# Renaissance suggestions?



## Amadea (Apr 15, 2021)

I've been listening to some renaissance music from a radio lately and I enjoyed it, so I was wondering if you could suggest me some renaissance composers and best works. I basically know Monteverdi, a few of John Dowland's works for lute and that's it.


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## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

A few years ago we produced a list of Recommended Pre-1700 Works:
Compilation of the TC Top Recommended Lists

Here's the list in chronological order to help you find the Renaissance pieces:
The TC Top 100+ Recommended Pre-1700 Works List


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Amadea said:


> I've been listening to some renaissance music from a radio lately and I enjoyed it, so I was wondering if you could suggest me some renaissance composers and best works. I basically know Monteverdi, a few of John Dowland's works for lute and that's it.


Well seeing mention of Dowland made me think of the quintessential renaissance man in music - Lluis de Mila. Get this straight away:


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

My list:

Ockeghem
Josquin des Prez 
Matthaeus Pipelare (not a lot survived but what there is is excellent)
Pierre de La Rue 
Noel Bauldeweyn 
Nicolas Gombert
Cypriano de Rore 
Orlande de Lassus 
Jacob Regnart 
Robert de Févin 
Palestrina 
Cristóbal de Morales 
Francisco Guerrero 
Tomás Luis de Victoria 
Duarte Lobo


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Mandryka said:


> Well seeing mention of Dowland made me think of the quintessential renaissance man in music - Lluis de Mila. Get this straight away:
> 
> View attachment 154855


I got thrown for a moment but I think the English speaking world know him better as Luis de Milan:lol: and I totally agree with your comment.


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

SanAntone said:


> My list:
> 
> Ockeghem
> Josquin des Prez
> ...


What he said!:lol:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

Barbebleu said:


> What he said!:lol:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Don't forget Gesualdo either.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

SanAntone said:


> My list:
> 
> Jacob Regnart


Good to see you picking this!


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist said:


> Don't forget Gesualdo either.


Gesualdo is one of my favorite composers, and while his considered Late Renaissance much of his music was published after 1600 generally cited as the end of the Renaissance. He is lumped into the period by most musicologists, although for me his style is not typical for the period as a whole.

Monteverdi is almost a identical contemporary and is considered a transitional composer between the Renaissance and Baroque, but his style is a bit different from Gesualdo's whose music exerted a short term influence on his immediate successors.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)




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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

SanAntone said:


> Gesualdo is one of my favorite composers, and while his considered Late Renaissance much of his music was published after 1600 generally cited as the end of the Renaissance. He is lumped into the period by most musicologists, although for me his style is not typical for the period as a whole.
> 
> Monteverdi is almost a identical contemporary and is considered a transitional composer between the Renaissance and Baroque, but his style is a bit different from Gesualdo's whose music exerted a short term influence on his immediate successors.


Well I don't subscribe to the idea that any single individual has a significant influence on the development of classical music as a whole (not even Beethoven), but nonetheless one wonders what kind of music would have been written had composers followed Gesualdo's path rather than Monteverdi's!


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

We did this listening group last year, and it was very helpful in filling in my knowledge of Early Music. You might find some good suggestions there, though discussion was rarely vibrant.

As for my favorites:

Josquin - Miserere, Missa Pange Lingua; lots of shorter motets (certainly my favorite Renaissance composer)
Ockeghem - Missa Prolationum
Palestrina - Canticum Canticorum, Missa Papae Marcelli, Missa Breva
Brumel - Missa et ecce terrae motus (Earthquake Mass - this is one of the most mind-blowing pieces of polyphonic music I've ever heard)
Lots of Eton Choirbook pieces
Lassus - Lagrime di San Pietro, Lamentations
Tallis - Lamentations, Spem in alium, motets


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

With this post, I'm initiating a series of three or four posts to cover and make recommendations concerning the most important composers and musical works of the Renaissance, along with suggested recordings.

The TC list mentioned above is excellent and comprehensive. Yet, at the same time, I'd imagine it's rather overwhelming in regards to where to begin. Nor does it mention any recommended recordings for each of the many chosen works. So, I'll try to address those issues in my posts, and specifically in regards to the composers that are most widely considered to be the 'major' composers of the early, middle, and late Renaissance (i.e., Dufay, Dunstable, Binchois, Busnois, Ockeghem, Desprez, Tallis, Byrd, Victoria, Guerrero, Morales, Lassus, G. Gabrieli, Monteverdi, etc.). I should also point out that these composers are not the same as the major composers of the late Middle Ages, who also figure prominently on the TC recommended list. However, it does make sense to listen to this music chronologically (beginning with the abbess Hildegard von Bingen), in order to better understand how western music began and evolved to eventually become the Baroque era (as there are many fascinating links). & if you or anyone else is interested in doing that, I'll try to provide additional suggestions at the very end of my recommendations--in the postscript section of my final post--for recordings of music from the Gothic & late Middle Ages, i.e., the Ars Antiqua, Ars Subtilior, & Ars Nova periods.

The most important composers of the early, middle, and late Renaissance are the Burgundian and Franco-Flemish composers, who are comprised of five generations of what are essentially two phases of Franco-Flemish polyphony in the 15th & 16th centuries (in what is today Northern France, Belgium, and the Southern Netherlands, or the Low Countries; although there were several composers that came from Southern France, as well). They are sometimes also called the Netherlandish School. These composers were renowned in their day, & due to a widespread reverence for their innovative musical genius throughout Europe, the Franco-Flemish composers were given important musical posts in Italy, where they were called "I fiamminghi" (Dufay, Josquin, Obrecht, etc.), and in the Flemish chapel of the Habsburgs in Spain, called the "capilla flamenca" (Brumel, la Rue, Rogier, etc.), as well as elsewhere in Europe--in Poland, the Czech regions, Hungary, England, Sweden, Denmark, Saxony & Austria (such as, notably, Lassus at the Bavarian court). They had a huge influence on the native music and arts in those regions, and vice versa. For example, Josquin Desprez is even thought to have been a part of Leonardo da Vinci's circle in Italy.

The major composer of the School of Burgundy (associated with the Burgundian dukes at the Court of Burgundy, as well as the various ecclesiastical choir schools & cathedrals at Cambrai, Liége, Mons, Douai, Bruges, Antwerp, Ghent, etc.)--which was the 1st generation of Franco-Flemish polyphony--is first and foremost, Guillaume Dufay, who is a giant in music history. However, the English-Irish astronomer, mathematician, & composer, John Dunstable, or sometimes Dunstaple, was also crucially important as a transitional composer between the late Medieval and early Renaissance periods; as he was an enormous influence on Dufay and the developing style of the "new art" (a term coined by the music theorist & composer Tinctoris to describe Dunstable's music) of the Burgundian School. Unfortunately, we have only a small amount of Dunstable's compositions today, since they were apparently destroyed during the English Reformation, as a result of the Dissolution of the Catholic Monasteries in Britain by Henry VIII between 1536-1540. There is also some speculation that the Dunstable scores that survived the monasteries demise were later burned along with the contents of various English nobleman's houses during the English Civil War of 1642-1651. The other problem is that these composers often composed anonymously, as they were not concerned with fame or fortune. Therefore, scribes in England often copied Dunstable's works without attribution. Two other important Burgundian composers are Gilles Binchois (who was also influenced by Dunstable) and Antoine Busnois.

