Jacquet of Mantua: Motets & Secular Songs

Featuring

David Skinner
Kirsty Whatley
Lucy Hillman
Sophie Madden
Choir of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Jacquet of Mantua

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Jacquet of Mantua, influenced by his patron Cardinal Gonzaga's zeal for the Counter-Reformation, specialized almost exclusively in sacred music.

Composer Biography

Jacquet of Mantua, born in 1485, was a leading composer of sacred polyphony who moved to Italy from France, seeking opportunities and patronage.

Composition History

Jacquet of Mantua was based in Italy by 1519, first as a singer in Modena, and then from 1526 under the patronage of Ercole Cardinal Gonzaga, Bishop of Mantua.

Compositional Technique

Jacquet of Mantua's secular drinking song, 'Canamus et bibamus,' uniquely features 'burps' as punctuation.

Historical Context

One of Jacquet of Mantua's works, 'Aspice Domine,' was found in the Peterhouse Partbooks, a significant collection of Latin sacred music from the early 1540s compiled from Magdalen College, Oxford.

Performer Biography

The Choir of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, has established itself as specialists in Renaissance music, with several acclaimed recordings.

Compositional Technique

Jacquet of Mantua's general style blends Franco-Flemish tradition with emerging Italian style, using dissonance, rhythmic vitality, melodic grace, and imitation.