Ockeghem: Missa Mi-Mi

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The Clerks' Group didn't make it easy for themselves when they began their Ockeghem survey on ASV with the notoriously elusive Missa Mi-mi. With its somber modal sound and low vocal range, the Mass is very appealing in its way, but there's no plainchant melody or other structural device to help performers get a handle on the work--it's easy for the singers to lose focus and drift into a melancholy haze. Wickham and his singers avoid that pitfall nicely: singing with full-bodied tone, they keep the momentum of Ockeghem's seemingly wayward lines clear and bring out some lively rhythmic detail not usually associated with this composer. Alongside the Mass, they've included five motets: two by Ockeghem and three by his compatriots Busnois, Isaac, and Obrecht. All are beautiful--and beautifully done--but the standout is Isaac's "Angeli, archangeli," its bright scoring, animated rhythms, and soaring treble parts making a delightful contrast to the Mass. (For a remarkable, if unusual, rendition of the Missa Mi- mi, try the Cappella Pratensis.) --Matthew Westphal

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:

Worth getting just to hear the Isaac motet
No Sacred Muzak Here
No Sacred Muzak Here

Ockeghem: Missa Mi-Mi
Johannes Ockeghem , Jacob Obrecht , Antoine Busnois , Heinrich Isaac , Edward Wickham , and Clerks' Group
Manufacturer: Gaudeamus
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

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

Oratorios | 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: Requiem; Missa Fors Seulement
Ockeghem: Missa Caput, Missa Ma Maistresse, 3 Motets / The Clerks' Group, Wickham
Ockeghem: Missa Prolationum: 5 Motets
Ockeghem: Missa Ecce Ancilla Domini

ASIN: B0000030OI
Release Date: 1994-09-20

Tracks:

Salve Regina
Missa Mi-Mi: Kyrie
Missa Mi-Mi: Gloria
Missa Mi-Mi: Credo
Missa Mi-Mi: Sanctus
Missa Mi-Mi: Benedictus
Missa Mi-Mi: Agnus Dei
Quod Chorus Vatum/Haec Deum Caeli
Victimae Paschali Laudes
Angeli, Archangeli
Alma Redemptoris Mater

Amazon.com

The Clerks' Group didn't make it easy for themselves when they began their Ockeghem survey on ASV with the notoriously elusive Missa Mi-mi. With its somber modal sound and low vocal range, the Mass is very appealing in its way, but there's no plainchant melody or other structural device to help performers get a handle on the work--it's easy for the singers to lose focus and drift into a melancholy haze. Wickham and his singers avoid that pitfall nicely: singing with full-bodied tone, they keep the momentum of Ockeghem's seemingly wayward lines clear and bring out some lively rhythmic detail not usually associated with this composer. Alongside the Mass, they've included five motets: two by Ockeghem and three by his compatriots Busnois, Isaac, and Obrecht. All are beautiful--and beautifully done--but the standout is Isaac's "Angeli, archangeli," its bright scoring, animated rhythms, and soaring treble parts making a delightful contrast to the Mass. (For a remarkable, if unusual, rendition of the Missa Mi- mi, try the Cappella Pratensis.) --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Worth getting just to hear the Isaac motet.......2005-08-05

I must confess that this is one of my favorite recordings in the Clerks' Group's Ockeghem series - in fact, not so much for the Ockeghem Missa Mi-Mi but for the stunningly beautiful motet Angeli Archangeli which totally manages to steal the show. I must confess to having something of a bias to Isaac but you really have to sit up and take notice when a couple of reviewers have independently said much the same thing.

Brian Robins in Goldberg early music magazine wrote:

"The hidden treasure here is provided not by Ockeghem but by Heinrich Isaac, whose dazzling six-part motet for the feast of All Saints, Angeli, archangeli, is one of those Renaissance jewels that cannot help but send the spirits soaring, particularly when given such a vibrantly pulsating performance as that of The Clerks' Group."

Fabrice Fitch in Gramophone magazine also wrote:

"Listen to the hint of bells (at around 5'00'') in Isaac's Angeli, Archangeli: this is an astonishing piece that you won't find recorded elsewhere. Why mince words? This is superb."

