High Renaissance: Choral Polyphony from the Low Countries

Featuring

James Wood
New London Chamber Choir
Pierre de La Rue
Johannes Regis
Antoine Busnois
Guillaume Dufay

Jacob Obrecht
Antoine Brumel
Josquin des Prez

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Composer Biography

Guillaume Dufay's motet Ave Regina celorum commemorates the moment of his death, as he specified in his will that it be sung after receiving his last sacrament.

Composition History

Pierre de la Rue's Requiem and Josquin des Prez's Mass Hercules Dux Ferrariae were likely composed for specific occasions rather than the composers' whims.

Compositional Technique

Josquin des Prez's Mass Hercules Dux Ferrariae is based on an original motto theme derived from the syllables of Ercole I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara's name, using the solmization system.

Compositional Technique

Antoine Brumel's Nato canunt omnia pays homage to Johannes Regis's O admirabile commercium by exploring Regis's ideas with a more modern musical language.

Recording & Production

This album is a compilation from two previous Amon Ra albums: CDSAR 24 (Pierre de la Rue, Josquin des Prez) and CDSAR 56 (The Brightest Heaven of Invention).

Compositional Technique

Antoine Busnois's motet Anthoni usque limina features a tenor part notated as a riddle, depicted as a bell surmounted by a tau-cross with a cryptic Latin tag.

Interpretation

For Busnois's Anthoni usque limina, the performers on this recording chose to use the sonorous tone of a bronze cow-bell, tolled in units of three, for the bell part.