Gombert: Missa Tempore paschali; Magnificat octavi toni

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Nicolas Gombert may just have been a Bill Clinton-style "comeback kid": he died an admired and well-compensated composer of church music despite a scandal that got him briefly sentenced to the galley of a ship. He has been underrepresented on disc, probably because his restless imitative style can sometimes be difficult for nonspecialists to grasp. So Hyperion's series of Gombert recordings is valuable for more than just the lovely performance by Henry's Eight. The highlights of this release include In illo tempore, the motet on which Monteverdi based the Mass he published alongside his Vespers of 1610, and the Missa tempore paschali for Easter, written mostly for 6 voices but using 8 in the Credo and 12 in the final Agnus Dei. --Matthew Westphal

Tracks:

Missa Tempore paschali: Magnificat Octavi Toni
Missa Tempore paschali: Kyrie
Missa Tempore paschali: Gloria
Missa Tempore paschali: Adonai, Domine Iesu Christe
Missa Tempore paschali: Credo
Missa Tempore paschali: In Illo Tempore
Missa Tempore paschali: Sanctus
Missa Tempore paschali: Benedictus
Missa Tempore paschali: O Rex gloriae
Missa Tempore paschali: Agnus Dei

Amazon.com

Nicolas Gombert may just have been a Bill Clinton-style "comeback kid": he died an admired and well-compensated composer of church music despite a scandal that got him briefly sentenced to the galley of a ship. He has been underrepresented on disc, probably because his restless imitative style can sometimes be difficult for nonspecialists to grasp. So Hyperion's series of Gombert recordings is valuable for more than just the lovely performance by Henry's Eight. The highlights of this release include In illo tempore, the motet on which Monteverdi based the Mass he published alongside his Vespers of 1610, and the Missa tempore paschali for Easter, written mostly for 6 voices but using 8 in the Credo and 12 in the final Agnus Dei. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Great Easter Mass at transition from medieval to baroque.......2007-02-23

I was especially pleased to see this recording come up as the third out of 68 different items when I queried the composer, Nicolas Gombert, as it means the recording will be easier to find when you are searching the composers works. While the notes say Gombert wrote eight masses, and this one may be an 'early' work, I think this removes not one wit of interest and enjoyment one achieves while listening to the work. It is the perfect blend of old church reverence and new-fangled polyphony. While I'm a bit of a novice at musical appreciation, I listen to lots and lots of old masses, and this one is a super addition to anyone's collection, even more so because it was done for Easter.

Astonishing Ear Opener.......2002-01-10

We tend to think of Renaissance composers as purveyors of smooth, consonant, somewhat soporific music. Well... It turns out not to be the case. Modern editors edit out the crashing dissonances found in much Renaissance music under the guise of "musica ficta," allowing cross-relations only at cadences.

Now comes this ear-opening recording which presents Gombert's music as he wrote it, jarring dissonances and all. Listen to the 12-part Agnus Dei on this recording. Sublimely dissonant, cross-relations abound.

Don't miss this recording or its companion collection of Gombert's motets.

Track Listings: