The mass features an elaborate instrumentation, including six vocal parts, two trumpets, two trombones, two violins, bassoon, and basso continuo, which was more extensive than the standard for the Cologne Cathedral choir at the time.
Composition History
The only known copy of Ioannes Cuisean's "Missa Solennis" from 1663 is preserved in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris, thanks to the collecting efforts of Sébastien de Brossard, a canon at Strasbourg Cathedral.
Composition History
Ioannes Cuisean composed this splendid mass in 1663 for the feast day of St. Gereon, one of Cologne's patron saints.
Composer Biography
Little is known about the composer Ioannes Cuisean, beyond his role as Kapellmeister of St. Gereon collegiate church, where he composed this mass.
Historical Context
St. Gereon's Basilica in Cologne was the principal collegiate church in the Archdiocese of Cologne, second only to the cathedral chapter in significance.
Performer Biography
Josquin Capella, the ensemble performing on this album, was founded in 1994 by students of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and singers from Cologne, specializing in early music.
Compositional Technique
The Benedictus movement is not set to music in this mass, a practice that appears to stem from the 17th-century French tradition where an Elevation motet or organ piece could substitute for it.
You might also enjoy...
Voices from Ancient Abbeys: Plainchant & Polyphony
