Ma Douce Amie - Collegium Vocale Coloniensis/Wolfgang Fromme
Gloria - Vocal Ens Pro Musica/Johanes Homberg
Requiem 'Missa De Profundis': Introtus - Cantoria Berlin Spandau/Martin Behramm
Requiem 'Missa De Profundis': Kyrie - Cantoria Berlin Spandau/Martin Behramm
Requiem 'Missa De Profundis': Psalmus - Cantoria Berlin Spandau/Martin Behramm
Requiem 'Missa De Profundis': Offertorium - Cantoria Berlin Spandau/Martin Behramm
Requiem 'Missa De Profundis': Sanctus - Benedictus - Cantoria Berlin Spandau/Martin Behramm
Requiem 'Missa De Profundis': Agnus Dei - Cantoria Berlin Spandau/Martin Behramm
Requiem 'Missa De Profundis': Communio - Cantoria Berlin Spandau/Martin Behramm

Tracks:

Een Costerken Op Sijn Clockenclanc - Collegium Vocale Coliniensis/Wolfgang Behrmann
Mein Junges Leben Hat Ein End - Helmuth Riling
Echo - Fant - Helmuth Riling
Fant Chromatica - Fritz Neumeyer
Ich Fuhr Mich Uber Rhein - Fritz Neumeyer
Unter Der Linden Grune - Fritz Neumeyer
Toccata in A - Fritz Neumeyer
Toccata in C - Fritz Neumeyer
Balleto Del Granduca - Fritz Neumeyer
Von Der Fortuna Wird Ich Getrieben - Helma Elsner
Est-Ce Mars - Helma Elsner
Chant D'amour - Hans Kalafusz
Amor Mi Fa Morire - Collegium Vocale Coliniensis/Wolfgang Behrmann

Desprez: Missa Pange Lingua /Ensemble Clement Janequin * Ensemble Organum * Peres

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Smooth and eloquent
A welcome change from more conventional renditions

Desprez: Missa Pange Lingua /Ensemble Clement Janequin * Ensemble Organum * Peres
Gregorian Chant , Josquin Desprez , Ensemble Clement Janequin , Ensemble Organum , and Marcel Peres
Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Messe de Notre Dame (Guillaume de Machaut)/ Ensemble Organum (Marcel Peres)
Perotin / The Hilliard Ensemble
Magister Leoninus: Sacred Music from 12th-Century Paris
Dufay: Missa L'homme armé; Supremum est mortalibus bonum
Josquin des Prés: Missa Pange Lingua; Missa La Sol Fa Re Mi

ASIN: B000027NUZ
Release Date: 1992-02-12

Tracks:

Introit - Ens Clement Janequin
Kyrie - Ens Clement Janequin
Gloria - Ens Clement Janequin
Graduel - Ens Clement Janequin
Alleluia - Ens Clement Janequin
Credo - Ens Clement Janequin
Offertoire - Ens Organum/Marcel Peres
Sanctus - Ens Organum/Marcel Peres
O Salutaris - Ens Organum/Marcel Peres
Agnus - Ens Organum/Marcel Peres
Hymne 'Pange Lingua' - Ens Organum/Marcel Peres

Amazon.com essential recording

This recording presents the best performance of what is widely considered Josquin's greatest work. "Pange lingua" is a well-known hymn for the Feast of Corpus Christi; Josquin doesn't use the hymn-tune as a cantus firmus (i.e., in long note-values in the tenor), but makes each movement a fantasia on the melody. The Mass isn't performed in complete liturgical context, but plainchant propers for Corpus Christi are included. On important feast days during the 16th century, plainchant was sung very slowly, with embellishments added by the singers. Ensemble Organum re-creates that practice here--it may strike some listeners as odd, but it's fascinating. The performance of Josquin's music is simply enthralling; the effect of the final "Agnus Dei" followed by the unadorned plainchant hymn is magical. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Smooth and eloquent.......2005-08-17

Josquin Desprez (c.1440 - 1521) has always been the most celebrated of all composers of the Prima Prattica - the composers of the 15th to early 16th century who brought the Renaissance practice of polyphony to the peak of complexity. For centuries after his death he was widely hailed as the musical Michelangelo. And amongst his works the most famous of them all is the Missa Pange Lingua.

The Missa Pange Lingua is amongst the later of those that the Flemish master is known to have composed, but he did not live to see it published - it appeared in Nuremberg in 1539. There are at least 16 surviving manuscript and four printed editions of the work scattered across the whole of Europe, all of which bears witness to its widespread acclaim. It has even been acclaimed as the greatest of all Renaissance Mass setting.

The main characteristic of Josquin's writing (now acknowledged to be something he derived from Obrecht) is his use of pairs of voice in imitation - with a continuous interplay between pairs of voices interchanging material in canon. This results in the Pange Lingua theme being treated with great freedom, often using only fragments of the theme as motifs, at other times quoting it full, in a free fantasia on the main theme.