The motet by the younger contemporary of Ockeghem was predictably highly popular in its day according to Rob Wegman who contributes the usual excellent liner notes. Incidentally Isaac is also mentioned as one of the great composers who gathered to honor him on his death.

As for the Missa Mi-Mi, it has never been my absolute favorite Ockeghem but it gets a solid performance here that makes a worthy 'filler' for the Isaac show stopper!

The Angeli Archangeli however definitely belongs on my desert island list.

No Sacred Muzak Here.......2005-05-21

A very well done "Missa Mi-Mi" is complemented by beautiful shorter works. ("Alma Redemptoris Mater" is my personal favorite.) The music may be ethereal, but the Clerks' Group's compelling and intelligent performance keeps it from sounding like musical codeine.

No Sacred Muzak Here.......2000-02-10

Sanctus: 1000 Years of Sacred Music (Box Set)

Average customer rating:

Sanctus: 1000 Years of Sacred Music (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Musica Di Angeli
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Cornago: Missa de la mapa mundi. Secular Music of 15th Century Spain

Average customer rating:

Cornago: Missa de la mapa mundi. Secular Music of 15th Century Spain

Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

Average customer rating:

a voice teacher and early music fan
High beauty indeed
Requiem at its best

Ockeghem: Requiem; Missa Mi-Mi

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

Perotin / The Hilliard Ensemble
Byrd: Masses for 3 Voices / 4 Voices / 5 Voices / Ave verum corpus a 4
Josquin Desprez: Motets & Chansons
Machaut: Messe de Notre Dame / The Hilliard Ensemble
Ars subtilior: Dawn of the Renaissance

ASIN: B000005GNF
Release Date: 2000-05-20

Tracks:

Requiem (Missa Pro Defunctis): I. Introitus
Requiem (Missa Pro Defunctis): II. Kyrie
Requiem (Missa Pro Defunctis): III. Graduale
Requiem (Missa Pro Defunctis): IV. Tractus
Requiem (Missa Pro Defunctis): V. Offertorium
Requiem (Missa Pro Defunctis): VI. Sanctus & Benedictus (Gregorian Chant)
Requiem (Missa Pro Defunctis): VII. Agnus Dei (Gregorian Chant)
Requiem (Missa Pro Defunctis): VIII. Communio (Gregorian Chant)
Requiem (Missa Pro Defunctis): IX. Postcommunio (Gregorian Chant)
Missa 'Mi-mi' (Missa Quarti Toni): I. Kyrie
Missa 'Mi-mi' (Missa Quarti Toni): II. Gloria
Missa 'Mi-mi' (Missa Quarti Toni): III. Credo
Missa 'Mi-mi' (Missa Quarti Toni): IV. Sanctus & Benedictus
Missa 'Mi-mi' (Missa Quarti Toni): V. Agnus Dei

Amazon.com

The Hilliard Ensemble here gives one of the finest performances available of Ockeghem's Requiem, the oldest surviving setting of the Mass for the Dead. For all its melancholy tone, this Requiem has a good deal of light and even lyricism, especially in the many imitative passage for two equal voices. The Missa Mi-mi is actually the more somber of the two works on this record--and the denser as well, with fuller scoring and a low vocal range. Maintaining the melodic momentum and interest in this Mass is more of a challenge than in the Requiem, and the Hilliard Ensemble doesn't always succeed; nevertheless, they capture the music's atmosphere well, and their tuning and ensemble are impeccable. (For a remarkable, if unusual, rendition of the Missa Mi-mi, try the Cappella Pratensis .) --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2007-01-14

