St Matthew Passion: Claudin de Sermisy 1490?-1562
Missa d'ung aultre amer: Josquin des Prez 1450?-1521


"Josquin may be said to be, in music, a prodigy of nature, as our Michelangelo has been in architecture." So ran the text of Certon's deploration on the death of Josquin des Prez. Although Josquin spent many years working away from France, in his sixties he returned there to work at the court of Louis XII. It is in a recreation of a Sainte Chapelle service that Josquin's simple and affecting Missa d'ung aultre amer is placed in this performance. The Missa d'ung aultre amer forms the framework of a Palm Sunday mass, in which the gospel is an austerely dramatic setting of the St Matthew Passion composed by a pupil of Josquin's, Claudin de Sermisy. Restoring the highly idiomatic style of Latin used in France during the 16th century is a significant factor in recreating the unique sound world of composers such as Sermisy, and the choir employed such pronunciation in this concert and throughout the Printemps a Paris series.

This performance was part of the Printemps a Paris concert series

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Read The Evening Post's review of this series (JPEG image, 177 Kb)
Download programme notes and texts and translations for this performance (Microsoft Word document, 86 Kb)

Programme

    Introitus: plainsong
    Kyrie: Missa d'ung aultre amer: Josquin des Prez 1450?-1521
    Gloria: Missa d'ung aultre amer: Josquin des Prez
    Collect: chant
    Epistle: chant
    Gradual: plainsong
    Tract: plainsong
    Gospel: St Matthew Passion: Claudin de Sermisy 1490?-1562
    Credo: Missa d'ung aultre amer: Josquin des Prez
    Offertory: plainsong
    Surum Corda: chant
    Sanctus / Osanna I / Benedictus / Osanna II: Missa d'ung aultre amer: Josquin des Prez
    Pater Noster: chant
    Agnus Dei: Missa d'ung aultre amer: Josquin des Prez
    Communio: plainsong
    Ite, missa est: plainsong

8pm*, Thursday 29 October 1991
Sacred Heart Cathedral
Hill Street, Wellington
$20 / $12
* pre-concert talk at 7.30pm

dir. Simon Ravens

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