Josquin Desprez

Review: Missa de Beata Virgine is a musical setting of the Ordinary of the Mass, by Renaissance composer Josquin des Prez. A late work, probably composed or assembled around 1510, it was the most popular of his masses in the 16th century. The Missa de Beata Virgine is unusual among Josquin's masses in that the first two movements are for four voices, and the last three for five, with the fifth voice derived canonically. Like most musical settings of the mass Ordinary, it is in five sections, or movements. It uses different plainsong chants for each movement, and is a paraphrase mass, one in which the original chants are elaborated, broken up, passed between voices, or sung in different voices simultaneously. The movements differ in their treatment of the source plainchant. The Kyrie has the chant in all voices, imitatively and paraphrased; the Gloria treats the chant as a cantus firmus, migrating it from voice to voice. Tonally, both movements end on G, and most of their cadences are on G or D. The Credo, the first movement for five voices, ends with a surprising Phrygian cadence on E, and uses canonic techniques more prominently than in the preceding movements.

Songlist: Missa De beata, Kyrie 1, Christe, Kyrie 2, Et in terra, Qui tollis, Cum Sancto, Credo sections, Sanctus, Pleni sunt caeli, Hosanna, Benedictus, Agnus Dei 1, Agnus Dei 2, Agnus Dei 3

9603b | Songbook $25.95 | SATB Early Music Vocal Arrangements

Review: Audio magazine (USA) called this "an utterly delightful disc." Unusual melodies, surprising harmonies, unexpected uses of word painting and other expressive techniques, great craft and clarity of purpose distinguish these works, believed to have been written during Josquin's mysterious early years. Includes several world premiere recordings.

Songlist: Magnificat, Missa L'ami baudechon, Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, Credo Sine nomine, Credo Sine nomine (canonic), Credo De tous biens playne

6574c | 1 CD $15.98 Early Music CDs

Review: This recording presents the only two Masses by Josquin which are entirely based on canons; a single melody stated in different voice-parts at different times so that it overlaps with itself. To write this kind of music may sound academic to the modern mind: who is interested in mathematical scaffolding which most people can't hear? But Josquin was interested in it - as were many later composers from Bach to Brahms to Webern - and I knew that, like every composer of genius, he would relish the challenge. -Peter Phillips

Songlist: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus & Benedictus, Agnus Dei I, II & III, Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus & Benedictus, Agnus Dei I, II & III, Sanctus & Benedictus, Agnus Dei I, II & III

8904c | 1 CD $16.95 Early Music CDs