Dufay is most recognized for his beautiful masses, his 22 motets (& Marian antiphons), 13 of which are isorhythmic motets, three Magnificats, hymns, & many chansons (rondeau, ballade, and virelai). While Dunstable is today mostly recognized for his 12 surviving isorhythmic motets, two (nearly) completed masses--such as his Missa Rex seculorum, individual mass sections or movements (from lost masses), three Magnificats, and various settings of Marian antiphons, such as his Alma redemptoris Mater, Salve Regina, etc..

I. Here are some suggestions of recordings & works to listen to of music by Dufay. & I'll try to list multiple recordings in regards to his major works, since this music can sound very different depending on the ensemble & musicology involved (although please don't consider the order of these alternative versions listed as any indication of ranking, since they'll be ordered simply according to how they come into my mind; which admittedly, may indicate something...). Nor am I necessarily recommending these alternative recordings, rather they're there to give the reader a wider perspective and selection to choose from. I'll also place asterisks next to what I'd consider to be the most essential works by Dufay (as well as by the works of other composers that I mention):

1. *Missa Se la face ay Pale: David Munrow & The Early Music Consort of London (a pioneering group): 



--Alternative #1: Jesse Rodin & Cut Circle (this is excellent, too): 



--Alternative #2: Giuseppe Maletto & Cantica Symphonia: 



--Alternative #3--Nigel Rogers & the Chiaroscuro Ensemble: 



--Alternative #4--Thomas Binkley & Pro Arte Singers: not on You Tube.
--Alternative #5-- Antoine Guerber & Diabolus in Musica: 




2. *"Voyage en Italie", motets & chansons, sung by La Reverdie (a favorite disc of mine): 




3. *Missa Sancti Jacobi, sung by La Reverdie: 




4. *Missa L'homme armé, and various iconic motets by Dufay: such as "Nuper Rosarum Flores" & "O Sancte Sebastiane", sung by the Hilliard Ensemble: 




Missa L'homme armé:
--Alternative #1: Cut Circle: 



--Alternative #2: Cantica Symphonia--this group has been criticized for occasionally slowing down too much, which I get, but many like their singing, as do I at times: 




--*Nuper Rosarum Flores: a motet that was composed for the 1436 consecration of the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral in Florence, upon the completion of Filippo Brunelleschi's famous dome for that cathedral (it is one of Dufay's 13 isorhythmic motets):





--Alternative: Pomerium, led by Alexander Blachly (who uses a larger choir than the Hilliards): 




--*O Sancte Sebastiane (another one of the 13 isorhythmic motets): 




5. *Mass for St. Anthony of Padua:

--Pomerium: 



--The Binchois Consort, led by Andrew Kirkman: https://www.amazon.com/Music-St-Anthony-Padua-Dufay/dp/B000002ZXG

As for Dufay's other masses, you may want to explore his Missa Ecce Ancilla Domini (see below), as well as the rest of the survey of masses recorded by The Binchois Consort on Hyperion. Among these, I've particularly liked their recording of Dufay's Missa Puisique je vis: https://www.amazon.com/Dufay-Missa-...0a7ce&pd_rd_wg=2SmHX&pd_rd_i=B00DOVXMRA&psc=1.

--Missa Ecce Ancilla Domini (& Le Banquet du Voeu), performed by Ensemble Gilles Binchois, led Dominique Vellard (here the mass is sung in its liturgical context):
https://music.apple.com/mn/album/le-banquet-du-voeu/688197632
https://www.amazon.com/Banquet-Voeu-Ensemble-Gilles-Binchois/dp/B00004TQQN

--Alternative #1--Cut Circle: 



--Altnernative #2--René Clemencic & the Clemencic Consort (a pioneering group): Could the following YT clip be the Clemencic Consort singing the Kyrie, I wonder?: 



. For the sake of comparison, here's the Clemencic Consort singing Dufay's Missa Caput: 



. 
https://www.amazon.com/Giullaume-Dufay-nomine-ancilla-Domini/dp/B000025YRC
--Alternative #3--Vox Luminis, led by Lionel Meunier, who frustratingly only give us the Agnus Dei: 



--Alternative #4--Boston Church of the Advent Choir, led by Mark Dwyer (who uses a larger choir than I prefer): 




(--Le Banquet du Voeu, in 1454: which is comprised of Burgundian music by Vide, Legrant, Dufay, Frye, Binchois, Grenon, Fontaine, as well as "anonymous" works:
https://www.amazon.com/Banquet-Du-Voeu-1454-Music/dp/B014Q29ADA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_the_Pheasant.)

6. Motets, Hymns, etc, including a favorite motet of mine, *"Flos Florum", sung by the Blue Heron choir:





Here's a link to the rest of the album: 




7. "O Gemma Lux", a recording of all *13 of Dufay's isorhythmic motets, as sung by the Huelgas Ensemble, led by Paul van Nevel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTIlHSouJYU;. However, these are not always my favorite performances of these motets.

8. & 9. *Missa Ave Regina Caelorum (a mass based on the Marian antiphon setting, Ave regina celorum, which Dufay had requested to be sung to him on his deathbed) & *Missa Resveillies vous, performed by Cantica Symphonia, led by Kees Boeke and Giuseppe Maletto: 



. These 2 CDs are my favorite recordings to date by Cantica Symphonia, and some of Dufay's most beautiful music.

10. *Lamentatio Sanctae Matris Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae, or Lament for Constantinople, written in remembrance of the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453, as sung by Doulce Mémoire, led by Denis Raison Dadre: https://open.spotify.com/album/1qBl...hlight=spotify:track:7IH RmYR53MvnSKpdTB0xf2. Capella Romana and the Orlando Consort have also recorded this work: 



. The Lament was possibly composed for Philip the Good of Burgundy's "Feast of the Pheasant" or Le Banquet du Voeu" in 1454; yet Vellard didn't include it on his recording.

11. Secular music: 87 chansons have survived by Dufay. There have been many excellent recordings by Ensemble Gilles Binchois, Medieval Ensemble of London, Studio der Frühen Musik, Diabolus in Musica, and more recently, Ensemble Unicorn, Triste Plaisir, Gothic Voices, & the Orlando Consort. So, there's a lot to choose from here:

--Diabolus in Musica: 



--Ensemble Gilles Binchois: 



--Ensemble Unicorn, led by Michael Posch: 



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--Orlando Consort: 



https://www.amazon.com/Dufay-Lament...e6cf5&pd_rd_wg=yyHZe&pd_rd_i=B07NBP8QJ5&psc=1
--Medieval Ensemble of London, led by Peter & Timothy Davies: this is the only complete box set of Dufay's secular music:




















--Studio der Frühen Musik: 



--Cantica Symphonia: 



--Triste Plaisir: performing lesser known chansons by Dufay & Binchois: as sung by a female voice, Lena Susanne Norin, who has sung with the Ferrara Ensemble, Ensemble Gilles Binchois, etc.: 



--Gothic Voices: 




12. I'd be remiss not to mention a 'classic' 2 CD set from the early days of the revival, entitled, "Guillaume Dufay and his Times" by the Syntagma Musicum of Amsterdam, led by Kees Otten (which features a young René Jacobs in his days as a counter-tenor). However, it's a difficult recording to find these days on CD (but not on LP): https://www.amazon.com/Guillaume-Dufay-his-Times-Syntagma/dp/B00002460N.

13. Lastly, Jordi Savall used some of Dufay's music in a film score that he composed & arranged for Jacques Rivette's film, Jeanne la Pucelle (or Joan of Arc): https://www.amazon.com/Joan-Arc-Jordi-Savall/dp/B00004R7PT. One of the sources for Savall's score appears to have been a songbook that was found in the Montecassino Abbey in Naples, which contains various sacred and secular works from the 15th century by Dufay, Ockeghem, etc. Interestingly, Savall additionally made a 2 CD recording of works from this songbook, and I'd recommend the set. Although I also enjoy his film score for Jeanne la Pucelle (& even more than the "Montecassino" discs!):

--*Cancionero de Montecassino, performed by La Capella Reial de Catalunya, led by Jordi Savall: 



--*Savall's film score for Jeanne La Pucelle: 




(By the way, I've also particularly enjoyed Savall's 3 CD series of "El Cant de la Sibil-la, or The Song of the Sibyl: 



, as well as his recordings of the music library of Christopher Columbus.)

II. Finally, here are six more suggestions of important music from the Burgundian School:

1. John Dunstable: his famous motet, *Veni Sancte Spiritus/Veni Creator Spiritus: sung by the Hilliard Ensemble: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=john+dunstable+veni+sancte+sp iritus. Here's the rest of the Hilliard's album: 



.

2. John Dunstaple: *Various motets, hymns, & antiphons, as well as one of the two surviving masses by Dunstaple--Missa Rex seculorum, sung by the Orlando Consort:









https://www.amazon.com/John-Dunstap...table+dunstaple&qid=1620498772&s=music&sr=1-1

--Alternative: Dunstaple: Masses and Motets (in performances that are not especially to my liking--at least, not in comparison to the Hilliards & Orlandos), sung by Tonus Peregrinus, led by Antony Pitts (who uses too large a choir for the echoey church acoustic where they sing: making Dunstaple's complex polyphonic music sound hazy & fuzzy & less distinct. Which isn't ideal for those that want to hear the polyphony clearly, like myself): 



.

3. & 4. *Gilles Binchois & *Jehan de Lescurel: a selection of beautiful chansons by each composer, sung by Ensemble Gilles Binchois (in a 2 for 1 discount CD set that combines two of this ensemble's best chanson albums, IMO): 








https://www.amazon.com/Chansons-Ens...A2NDB50VHZW&psc=1&refRID=XR5A0S0ASA2NDB50VHZW

5. Antoine Busnois, or Busnoys: Missa L'homme armé, performed by The Binchois Consort, and a CD by Pomerium, which includes Busnois's "Missa O crux lignum triumphale":













http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/h/hyp67319a.php
--Altnernative version of Busnois's Missa "L'homme armé sung by Cantica Symphonia: 



--Alternative version of Busnois's Missa "O crux lignum" (& various motets) sung by the Orlando Consort: 



.

6. *Ciaramella--"Music from the Court of Burgundy": instrumental & vocal performances. This is an excellent group, & they've been recorded in audiophile sound. Hearing Burgundian music played on authentic shawns, sackbutts, bagpipes, and recorders is a must for fans of this era!:

https://music.apple.com/us/album/ciaramella-music-from-the-court-of-burgundy/440275650
https://www.amazon.com/Ciaramella-Music-Court-Burgundy-Gold/dp/B0033HKCJG

So, that concludes my survey of the Burgundian School. In my next post, I'll cover the 2nd & possible 3rd generations of the Franco-Flemish School (if I have the space), starting with another giant of the age, Johannes Ockeghem (who was likely a pupil of Gilles Binchois), and Josquin Desprez, who, along with Dufay, is arguably the most highly revered figure of the Franco-Flemish era (& a pupil of Ockeghem's) ...


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## EnescuCvartet (Dec 16, 2016)

Guillaume de Machaut is a medieval, ars nova composer. So technically a pre-Renaissance man, but one worth a listen if you aren't familiar with him. I am enjoying his Notre Dame Mass tonight. Sonically, it's not that far of from Ligeti's Requiem, if you can believe it. A 600-year chasm somehow seems too great a span between these two works.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

EnescuCvartet said:


> Guillaume de Machaut is a medieval, ars nova composer. So technically a pre-Renaissance man, but one worth a listen if you aren't familiar with him. I am enjoying his Notre Dame Mass tonight. Sonically, it's not that far of from Ligeti's Requiem, if you can believe it. A 600-year chasm somehow seems too great a span between these two works.


Machaut was a master poet and composer. Which recording of the _Messe_ are you listening to?


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Josquin13 said:


> Dufay is most recognized for his beautiful masses ...


Dufay is usually included in the Medieval period.


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## architecture (Dec 30, 2017)

Tallis- If Ye Love Me; O Lord in Thee is all my trust; 
Gibbons- This is the Record of John; What is our life
Byrd- Prevent us, O Lord; Ave verum corpus
Campion- What if a Day, or a Month, or a Year; Shall I come, sweet love, to thee
Anon, pub. Ravenscroft- The Three Ravens
Guedron- Cessez mortels; Qu'on parle plus 
Tomas Pascual- Hoy Es Dia de Placer
John Browne- Stabat Mater
Di Lasso- La nuict froide et sombre 
Willaert- Aspro core et selvaggio; O dolce vita mia
Anon- Hanacpachap Cussicuinin 
John Sheppard- Inclina Domine; Salvator mundi Domine
John Bennet- All Creatures Now Are Merry-Minded
Claude de Sermisy- Tant que vivray (see transcription by Miguel de Fuenllana) 
Thomas Tomkins- Too Much I Lamented 
Robert Carver- Masses for 6 voices
Robert Fayrfax - Magnificat Regale á 5
Boesset- A la fin cette bergere

*Instrumental*
Philidor- Musiques Pour Le Mariage Du Roy Louis XIII Faites En 1615: Bourée D'Avignonez
Claude Gervaise- French dances
From John Playford's 1651 Dancing Master- Paul's Steeple; Newcastle; The Beggar Boy; When Phoebus did rest (the melody is better known as being the tune for "Drive the Cold Winter Away");

*Transition*
Sweelinck- Echo Fantasia (aeolian) 
Heinrich Schütz- Musikalische Exquisien; Die sieben wort; Herr, auf dich traue ich
Michelangelo Rossi- O miseria d'amante 
Frescobaldi- Se l'aura spira
Juan Arañés- Un sarao de la chacona


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

SanAntone said:


> Dufay is usually included in the Medieval period.


No, that's not right. Dufay is an early Renaissance composer, as was Binchois and the rest of Burgundian school. They are the first generation of the age of Franco-Flemish polyphony, which isn't medieval. However, Dunstaple, Dufay, & Binchois are viewed as transitional composers that served as important bridges between the late Middle Ages (in which they were born) and the early Renaissance.

Do you also think that Brunelleschi's dome in Florence is medieval? for which Dufay composed his famous motet, Nuper Rosarum Flores?, because that too is early Renaissance. In fact, both Brunelleschi and Dufay mark the beginning of the Renaissance and were major influences on what followed after them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillaume_Du_Fay


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## Chilham (Jun 18, 2020)

Josquin13 said:


> No, that's not right....


I think it is right. But it's incorrect.

Dufay was likely born in 1397 so often gets dumped, incorrectly, into pre-Renaissance music.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Ban c. Sac bcbcbj nbsmjcznznc,j’en


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Josquin13 said:


> No, that's not right. Dufay is an early Renaissance composer, as was Binchois and the rest of Burgundian school. They are the first generation of the age of Franco-Flemish polyphony, which isn't medieval. However, Dunstaple, Dufay, & Binchois are viewed as transitional composers that served as important bridges between the late Middle Ages (in which they were born) and the early Renaissance.
> 
> Do you also think that Brunelleschi's dome in Florence is medieval? for which Dufay composed his famous motet, Nuper Rosarum Flores?, because that too is early Renaissance. In fact, both Brunelleschi and Dufay mark the beginning of the Renaissance and were major influences on what followed after them.
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillaume_Du_Fay


Of course you are correct, I was wrong to Dufay was usually consider Medieval - I should have said _I think_ of him closer to that period than the Renaissance.

IMO Dufay's music sounds closer to the Medieval, but I know his birthdate and that the Medieval is usually closed at 1400, or some end it around 1420. I started my list with Ockeghem, and not Dufay, for that reason. I prefer to focus on the middle Renaissance, which is more 1450-1550 and see those composers between 1425-1450 as transitional. But I don't have a real disagreement with your post, and all of the composers you listed can be considered Renaissance composers, although as I said, for me, I usually suggest later names when the style is more clearly defined.

The late Renaissance is one of the most interesting periods, IMO. In fact, transitional periods always are, also IMO.


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

Josquin13 said:


> I. Here are some suggestions of recordings & works to listen to
> 
> .....
> 
> 6. *Ciaramella--"Music from the Court of Burgundy": instrumental & vocal performances. This is an excellent group, & they've been recorded in audiophile sound. Hearing Burgundian music played on authentic shawns, sackbutts, bagpipes, and recorders is a must for fans of this era!:


Excellent choices. I own as well as all the recordings you mention, and I can only agree. Also nice to see, that you include the impressive Ciaramella recording, as there generally are too few recommendations of instrumental music in this thread.
I look eagerly forward to your next posts.


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## Ariasexta (Jul 3, 2010)

> Default
> 
> With this post, I'm initiating a series of three or four posts to cover and make recommendations concerning the most important composers and musical works of the Renaissance, along with suggested recordings.


Thanks, your post will be of help for everybody to get into the Renaissance music.

To OP and all who is getting into early music:

I would now heartily recommend some Claude Le Jeune stuff: his chansons, missae, motets and others. Claude Le Jeune is always tuneful and harmonically more accessible for the beginners. Of course, John Dowland would be good starter too, just in case you needed to start with some polyphony.


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

If you want to dive in head first:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product...a&pd_rd_w=tkrWV&pd_rd_wg=JOGg0&ref_=pd_gw_unk

A smaller sampling that I picked up earlier this year (all from the Hilliard Ensemble):

https://smile.amazon.com/Franco-Fle...63002&s=music&sprefix=Hill,popular,186&sr=1-2

(Amazon keeps raising the price on this one.)


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## Amadea (Apr 15, 2021)

Thank you all for these suggestions! They're many. I already knew Monteverdi and some Palestrina and Allegri (God, his Miserere makes me weep every time...). I promise I will try to listen to them all! I also recently discovered William Byrd thanks to a radio and I'm enjoying him a lot.


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## Amadea (Apr 15, 2021)

BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist said:


> Well I don't subscribe to the idea that any single individual has a significant influence on the development of classical music as a whole (not even Beethoven), but nonetheless one wonders what kind of music would have been written had composers followed Gesualdo's path rather than Monteverdi's!


Hei. That might be a very interesting topic for another thread, I suggest you to start it. If you do please DM the link to me.


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## Amadea (Apr 15, 2021)

Josquin13 said:


> With this post, I'm initiating a series of three or four posts to cover and make recommendations concerning the most important composers and musical works of the Renaissance, along with suggested recordings.


Thank you a lot for the time and effort you put into this. I'll read carefully and listen to everything. Thank you. I'd suggest you to blog the posts.


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## Amadea (Apr 15, 2021)

jegreenwood said:


> If you want to dive in head first: (Amazon keeps raising the price on this one.)


I have been navigating the deep waters of the web for 12 years or more. I am an expert corsair now. High prices? Don't worry... Thanks for your suggestions


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

SanAntone said:


> Of course you are correct, I was wrong to Dufay was usually consider Medieval - I should have said _I think_ of him closer to that period than the Renaissance.
> 
> IMO Dufay's music sounds closer to the Medieval, but I know his birthdate and that the Medieval is usually closed at 1400, or some end it around 1420.


And somthing reminding of the early renaissance style of DuFay's chansons can be heard already in some of the music from the Italian Trecento, eg "Questa fanciull', Amor" by Francesco Landini (~1330 - 1397).


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

premont said:


> And somthing reminding of the early renaissance style of DuFay's chansons can be heard already in some of the music from the Italian Trecento, eg "Questa fanciull', Amor" by Francesco Landini (~1330 - 1397).


What also makes me consider Dufay linked to the Medieval are his isorhythmic motets.


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

SanAntone said:


> What also makes me consider Dufay linked to the Medieval are his isorhythmic motets.


Completely agreed.


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## EnescuCvartet (Dec 16, 2016)

I'm not sure anymore. I had a free trial, then a month of paid Primephonic and was listening on there, but it ran out . If I end up getting the year subscription I'll find the recording and get back to you.


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

To continue from my previous post, where I covered the works of Dufay & the Burgundian School...

But first, I wanted to mention that the music links in my posts are not intended to be listened to all at once (which would be overload), but rather over time.

As with my previous post, I'll list alternative recordings for those Renaissance works that I consider to be major pieces. & again, these recordings won't be ranked, but rather simply listed in the order they came into my mind.

For this post, I plan to cover the 2nd generation of the Franco-Flemish School, starting with another giant of the early Renaissance, Johannes Ockeghem: who was likely a pupil of Gilles Binchois (and a friend of Dufay's), but not himself considered to be a part of the Burgundian School due to his style being so different from the older generation: Such as, for example, Ockeghem's distinctive deep bass line, which is not a characteristic of the Burgundian School, but rather allows for a wider tonal palette and therefore a more elaborate polyphony. This aspect of Ockeghem's style was hugely influential on the next generation, as well as on the course of music history.

Ockeghem has also been linked to Antoine Busnois, who wrote his motet "In hydraulis" in tribute to Ockeghem, who was still living at the time. (Which is rare considering that the Franco-Flemish usually composed their tributes to dead composers.) This has led to speculation that Busnois may have studied with Ockeghem. Which puts Ockeghem well within the older circle, despite that he is considered to be a transitional composer between the Burgundian school and the age of Josquin.

1. Antoine Busnois: "In hydraulis", in three contrasting performances:
--Diabolus in Musicus: 



--Pomerium: 



--Hilliard Ensemble: 




III. The reason that Ockeghem is thought to have studied with Binchois is because he composed a beautiful, heart-felt & apparently grief-stricken motet-chanson on the death of Binchois (probably in 1460), entitled *"Mort, tu a navré de ton dart (in memoriam Gilles Binchois)". It's a favorite work of mine:

2. La Main Harmonique, led by Frédéric Bétous:





Alternative #1: Vox Luminis, led by Lionel Meunier (another very fine performance): 



 (

(By the way, the Vox Luminis motet recording is included in the Ricercar label's 8 CD box set, "La Polyphonie Flamande", which is a recommendable option, if so inclined: https://www.amazon.com/Flemish-Poly...emish+polyphony&qid=1620334443&s=music&sr=1-1)

Alternative #2: Orlando Consort: 



Alternative #3: Graindelavoix, led by Björn Schmelzer. Graindelavoix's singing has an almost middle eastern flavor, which I find fascinating but maybe not as a 1st choice: 




3. Ockeghem composed 4, 7, 10 motets? based on Marian texts, depending on which musicologist you read. His motet, *"Intermerata Dei Mater" for the Virgin Mary is considered one of his masterworks. Here it is sung by Ensemble Musica Nova, led by Lucien Kandel: 




Ockeghem's other (mostly undisputed) Marian motets include the following works:

--Alma redemptoris mater:
--Hilliard Ensemble: 



--The Clerk's Group, led by Edward Wickham: 



. 
--Salve regina I: Hilliard Ensemble: 



--Salve regina II: Hilliard Ensemble: 



. 
--*Ave Maria: 
--Henry's Eight: 



--Hilliard Ensemble: 



.

4. *Deo Gratias for 36 voices--long ago described as a "mystical chant"; it is like hearing music from another planet:

--Huelgas Ensemble:





5. Otherwise, Ockeghem is best known for his some 14 masses, including the first Requiem mass in music history; a distinction that he doesn't deserve because the first Requiem mass was actually composed by Dufay. However, Dufay's Requiem is now lost (hopefully to be rediscovered one day). Thus, Ockeghem composed the first surviving Requiem, & it is a masterwork. My top five recordings are by the Hilliard Ensemble, Diabolus in Musica, Ensemble Organum, & Capella Pratensis, along with a fine recording in the complete survey of Ockeghem masses by The Clerk's Group, which won a Gramophone award in Britain. The advantage of Diabolus in Musica's recording is that they sing Ockeghem's mass at its written pitch, without transposing the music up (or down). As a result, the bass line sounds richer, and the tonal palette and polyphony more varied. (While, in contrast, The Clerk's Group's vocal mix sounds overly bright and higher pitched in comparison.)

--*Requiem Mass:

--Hilliard Ensemble (who sing at a semitone below the written pitch): 



This recording is available in a 2 for 1 discount CD set issued by Erato: https://www.amazon.com/Ockeghem-Req...liard+ensemble&qid=1620320638&s=dmusic&sr=1-1

--Diabolus in Musica: 




--Ensemble Organum, led by Marcel Pérès: 




Alternative #1: Capella Pratensis, led by Stratton Bull (who sing at a semitone below the written pitch): 



Alternative #2: The Clerk's Group: 



Alternative #3: Musica Ficta, led by Bo Holten: 



Alternative #4: Pro Cantione Antiqua, led by Bruno Turner (historical): 



.

The Hilliard Ensemble additionally recorded two other Ockeghem masses--Missa Mi-Mi and Missa Prolationum, and these recordings are very worthwhile, too (& available in the same Erato issue linked above). However, at times, I enjoy and maybe even prefer a more continental approach to Ockeghem, such as by Ensemble Musica Nova, Capella Pratensis, Diabolus in Musica, etc.. Therefore, I'd suggest that you sample from both the British groups and the various European ensembles to hear the differences for yourself, and to see which of these approaches you may be most drawn to.

6. *Missa Mi-Mi: Hilliard Ensemble: I prefer their earlier studio recording (now on Erato) to the later live recording on Coro: 




Alternative #1: The Clerk's Group: 



Alternative #2: Capella Pratensis, led by Rebecca Stewart: 



Alternative #3: Beauty Farm: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082FQX463/ref=dm_rogue_digital
Alternative #4: The Sound and the Fury: 




7. *Missa Prolationum: This mass has long been considered one of the great masses of the Renaissance, & it is beautifully sung by Ensemble Musica Nova: 




https://www.amazon.com/Ockeghem-Pro...a+nova+ockeghem&qid=1620594639&s=music&sr=1-1

Alternative #1: Hilliard Ensemble: 



Alternative #2: Clemencic Consort, led by René Clemencic: 



Alternative #3: There is a new recording on Raum Klang (which I've not heard yet) from a group called, L'ultima parola, who were formed specifically to record this mass. They're comprised of only four singers, and sing one voice to a part. Judging by the sound clips, their polyphony is lithe, clear, & expressive. Todd McComb at Medieval.org gave them a favorable review, writing that "this rendition definitely sets new standards": http://www.medieval.org/music/early/cdc/rau3902.html. Plus, Mort tu as navré is included as an added bonus: https://www.asinamusic.com/rk-3902.html. .
Alternative #4: The Sound and the Fury: 



.
Alternative #5: The Clerk's Group: 




8. Missa Caput (an early work): I don't have a first choice here (but if pressed, I'd might favor The Clerk's Group), so I'll get Graindelavoix's recording out of the way first, since it's a fascinating interpretation. The way Graindelavoix sings the opening Kyrie makes the music sound like it is emerging out of a primordial ocean, or some cosmic landscape: 



. Their approach is unusually daring & imaginative. While it probably shouldn't be your only recording of Missa Caput, it does make for an interesting alternative. Although it doesn't surprise me, either, that some people don't like this performance (I recall one critic likened their singing to a "goatherd"), considering that it defies all expectations for how this music should sound. To be sampled first.

--The Clerk's Group: Kyrie: 



--Missa Caput: The Hilliard Ensemble, live, on the Coro label: Sanctus: 



--Missa Caput: Beauty Farm: not on You Tube.

9. *Missa Cuiusvis Toni: This great mass was designed by Ockeghem to be sung in whatever tone was chosen by the singers, as demonstrated by Ensemble Musica Nova, who sing the mass 4 times in four different modes--the Dorian, Phyrgian, Lydian, and Mixolydian: although scholars now believe that Ockeghem only intended the mass to be sung in three different modes, since the Lydian and Mixolydian are mostly indistinguishable. But here, in Ensemble Nova's excellent 2 CD set, you get four ways to hear the mass (plus, they offer a superb rendition of Ockeghem's Intermerata Dei Mater, as noted above):





https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001A7IX10/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp
The reissue: https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7960667--ockeghem-missa-cuiusvis-toni

--Alternative #1: The Clerk's Group: 



--Alternative #2:: The Sound and the Fury: https://www.amazon.com/Ockeghem-Mis...nd+and+the+fury&qid=1620748508&s=music&sr=1-2

10. Missa L'homme armé: The Clerk's Group: 




--Alternative #1: The Sound and the Fury, coupled with Missa Vinus vina vinum: https://www.amazon.com/Missa-lHomme-Arme-Missa-Performer-0001-01-01/dp/B014I3A1US
--Alternative #2: Oxford Camerata, led by Jeremy Summerly: This CD begins with the "L'homme armé" song upon which all the L'homme armé masses are based, & virtually all the Franco-Flemish composers wrote a L'homme armé mass--Dufay, Ockeghem, Busnois, Faugues, Josquin, etc.. In contrast to The Clerk's Group, Summerly's interpretation is slower and more measured, and not as nimble or energetic as I would like, but its a good performance: 



--Alternative #3: Ensemble Nusmido: Again, they take a very different approach to The Clerk's Group, & while on the surface it may sound very beautiful & it is, I expect some listeners will ultimately find their singing too uniformly slow & relaxed, considering the non-liturgical "armed man" subject matter of the mass. Yet, they sing parts of the mass very well. Here's their Kyrie: 



.

11. Missa au travail suis (translated, "I am in such torment"): This mass is a good example of Ockeghem's characteristic deep bass line, & the greater expressive range of his polyphony:

--The Tallis Scholars, led by Peter Phillips:




https://www.amazon.com/Ockeghem-Missa-Plus-Travail-Suis/dp/B00005ATDH

--The Clerk's Group: 




12. *Missa De plus en plus: This is another great mass by Ockeghem, & one of my personal favorites, with its ingenious Agnus Dei at the end of the mass:

--Orlando Consort: 



.

--The Clerk's Group: 




Alternative #1: The Tallis Scholars: see my link in #11.

Finally, I'd also recommend Ockeghem's Missa Fors seulement: 



, and his Missa Ecce ancilla domini: 



.

ETC.

Or, rather than buying lots of individual CDs, you could instead opt for the complete mass survey by The Clerk's Group on ASV "Gaudeamus". Which originally came out on individual CDs and then was later released in a box set: Note that the single CDs contain more music than was included in the box set (such as extra motets & works by other composers). Unfortunately, the CDs are now out of print and can be pricey, while the box set is hard to find. Although the cycle can presently be downloaded or listened to on You Tube: https://www.amazon.com/Ockeghem-Collection-Clerks-Edward-Wickham/dp/B01L9V9SK6.

--The Clerk's Group: the complete masses: 




13. Lastly, Ockeghem's secular songs are very worthwhile, and IMO, represent some his best music. The Medieval Ensemble of London, led by the Davies brothers, recorded his complete chansons on 2 CDs in 1993; as has the Boston-based choir, Blue Heron, led by Scott Metcalfe, more recently (although Blue Heron's Volume 2 has yet to be released). While Jesse Rodin & Cut Circle have likewise recently recorded a complete survey. All three surveys are superb, and the choice lies primarily between which style of performance you prefer, since the approach by each group is different: Metcalfe's performances are more relaxed and emphasize the sheer beauty of the music, with a discreet use of instrumental accompaniment on just a harp and/or vielle; while Cut Circle sings the chansons more expressively, almost like madrigals and without any instrumental accompaniment; while the Davies brothers offer a more varied approach overall, with a greater array of instruments, including the use of a sackbut, shawn, & recorder:

--*The complete secular works: Medieval Ensemble of London: 




--Alternative #1: Blue Heron (Volume 1): 



. 
--Alternative #2: Cut Circle: 




With that said, one of my favorite recordings of Ockeghem's secular music is a single CD of selected songs by La Main Harmonique (which I've already mentioned in relation to their recording of "Mort, tu as navré", included on this CD). To my ears, it helps that the LMH singers are native born French speakers, as I find their pronunciation and handling of the language of the texts more authentic sounding & therefore preferable to the non-French groups:

--*La Main Harmonique: works by Ockeghem (& Compére):














































--There's also an excellent single disc by *Romanesque (the contents of which are included in the Ricercar "Flemish Polyphony" box set linked above): https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8029431--ockeghem-chansons; as well as a fine disc from Ensemble Sollazzo, who perform a selection of Ockeghem's songs, along with songs by Busnois, Caron, Binchois, etc., which are all derived from the "Leuven Chansonnier" (1470-75). Here's a link to volume 1: https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8672495--leuven-chansonnier-volume-1. Finally, there's also the excellent CD by the Orlando Consort that I mentioned above, who like Cut Circle don't add instrumental accompaniment: 



.

All four of these discs are special, as are the three complete surveys.  So, where there was once was a dearth of recordings in this repertory, with the pioneering Davies brothers your only option, now there are many varied & excellent performances.

To finish, I should mention that three motets were written as lamentations or elegies upon Ockeghem's death by composers of the 3rd generation. One of these works is a famous motet by Josquin Desprez, entitled "Nymphes des bois" or "La Déploration de Johannes Ockeghem, which I'll discuss when I cover Josquin's music in my next post. The second is by Pierre De La Rue, entitled "Plorer, gemir crier - Requiem.". & the third is a lesser known motet by the composer Johannes Lupi (or Jean Leleu), which is set to a text by Erasmus, "Ergone conticuit":

--*Plorer, gemir, crier - Requiem: Diabolus in Musica: 



--*Ergone conticuit: Diabolus in Musica: 



.

All three elegies, plus Busnois's tribute to Ockeghem, *"In hydraulis", are included on the following recommendable CD: https://www.amazon.com/Plorer-Gemir...rer+gemir+crier&qid=1621085389&s=music&sr=1-1

I've run out of space, so I'll have to finish with the other composers of the 2nd generation in my next post, before I launch into Josquin Desprez & his circle.