There are several excellent recordings of the Pange Lingua and which one to choose is partly a matter of personal preference. This version by Ensemble Clément Janequin and Ensemble Organum has many virtues that make it highly worthy of consideration. First and foremost comes the excellence of the counter-tenors Dominque Visse and Gérard Lesne, although all voices here make excellent contributions. As far as counter-tenors go they are exceptionally smooth toned - perhaps even more so than Pro Cantione Antiqua or the Ars Nova Seconda, and definitely far more so than the Hilliard Ensemble. The all male ensemble makes the overall feel of the texture darker than in other recordings by mostly mixed choirs. As a whole the ensemble also seems to 'gel' well while simultaneously allowing individual lines to stand out. Phrasing generally remains imaginative throughout, sometimes rising to moments of inspiration.

Of equally great interest is the recreation of period styled practice of decorating ('florizare' or 'florifying') the line when singing Gregorian chant. The practice reached its peak in the 14th to 15th centuries and contrasts to the modern Solesmes style of singing Gregorian chant commonly heard, based on now long discredited theories of early practice. Period texts have survived in which precise performance practice details are explained, even including notated examples and these are used as the basis of the historical recreations on this recording.

Amongst other interpretations the Tallis Scholars have a great sense of momentum and flair, by comparison with which this performance might seem a little subdued, although this is partly made up for by a greater intimacy of approach and by being less soprano dominated. A Sei Voci present a larger scale performance of heightened drama while avoiding excessive soprano dominance. Both of these are with mixed choirs.

The recording is also excellent. The soundstaging is above average, with great ambience and 'space' around the voices. In this respect they enjoy some advantage over the Tallis Scholars, whose recording is somewhat dry and boxy by comparison. A Sei Voci enjoy a sound of greater dynamic range - a fact accentuated by their use of a greater number of singers per part.

Overall the results are a smooth and eloquent though more subdued and introspective performance of the Pange Lingua set in liturgical context of Gregorian chant. As the only version with counter-tenors taking the top line recorded in excellent sound this well deserves a five star rating and will be first choice for many listeners.

A welcome change from more conventional renditions.......2003-12-31

This is a complete reconstructed Corpus Christi Mass sung alternately by two all-male group of French singers: the Ensemble organum, which is quite famous in France and elsewhere for its performance of early medieval choral music, and the Ensemble Clement Janequin. "Complete Mass" means you will hear the entry chant(introit), the gradual (the piece sung just before the reading of the Gospel), the Alleluia (the piece sung before and after the reading of the Gospel), the offertory (the piece sung while the bread and wine are brought to the altar) and the hymns pertaining to the feast of Corpus Christi, in which Catholics revere Christ in the gift of the Eucharist.

The hallmark of the Ensemble Organum directed by Marcel Perez is the forceful and virile way in which they sing Gregorian Chant. If you are accustomed to the mellifluous accents of plainchant as sung by Benedictine choirs, you will probably find this rendition quite exotic, if not downright weird. Some will perceive this style as profoundly archaic, while others will find it uncannily Oriental. For me its triumphant tone evokes more the splendor of a royal court than the pious atmosphere of a monastery or church but we should remind ourselves that the Roman liturgy has not always been a low-profile affair, as it is now.

For people used to listening to Renaissance music sung by mixed choirs, this recording may also come as a surprise if not a shock. But I guess this is probably a more genuine reconstruction since mixed choirs did not exist at the time to the best of my knowledge.

The countertenors feature prominently in all the pieces by Desprez. Their somewhat shrill and adolescent-like voice may give you a hard time at first but I have come to like it, although I sometimes wonder how the mass would have sounded had they enrolled someone like sweet-voiced Andreas Scholl.

If some adjustment might be needed for you to appreciate the countertenors, the basses and baritones will probably enthrall you right from the start. Almost each piece by Deprez starts with a contrast between their voices and those of the tenors and the effect is really magical.

The cd comes with a booklet in which you will find two articles: one about Gregorian as it was sung in the XVIth century and one about the Mass composed by Desprez. The Latin texts with their English translation are conspicuously and regrettably absent as is any information about the singers themselves.

One reviewer found the mixture of Gregorian chant and Renaissance music "magical". I do not completely feel that way. Plainchant and Desprez'choral music clearly represent two very different worlds and their being together on this cd, while certainly being instructive, may cause conservative listeners some discomfort.

What I mean is that the music on this recording does not flow as easily and seamlessly as a performance by, say the Tallis Scholars with only Renaissance pieces. But if you are open to something new and original, I am sure you will like it but it may take some time.

Remember, there are three hurdles you will have to overcome: the Oriental, archaic rendition of plainchant, the shrill voices of the countertenors and the contrast between the music of two very different eras.

This is a challenge but, if you take it, the reward is quite worth the time and energy spent on it.

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