Search - Hilliard Ensemble, Paul Hillier :: Josquin Desprez - Missa Hercules Dux Ferrariae / Motets

RE UT RE UT RE FA MI RE

Giordano Bruno | Wherever I am, I am. | 11/03/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"That's the "cantus firmus" - the pattern of sustained notes around which the harmony is composed - of the Missa Hercules Dux Ferrariae by Josquin Deprez (1440-1521). It translates into modern pitches as "D-C-D-C-D-F-E-D". It's derived from matching the vowels of the hexachord ut-re-mi-fa-so-la with the vowels of the name hErcUlEs dUx fErrArIE. Hercules in this cryptogram is Duke Ercole d'Este of Ferrara, to whom the mass was obviously dedicated. Those eight notes form the subtle melodic basis for the entire mass composition; they are heard again and again, sometimes almost subliminally, transposed to higher pitches, inverted, stretched and condensed. Renaissance polyphony is full of such cryptic coded messages, as well as remarkably complex mathematical puzzles expressed in the notation of the era. And occasionally, whole lines of the polyphony are not notated at all, but merely implied in a Latin rubric, effectively a riddle for the performers to enjoy while earning their keep by singing luxuriantly.



Josquin spent exactly one year - 1503 - living high at the Este court in Ferrara, during which time he wrote only two pieces as far as anyone knows. The larger piece, the Miserere, is included on this CD. The mass was probably written years before, when Ercole visited Rome. Josquin's patron, Cardinal Sforza, perhaps commissioned it as an elaborate compliment to the guest.



Whatever the history, this is one of Josquin's grandest and most polished compositions, a work of such exquisite proportions that it ought to be broadcast to the stars as evidence of intelligent life on Earth.



And this is one of the Hilliard Ensemble's most polished performances. To evoke the majesty of this music, the Hilliards -normally a quartet - added seven more male singers, including some who have become major stars in the sky of Early Music: Mark Padmore, Paul Agnew, etc. This is still not a "choral" performance, given that all the singers are solo-worthy and extremely familiar with the special art of singing polyphony. To my ears, their "ensemble" is astonishingly tight, and their expressive treatment of counter-rhythms and linear independence is as good as it gets."

Magnificent music, beautifully sung

Sid Nuncius | London England | 05/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I often buy CDs, play them and think - "Oh, this is lovely." Occasionally I find a recording which is just breathtaking on first hearing, and this double CD is one of those. It is simply mesmerising. Josquin's music is among the most beautiful ever composed, and here there is a selection of some of his finest work. There are deeply moving motets like "De profundis clamavi", the lament on the death of Ockeghem, some lighter and delightful chansons, a great mass setting and Josquin's overwhelmingly lovely setting of the 51st psalm "Miserere mei Deus" - one of the glories of the Renaissance, in my view. The set also includes one of my favourite pieces ever, the setting of "Lugebat David Absalon", now thought to be by Nicholas Gombert.



The Hilliard Ensemble do this great music proud. That haunting Hilliard sound is there, beautifully capturing the spirit of the music, and the standard of musicianship is superb. There are several outstanding Josquin recordings available - by the Tallis Scholars, for example - and these discs stand with the best of them. They are simply magnificent.



This is not only first-rate music, but an incredible bargain, too. Recommended in the highest possible terms."