IDAGIO | Lassus: Missa Bell' Amfitrit' altera – Festal Sacred Music of Bavaria 00602458137934

Featuring

Andrew Carwood
Matthew Vine
Jeremy West
Iain Simcock
Timothy Roberts
James O'Donnell

His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts
Westminster Cathedral Choir
Hans Leo Hassler (von Roseneck)
Christian Erbach
Orlando di Lasso

Did you know?

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Historical Context

Hans Leo Hassler, a German composer, was a Protestant but wrote many Latin settings for Catholic use, demonstrating the complex religious landscape of the time.

Compositional Technique

Lassus's Missa Bell' Amfitrit' altera, an eight-part setting, avoids pure antiphonal Venetian dialogue, preferring interplay between groups from both choirs.

Recording & Production

The organs used for this recording were prepared by Malcolm Greenhalgh, and the pitch was set at A = 440Hz with a 6th-comma meantone temperament.

Composition History

The music on this album is arranged to recreate a festive Mass in Bavaria around 1600, specifically for the feast day of a martyr-bishop.

Composer Biography

Orlandus Lassus, a Flemish composer, was Bavaria's most prominent musician in the late 16th century, serving as Kapellmeister at the Bavarian court in Munich for nearly forty years.

Compositional Technique

For variety, Lassus wrote short sections of the Mass for only four voices in a flowing contrapuntal style, with the return of the full choir creating an electrifying impact.

Historical Context

Christian Erbach, another German composer, was employed by the Fugger family, important patrons in Augsburg, and succeeded Hassler as organist of St Moritz and city organist.