The Tallis Scholars Sing Josquin
Anon
Plainchant: Pange lingua* [3:45]
JOSQUIN des Prés (c. 1440 - 1521)
Missa Pange lingua* [29:41]
Missa La sol fa re mi [28:44]
Praeter rerum serium [7:22]
Ave Maria [5:29]
Anonymous chanson: L’homme armé [0:47]
Missa L’homme armé Super voces musicales [40:24]
Missa L’homme armé Sexti toni [33:05]
The Tallis Scholars/Peter Phillips
rec. 1986 & 1989, *Merton College Chapel, Oxford; Salle Church, Norfolk,
England.
Latin texts, English, French & German translations included
GIMELL CDGIM 206 [75:01 + 74:16]
Gimell has issued several twin-disc releases in the past, some of which have
been devoted to the music of a single composer, including Byrd, (review),
Palestrina (CDGIM 204) and Tallis (CDGIM 203). This Josquin set draws on the
series of recordings of his Masses by The Tallis Scholars and provides an
excellent introduction both to that evolving series and to the music of this
Flemish Master.
The two Masses on Disc One in this present collection first appeared on CD
GIM 009 (review).
That’s a particularly important disc in the history of The Tallis Scholars
for with it they won the Record of the Year award from Gramophone magazine
in 1987. That was the first time that an early music disc had received that
accolade and it was not until 2010 that another early music recording was
similarly recognised. The performances - and the music - are highly distinguished.
Missa Pange Lingua is based on a paraphrase of the plainchant
hymn for the Feast of Corpus Christi and on the disc the hymn itself is sung
before we hear the Mass. Peter Phillips says in his notes that this Mass has
been described by one scholar as ‘a fantasy on a plainsong’. As
I commented in my review of the original disc, the sheer variety, indeed flamboyance,
of Josquin’s four-part writing is quite amazing. The performance is
meticulous and, as ever with this group, scrupulously balanced yet the singing
never sounds studied. On the contrary, it’s full of life. Missa
La sol fa re mi is an earlier composition, published in 1502. Josquin
based the entire Mass on the five notes - A, G, F, D, E - which are used as
an almost omnipresent cantus firmus. It’s perhaps a more restrained
composition than the Pange Lingua Mass but the music is still full
of interest and variety. Like its companion, it receives a superb performance.
Two shorter pieces have been added for this compilation.
Praeter rerum serium is a Christmas motet in six parts. Peter
Phillips describes the piece as one of “arresting sonorities and intricate
musical detail.” It’s a very devotional piece, which unfolds spaciously
and solemnly though towards the end the music becomes more lively and celebratory
for a short time. The music has a grave beauty and is performed with the ensemble’s
usual exemplary control. The four-part Ave Maria is, by contrast,
less richly textured and simpler and more direct in style. It’s a lovely
piece. As befits its subject, the music has a chaste purity.
Disc Two in this collection is a straight reissue of CDGIM 019 (review).
It had been believed, I think, that the more substantial setting, Super
voces musicales is the earlier of the two Masses which Josquin based
on the popular chanson, L’homme armé. However, in his
essay accompanying this set Peter Phillips says that it now appears that the
two Masses were coeval. As with the Pange lingua Mass on the other
disc, we hear the chanson first and that’s a great help though, in fact,
the melody is easy to identify in the Super voces musicales Mass despite
the virtuosity with which Josquin weaves his polyphonic invention around it.
It’s an extremely demanding piece on account of its length and vocal
tessitura but The Tallis Scholars, working under studio conditions - which
can be even more taxing than live performance - deliver the music marvellously.
The chanson melody is almost always there in the background, except in three
short sections of the Mass and Josquin uses the tune as the opportunity for
some glorious invention. The listener is consistently delighted by the sheer
richness of his music and by the wonderful intricacy of the part writing.
In the Sexti toni Mass the L’homme
armé melody is harder to pick up - Josquin varies the way in which
he interweaves it into the music with considerable subtlety. This setting
is also deeply impressive and nowhere more so than in the Agnus Dei. Here
the spaciousness of the music imparts a timeless feel and in the third ‘Agnus’
Josquin expands the number of vocal parts from four to six. In this rapt section
the performance by The Tallis Scholars rises to new heights of excellence
with just the right amount of expressive warmth.
In my first review of the L’homme armé disc I commented
that the performances of those two Masses exhibit the usual fastidious musicianship
that is always the hallmark of a Tallis Scholars recording. I went on to say
that the balance and tuning are impeccable and it is hard to imagine that
this music could be better performed. Frankly, those comments are just as
true of the performances that are contained on the first disc in this present
set.
The recordings were made in two venues, Merton College Chapel and the Church
of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Salle, Norfolk. In both cases the audio results
are exemplary and contribute actively to the success of the performances.
As ever with Gimell, the documentation is very good.
For anyone coming to Josquin’s music for the first time this generous
compilation is an ideal way to discover his music. However, a word of warning
is appropriate: the music is addictive and once you have sampled it in these
exquisite performances you may well want to join The Tallis Scholars on their
exploration of all Josquin’s Masses.
John Quinn
The Tallis Scholars Josquin Mass series on MusicWeb International
Missa Malheur me bat and Missa Fortuna desperata CD review download review
Missa De beata virgine and Missa Ave maris stella review review
Missa L’homme armé super voces musicales and Missa
L’homme armé sexti toni review
Missa Pange Lingua and Missa La sol fa re mi review
Missa Sine Nomine and Missa Ad fugam review
Missa Malheur me bat and Missa Fortuna desperate review
This generous compilation of exquisite performances is an ideal way to discover
Josquin’s music.
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