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

Having now covered Johannes Ockeghem in my previous post last week, who was one of the most important & seminal composers in music history (as well as Dufay and the Burgundian School in my first post), with this entry I plan to address a portion of the rest of the 2nd generation of the Netherlandish School, before I move on to Josquin Desprez & the 3rd generation:

IV. Apart from Ockeghem, other important composers of the 2nd generation include Guillaume Faugues, Loyset Compére, Firminus Caron, Marbrianus de Orto, Johannes Regis, Alexander Agricola, Johannes Prioris, and Johannes Tinctoris, etc.:

1. Guillaume Faugues--I know of only three recordings of works by Guillaume Faugues: (1) two CDs that contain four masses sung by The Sound and the Fury, as part of their "Paradise regained" series, and (2) a single CD by Obsidienne, who sing the one mass that S&F didn't record. The quality of his music is very high. To my mind, a case can be made for Faugues being a major composer, despite the little amount of music that has survived by him. In his time, Faugues was as renowned for his masses as Ockeghem, and like Ockeghem, Faugues was a highly individual composer with a less conventional style than the Burgundian School. Although, interestingly, I've read that there are cross-influences between Faugues and Ockeghem, which I wish I could elaborate on, but if you listen carefully to both composers you can probably begin to hear them ...

--*Missa "Le serviteur": This mass was formerly attributed to Ockeghem, but we now know--thanks to the composer & music theorist Johannes Tinctoris, who mentions it & was a contemporary of Faugues--that the mass is definitely by Faugues and not Ockeghem. It is based on the chanson, "Le servieur hault" by Dufay, so it is what is called a "parody" mass, and it's an early example of this technique, which makes it a very important work. I consider it a masterpiece. Here it is sung by The Sound and the Fury (who btw are an Anglo-German vocal group whose four core members include the Englishman John Potter, formerly of the Hilliard Ensemble):





On this recording, Missa "Le Serviteur" comes coupled with the *Missa "Je Suis en la Mer": https://www.amazon.com/Faugues-Guillaume-C-1442-C-1471-Missa-Serviteur/dp/B001G55ULM.

--*Missa L'homme armé, and *Missa "Vinus vina vinum": again sung by The Sound and the Fury: https://www.amazon.com/Missa-lHomme-Arme-Missa-Performer-0001-01-01/dp/B014I3A1US. We know that Johannes Tinctoris thought very highly of Faugues' Missa "Vinus vina vinum", because he mentions it along with Dufay's Missa "L'homme armé, as being among the two greatest masses of the age that are most worthy to be imitated. (I especially like Faugues' "L'homme armé mass, as well.) Tinctoris also praised Faugues for his "varietas", which I take to mean the diversity of his tonal palette and polyphony. In other words, like Ockeghem, Faugues should be considered an important transitional composer, who had a strong influence on the polyphony of the next generation.

--Missa La basse danse: Obsidienne, led by Emmanuel Bonnardot: 



. This mass is based on a "low dance", and is an early example of a work based on a dance, which would later be used in music composed by the 3rd generation (etc.), such as Josquin's "La Spagna", for example. To my ears, "La Spagna" displays the characteristics of a low dance, where the dancers' feet weren't allowed to ever leave the floor: 



. For a good background to this mass and the other music on the CD (five motets by Ockeghem), I'd suggest reading E.L. Wisty's excellent review on Amazon, entitled "The Divine Art", linked here: https://www.amazon.com/Vox-Aurea-Ockegehm-Motets-Faugues/dp/B000007SZS.

These five masses are the only known works by Faugues. I hope more music by Faugues will some day be discovered among the piles of brilliant "anonymous" works from the era, or found misfiled in some ancient library, or like the Missa "Le Serviteur", perhaps a new case will be made that can demonstrate other works by Ockeghem or his contemporaries have been misattributed and are actually by Faugues. However, I expect all that is only wishful thinking. & I suppose we should be grateful for what has survived.

2. Loyset Compére: Again, there aren't many recordings of Compére's music, but the situation is better than it used to be. Plus, you'll find many single works by Compére included on various compilation & 'theme' CDs:

--The Orlando Consort has recorded two invaluable CDs devoted exclusively to Compére's music, one issued on *Metronome--of Christmas music, and the other on Hyperion--of a Magnificat, motets, & chansons.:

https://www.amazon.com/Loyset-Compère-Compere/dp/B000002K3Q




https://www.amazon.com/Compere-Magnificat-HYPERION-Conductor-2015-07-31/dp/B014I6VJAG

In addition, there are three well sung Compére chansons included on La Main Harmonique's disc mentioned favorably in my previous Ockeghem post: they are, (1) Vous me faittes morir, (2) Pensant au bien, (3) Plaine d'ennuy de longue main - Anima mea:














Compére is best known for his chansons and motets. He was one of a number of Franco-Flemish composers, or "I fiamminghi" in Italian, who held a post in Italy at the Court of Milan, & interestingly, his music shows a cross-influence between the native Italian frottole--which was a predecessor to the madrigal, with the style of the Burgundian School. This unusual combination created a new & unique form of the motet, sometimes called a "free motet".

To better understand what Compére is doing in his unusual chansons & motets, I'd urge you to hear some Italian Frottolas, and would recommend listening to an album called, "Songs from the courts of Renaissance Italy", recorded by The Modena Consort (who are excellent):





https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8001243--frottole.

--Most unusually, Compére's chanson, *"Au travail suis sans espoir de confort" is a quodlibet, in which he has combined six different tunes composed to the same text by no less than six other composers! (though don't ask me to name the six composers...) The Orlando Consort has recorded this song on their Hyperion disc (which is on Spotify, but I can't find it on You Tube): https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dw.asp?dc=W17234_GBAJY1506908.

--While Compére's famous motet *"Omnium Bonorum Plena" is included on the Orlando's Metronome CD, and a Hyperion disc by The Binchois Consort, where it comes coupled with Dufay's Missa Puisque je vis (which I mentioned previously is a favorite disc of mine):

https://www.amazon.com/Dufay-Puisqu...=loyset+compere&qid=1621191995&s=music&sr=1-2
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8033252--dufay-missa-puisque-je-vis

--New York Polyphony has recorded Compére's "Crux triumphans" and his beautiful 9 part cycle "Officium de Cruce" on a recommendable hybrid SACD entitled, "And the Sun Darkened: Music for Passiontide": Here are links to the two performances"

--Crux Triumphans, New York Polyphony: 



--& an alternative version, sung by the Cantus Figuratus Ensemble: 




--*Officium de Cruce, New York Polyphony: 



 https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8870174--and-the-sun-darkened.

--Finally, Compére wrote six Magnificats--one of which is performed by the Orlando Consort on their Hyperion disc: the Magnificat primi toni; although very little survives in the way of his masses (if he wrote many). Compere did compose three cycles of motets that function as "substitution masses", in which each motet was substituted for a section of the mass ordinary. They are (1) his Missa Ave Domine Jesu Christe, (2) *Missa in Nativitate Deus Noster Jesu Christe, and (3) *Missa de Beata Maria Virgine, also known as his "Missa Galeazescha" for five voices--named after the Duke of Milan, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, who commissioned the work. I know of only one recording of Compére's Missa Galeazescha, and it is performed by the members of four different instrumental & vocal groups!: Odhecaton, La Pifarescha, La Reverdie, and Ensemble Pian&forte, all under the direction of Paolo da Col (who is the leader of Odhecaton). As mentioned, the Missa Galeazescha represents a new kind of mass in that it is comprised of eight different motets in honor of the Virgin Mary, with each motet corresponding to a different section of the mass ordinary. For example, here are the eight sections of the Missa Galeazescha that form a motet cycle,

1. Ave virgo gloriosa--Introit
2. Ave, salus infirmorum--Gloria
3. Ave, decus Virginale--Credo
4. Ave, sponsa verbi summi--Offertory
5. O Maria--Sanctus
6. Adoramus te, Christe--Elevation
7. Salve, mater salvatoris--Agnus dei
8. Virginis Mariae laudes--Deo Gratias

Notably, Odhecaton's recording of this work won a "Diapason d'Or in France, and a monthly plaudit from Gramophone magazine in 2017: 



.

The only other recording that I know of one of Compére's three "substitution" masses is the Orlando Consort's performance of the Missa in Nativitate Deus Noster Jesu Christe, on their Metronome CD. While Ensemble Gilles Binchois has recorded the motet, *"Genuit puerpera regem", which is a substitute for the Offertory in the 5th section of the Missa in Nativitate Deus Noster Jesu Christe; although I've not been able to locate the rest of performance, if it exists? only the one motet here on You Tube:






3. Firminus Caron--Like Faugues, Caron was another lost & neglected Renaissance master who was similarly renowned in his day, until The Sound and the Fury likewise recorded three premiere CD volumes of Caron's Masses & Chansons, as part of their "Paradise regained" project. Here's a link to S&F's 3 CD set, with YT clips to the individual volumes:

https://www.amazon.com/Masses-Chans...4d106&pd_rd_wg=QoKvr&pd_rd_i=B00BGJ5BNK&psc=1.

*Vol. 1: 



*Vol. 2: 



*Vol. 3: 




There's also a more recent CD of Caron's music by Paul van Nevel and the Huelgas Ensemble, which I've yet to hear, but it's on YT:





https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E9TFCAK/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dpYws3M8

Stylistically, Caron's music shows the influence of Dufay, & it has been speculated that Caron may have known Dufay and perhaps studied with him at Cambrai Cathedral in the early 1470s. Tinctoris similarly praised Caron's music, which demonstrates that, like Faugues, Caron was highly esteemed in his day. Fortunately, unlike Faugues, both sacred and secular works have survived by Caron. We have a total of five masses by him, and one of them is among the earliest examples of a "L'homme armé mass by a Franco-Flemish composer: Which only further suggests the influence of Dufay, considering that Dufay is often credited with having composed the first L'homme armé mass. (Although Richard Tauskin has argued that it was Busnois, not Dufay, who wrote the earliest mass based on this popular secular song.)

*




Here's a link to the Wikipedia page on the history of the "L'homme armé mass, which I've found useful: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'homme_armé. Despite the theory put forth by the Wiki article (among several different theories presented) that this famous mass got its name from "a popular tavern (Maison L'Homme Arme) near Du Fay's rooms in Cambrai", which I find ridiculous. Surely, a tavern is not the reason behind why nearly every Netherlandish composer after Dufay & Binchois composed an "armed man" mass; nor is it why the "armed man" held such a special significance to the mysterious Order of the Golden Fleece. Especially when one considers that some of the Franco Flemish composers of the 2nd generation, such as Johannes Regis, believed the "armed man" to be none other than the Archangel Michael. So, no, the L'homme armé song didn't originate in a tavern; although I suppose members of the Golden Fleece Order could have met there, on occasion (with Dufay present?).

(Orlando Lassus is the only major Franco-Flemish composer that I can think of who didn't compose an "armed man" mass; although hundreds of Lassus's works remain unperformed to this day (& unrecorded), so one may exist. I wonder if the Franco-Flemish composers were all members of the Order of the Golden Fleece? or were commissioned by members of the order? Perhaps they'd had a problem with Lassus, who wasn't interested in joining or associating with them?...)

4. Marbrianus de Orto: There isn't much available of Orto's music on record, either, but I have enjoyed Jesse Rodin & Cut Circle's 2 CD set entitled, "De Orto & Josquin: Musique a la chapelle Sixtine autour de 1490", and again was very surprised at the high quality of the music. As with the other lesser known Franco-Flemish composers, I consider Orto to be another neglected master:

--*Missa L'homme armé: 



& the rest of the album: 




https://www.amazon.com/Orto-Josquin...Cut+Circle+orto&qid=1620597644&s=music&sr=1-1. By the way, this recording was released in conjunction with Rodin's book, "Josquin's Rome: Hearing and Composing in the Sistine Chapel": https://www.amazon.com/Josquins-Rom...rds=jesse+rodin+josquin&qid=1620760594&sr=8-1

--Alternative #1: The Sound and the Fury singing Orto's L'homme armé, coupled with his Missa Mi-Mi: 



.

As previously noted, if you wish to continue from here, some of the other composers to explore from the 2nd generation are Regis, Agricola, Prioris, and Tinctoris:

5. Johannes Regis:
--*Puisque ma damme/Je m'en voy: https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/works/144854--regis-puisque-ma-damme-je-men-voy/browse
--*Clangat plebs/Sicut lilium: 



--*Lauda Sion Salvatorem: 



--https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7978924--johannes-regis-choral-works
--https://www.amazon.com/Opera-omnia-Clerks/dp/B001PARXGS/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=johannes+regis&qid=1621704426&s=music&sr=1-1

6. Alexander Agricola: Album: "A Secret labyrinth": various motets & chansons, coupled with Agricola's Missa Guazzabuglio, performed by the Huelgas Ensemble: 




7. Johannes Prioris: who composed a very beautiful *Requiem for Anne of Brittany: Here performed by Ensemble Daedalus, led by Roberto Festa (coupled with his Missa Super Allez Regrets):






https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7991264--prioris-requiem-missa-super-allez-regrets

8. Johannes Tinctoris: Album: "Secret Consolations", various vocal & instrumental works, performed by Le Mirror de Musique, led by Baptiste Romain: 




That concludes my discussion of the 2nd generation of the Netherlandish School. For my next post (or posts), I'll cover the third & fourth generations, with my primary focus being placed on Josquin Desprez and his circle.


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

If you'd like some fun short Renaissance pieces, I'm very partial to English Madrigals, especially Thomas Morley.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Olias said:


> If you'd like some fun short Renaissance pieces, I'm very partial to English Madrigals, especially Thomas Morley.


In fact I only discovered Morley a few months ago, when Jonathan Dunford released a recording of his music for solo viol. I was impressed, and later found this old recording - which is wonderful.


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## Nawdry (Dec 27, 2020)

Amadea said:


> I've been listening to some renaissance music from a radio lately and I enjoyed it, so I was wondering if you could suggest me some renaissance composers and best works. I basically know Monteverdi, a few of John Dowland's works for lute and that's it.


I'd particularly recommend motets of Ockeghem. I've enjoyed this transformative music for decades.


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