Because most fifteenth century composers were singers by trade, their music is profoundly vocal in idiom and is characteristic of the style of the plainchant that was the aural background to their working life. Johannes Ockeghem (born in 1410), though probably in Flanders, spent most of his professional life (from 1543) in the employment of the French Royal Chapel. He was indeed an excellent example of the singer-composer of that period, being much praised by his contemporaries for his character as well as his voice and his music. His death in 1497, occasioned poems of tribute and lamentation from Guilliame Cretin, Erasmus and Jean Molinet.
THE "MISSA 'Mi-Mi'" survives in three separate manuscripts in the Vatican Library. It is from the third manuscript, the Chigi Codex, which has been an important source of Ockeghem's music. The 'Requiem' is taken from that same manuscript. The title 'mi-mi' is assumed to be derived from the short motif appearing in the bass voice at the beginning of each main section, and consists of a falling fifth. Other than this short motif the "Missa 'mi-mi' is not known to be based upon any prior material, whereas most of the masses at that time were either 'parodies' of other compositions, sacred or secular, or were built around a 'cantus firmus'. Ockeghem foregoes this method of construction and extemporises an intricate, compelling web of sound out of the air.The movements are as follows: Introitus-Kyrie-Graduale-Offertorium-Sanctus & Benedictus(Gregorian Chant)-Agnus Dei (Gregorian Chant)-Communio(Gregorian Chant)-Postcommunio(Gregorian Chant).

Ockeghem's 'REQUIEM' is the earliest existing polyphonic Requiem, and in it we find a diversity of techniques and vocal scorings that include many duets for high voice in strict imitaton , and is in a full rich style. The movements are: Kyrie-Gloria-Credo-Sanctus & Benedictus and Agnus Dei.
Ockeghem did not compose huge quantities of music (some 10 masses, varied and individual mass movements, a handful of motets and 22 chansons), but what you hear on this recording are his 2 best works. They show at great length Ockeghem's ability to add new dimensions of harmonic coloring to enhance and emphasise an emotional direction in the music.

Although I found both compositions enjoyable to hear, I was drawn over and over to the "Mi-mi", particularly to the lst,2nd,4th and 5th movements, which included many of the high voice duets mentioned earlier. Just extrordinary, and VERY WELL SUNG by the 2 countertenors Michael Chance and David James.
The Hilliard Ensemble in this recording consists of 2 countertenors:Michael Chance & David James-3 tenors:Rogers C.Crump,Leigh Nixon &John Potter-l baritone:Paul Hillier and l bass: Michael George. All very skilled singers banded together to produce some really great music. I am so grateful that Chance is part of this ensemble (he isn't always), but his voice is so lovely that he actually manages to outsing David James, whose voice can get rather harsh and 'edgy' at times. It is truly an entertaining experience for the early music lover!!!!!

High beauty indeed.......2005-01-12

Johannes Ockeghem (ca. 1410 – 1497) was one of the famous school of Flemish polyphonic composers in the late Middle Ages. Here, the Hilliard Ensemble have recorded two works known to us through copies kept in the Vatican library, the Requiem or Missa pro defunctis for two to four voices, and the mass known as “Mi-mi” or Missa quarti toni. As the Requiem only has the first five movements, the Hilliards have complemented it with four short movements of Gregorian chant (a total of less than three minutes). Both masses are full of high beauty indeed, with most of the movements putting more stress on the lower voices rather than the alto countertenors; the Hilliards’ usual countertenor David James is here joined by Michael Chance, whose exceptionally good voice is a pleasant surprise, but in the end it is Paul Hillier himself, together with the excellent Michael George (baritone/bass) who steal the show with some exquisite singing that, listened to in absolute silence and preferably in the dark, can inspire real devotion and joy (despite the sadness of the Requiem text).

The recording was made at London’s Temple Church in September 1984, and obviously the engineers were more interested in catching the wonderful blend of the male voices rather than trying to make each individual voice stand out. The result is a sound which is certainly impressive, although I would hesitate to call this disc audiophile: If you are looking for that kind of sound quality in a Hilliard disc, you should try their recording of Machault’s mass for Hyperion (a recording made by Swedish specialist Robert van Bahr of BIS Records). This Ockeghem disc is just very good listening, although the digital recording is not absolutely perfect: Apart from the (inevitable?) footsteps on the stone church floor, there are some clicking noises during the Requiem and also some tape hissing that one has come to associate with analogue recordings (this is digital, but it doesn’t really sound like it).

