# ideal missa do you preffer a larger unit like 12 voices or more for renaissance era?



## deprofundis (Apr 25, 2014)

I came to the conclusion i preffer a larger group to a smaller group, the reason is power of dynamics chromatic panorama...palet of colors.

Look at the exemple i made whit thee *O magnum mysterium box-set *i favor Brumel missa since it featured 12 voices, Isaac that follow on same cd had 6 voices , it did not sounded has complexe
or rich in harmony, since Brumel had twice the effective a larger unit his music blew me aways, more than the others, even if i like Ockeghem ,Josquin, Dufay to death.

Can smaller units generated a bigger sound than a larger unit of singers,this is my question?
are you whit me on this conclusion larger units has more power than smaller ones or you
disagree?

:tiphat:


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## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

deprofundis said:


> I came to the conclusion i preffer a larger group to a smaller group, the reason is power of dynamics chromatic panorama...palet of colors.
> 
> Look at the exemple i made whit thee *O magnum mysterium box-set *i favor Brumel missa since it featured 12 voices, Isaac that follow on same cd had 6 voices , it did not sounded has complexe
> or rich in harmony, since Brumel had twice the effective a larger unit his music blew me aways, more than the others, even if i like Ockeghem ,Josquin, Dufay to death.
> ...


I don't have a particular preferences. Different sizes suit different pieces.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

MoonlightSonata said:


> I don't have a particular preferences. Different sizes suit different pieces.


Very true words, the broader your horizon.......


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## Chordalrock (Jan 21, 2014)

I don't have a lot of experience with pieces for more than six voices, because I'm pretty prejudiced in favor of smaller forces. So maybe I'm wrong, but I seem to have noticed that pieces for 3 to 6 voices are more melodic, more properly contrapuntal, or at least more complex in those terms, because larger forces give less room for the composer to spin out his counterpoint, the temptation being in such works toward simplifying the style so that all of the 8 or more voices can be made to fit. It's just not possible to have, say, each of the 8 voices singing a separate intricate melody all at once, and I guess it would sound odd if a couple of the voices did it while the rest were being used for much less intricate stuff, though some composers may choose that path as well.

At any rate, considering that you won't find chords in Renaissance music that are more complex than four notes at once, just as you tend not to find them in anything before the 20th century, the number of voices beyond 4 don't necessarily add to the harmonic complexity either except superficially, and 5 and 6 voices will at any rate be plenty.


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## deprofundis (Apr 25, 2014)

good point for the contrepoint


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

I quote from a review of Orlando Consort's Missa De Plus en Plus (ockeghem) - what do you think



> The disadvantage here is the small grouping; the recording by the Tallis Scholars, although even that group is probably on the small side, comes closer to what Ockeghem intended. Ockeghem's sacred music, written for sizable Franco-Flemish cathedrals, is not meant to sound like a madrigal.


http://www.allmusic.com/album/ockeghem-missa-de-plus-en-plus-chansons-mw0001523709


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