However that may be, Hilliard fans will love this disc, and it also provides a lovely gateway to late mediaeval music for newcomers. If, however, you think you would prefer female voices to countertenors, you may like to sample Ockeghem’s music in an interpretation by the Danish choir Musica Ficta, directed by Bo Holten (and published at budget-price by Naxos): their interpretation is not so strictly historical, but their singing is, in its way, also very beautiful.

Requiem at its best.......1999-12-25

Requiem is not only Ockeghem's most famous work, it is also the earliest surviving polyphonic setting of the funeral mass. Scholars suggest that the work was not written all at once, and that, in fact, it may be a compilation of fragments from various Ockeghem's compositions. The work's widely diverging styles - ranging from ritualistic austerity that could almost be attributed to Dufay to complex polyphony that was characteristic of Ockeghem's later writing - is certainly responsible for this view. Ockeghem's Requiem has received two remarkable renditions. One is this recording by the Hilliard, and the other is the award-winning recording by the Clerks. With all due respect for the Clerks, I think that this Requiem from the Hilliard remains unsurpassed. I greatly admire the Clerks as a group (and they may well beat the Hilliard in some repertory), but when it comes to a work like Ockeghem's Requiem, I think the Hilliards are better suited vocally to do it full justice. One of the main characteristics of this work is its oscillation between solo and group sections. Some solo sections are gimmel duets, others combine two or three different ranges, but in each case the more unique each voice, the better the result. While the Clerks offer a remarkable blend of voices as a group, they cannot match the Hilliards in the beauty of individual voices. To hear the magical high tenor of RCC dancing together with the warm baritone of PH is to hear something that cannot be replicated. The upper voice duets are sung by DJ and M. Chance. Chance's participation removes some of the edge from the top line - a detail which, I'm sure, the detractors of DJ will be happy to know. The Hilliards complement Ockeghem's setting of Requiem with four plainchant sections. PH explains that this was done to complete the musical logic by fully unwinding the thread of chant that underlines the work. The disc also includes Missa Mi-Mi, which is notable for the absence of cantus firmus.

Average customer rating:

Gateway To Classical Music: Early Music

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
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
ASIN: B000002S7A
Release Date: 1996-04-23

Oh Flanders Free: Music of the Flemish Renaissance

Average customer rating:

Oh Flanders Free: Music of the Flemish Renaissance

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

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

Partsongs | 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
Similar Items:

The A-La-Mi-Re Manuscripts - Flemish Polyphonic Treasures
At the Sign of the Crumhorn
Codex Faenza: Instrumental Music of the Early 15th Century
Dufay: Missa L'homme armé; Supremum est mortalibus bonum
Agricola: Fortuna desperata--Secular Music of the 15th Century

ASIN: B00004SSJA
Release Date: 2000-05-16

Tracks:

Requiem Aeternam (Gregorian)
Prld
Laus Deo
Ach Vlaendere Vrie
Alleluya
Falla Con Misuras
Ma Maistresse
Ach Vlaendere Vrie
D'ung Aultre Amer
Bacco, Bacco
El Grillo
Innsbruck, Ich Muss Dich Lassen
Sergonta Bergonta
Kyrie (Missa 'La Sol Fa Re Mi')
Guillaume Se Va Chaufer
Cueurs Desolez
D'ung Aultre Amer
D'ung Aultre Amer/Lhome Arme
Pastime W. Good Company
Passe & Medio/Den Iersten Gaillarde
Ogn'hor Per Voi Sospiro
Minh Hert Altijt Heeft Verlanghen

Average customer rating:

Early Music For Dummies

Manufacturer: Angel Records
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
ASIN: B000002SB4
Release Date: 1997-06-17

Average customer rating:

Ockeghem/Obrecht: Masses

Manufacturer: Berlin Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

Musica Humana -- Anthologie des Rencontres Internationales de Musique MÃ©diÃ©vale du Thoronet

Average customer rating:

Musica Humana -- Anthologie des Rencontres Internationales de Musique MÃ©diÃ©vale du Thoronet

Manufacturer: l'empreinte digitale
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000005WBX
Release Date: 2006-11-20

Track Listings: