musica Dei donum
CD reviews
JOSQUIN DESPREZ (c1450/55 - 1521): Sacred & secular music
[I] "I. Motets & Chansons"
Cut Circle
Dir: Jesse Rodin
rec: May 2022, Roslindale, MA, Futura Productions
Musique en Wallonie - MEW 2307 (© 2023) (62'52")
Liner-notes: E/D/F/NL; lyrics - E/D/F/NL
Cover, track-list & booklet
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Ave Maria … virgo serena a 4;
Ave verum corpus a 2-3;
Baisiez moy à 4;
En l'ombre d'ung buisonnet, tout au long à 3;
Faulte d'argent à 5;
Miserere mei, Deus a 5;
Nimphes, nappées/Circumdederung me à 6;
Parfons regretz à 5;
Pater noster - Ave Maria a 6;
Petite camusette à 6;
Scaramella à 4;
Si j'ay perdu mon Amy à 3;
Stabat mater/Comme femme desconfortée a 5;
Une musque de Biscaye à 4;
Ut Phebi radiis/Ut re mi fa sol la a 4;
Virgo salutiferi/Ave Maria a 5
Corrine Byrne, Sonja DuToit Tengblad, soprano;
Jonas Budris, Lawrence Jones, tenor;
Bradford Gleim, vagans;
Christopher Talbot, Paul Max Tipton, bass
[II] Septiesme Livre de Chansons
Ensemble Clément Janequin
Dir: Dominique Visse
rec: Feb 2020, Condette, Château d'Hardelot (Théâtre élizabéthain)
Ricercar - RIC 423 (© 2020) (61'13")
Liner-notes: E/D/F; lyrics: E/[F]
Cover, track-list & booklet
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Nicolas GOMBERT (c1495-c1560):
Musae Jovis a 6;
JOSQUIN DESPREZ:
Allegez moy doulce plaisant brunette à 6;
Baises moy ma doulce’ amye à 4;
Cueur langoreulx à 5;
Douleur me bat à 5;
Du mien amant à 5;
Faulte d'argent à 5;
Je me complains de mon amy à 5;
La Bernardina à 3;
Ma bouche rit et mon cueur pleure à 5-6;
Nymphes des bois/Requiem aeternam à 5;
Parfons regretz et lamentable joye à 5;
Petite Camusette a la mort mavez mis à 6;
Plus nulz regretz à 4;
Regretz sans fin il me fault endurer à 6;
Tenez moy en voz bras à 6;
Luys DE NARVÁEZ (fl 1526-1549):
Mille regretzb;
Hans NEWSIDLER (c1508/09-1563):
Mille regretza;
Jheronimus VINDERS (fl 1525-1526):
O mors inevitabilis a 7
Anaïs Bertrand, contralto;
Dominique Visse, alto;
Martial Pauliat, Hugues Primard, tenor;
Vincent Bouchot, Igor Bouin, baritone;
Renaud Delaigue, bass;
Eric Bellocq, lute (soloa);
Yoann Moulin, spinet, organ (solob)
[III] "Josquin in Poland"
Ensemble Jerycho
Dir: Bartosz Izbicki
rec: May 8 - 11, 2023, Brochów (PL), [Basilica of St John the Baptist and St Roch]
Dux - 2064 (© 2024) (77'24")
Liner-notes: E/PL; lyrics: E/PL
Cover & track-list
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[in order of appearance]
plainchant:
[introitus] Vultum tuum;
JOSQUIN DESPREZ:
Vultum tuum a 4;
JOSQUIN DESPREZ, arr Krzysztof BOREK (?-c1570):
Missa Mater Matris a 4 [Missa Mater Patris] (Kyrie; Gloria);
Antoine BRUMEL (c1460-1512/13?):
Mater patris et filia a 3;
anon:
[Alleluia] Ora pro nobis sancta Dei genitrix;
JOSQUIN DESPREZ, arr Krzysztof BOREK:
Missa Mater Matris [Missa Mater Patris] (Credo)
plainchant:
[Offertorium] Ave Maria;
JOSQUIN DESPREZ, arr Krzysztof BOREK:
Missa Mater Matris [Missa Mater Patris] (Sanctus);
JOSQUIN DESPREZ:
Honor et benedictio a 4;
Missa Mater Patris a 4 (Pleni sunt caeli; Benedictus);
JOSQUIN DESPREZ, arr Krzysztof BOREK:
Missa Mater Matris [Missa Mater Patris] (Agnus Dei);
plainchant:
[Communio] Ecce virgo concipiet;
anon:
Ite missa est;
JOSQUIN DESPREZ:
Ora pro nobis a 4;
Inviolata, integra, et casta es Maria a 5
Alicja Sulkowska, Małgorzata Izbicka, Gabija Vaičiulienė, Barbara Sobolewska, Paweł Szczyciński, Mateusz Grzyb, Marius Peterson, Wawrzyniec Dąbrowski, Maciej Królikowski, Łukasz Kalisz, Stanisław Szczyciński, Rafał Kanowski
(voice types not indicated)
Scores
Josquin Desprez was the most famous composer of his time, and he still is considered the main composer of the late 15th and early 16th centuries. His oeuvre is performed regularly and there is no lack of recordings either. I assume that his entire oeuvre is available on disc. However, a part of what is performed under his name may not be from his pen after all. Jesse Rodin, in the liner-notes to the first disc reviewed here, writes: "This album confines itself to music we can
be confident this composer composed. Longstanding uncertainty about the canon has led to many renditions of wonderful pieces by "Josquin" that were in fact written by other composers - music that merits performing and reperforming, only not with his name attached."
Rodin also states that, despite Josquin's fame, we know surprisingly little about his roots and his character. From what we know it is safe to conclude, as Rodin does, that he did not have an easy start in life. From sources we may conclude that he was not lacking in self-esteem, and in constant competition with others. At the same time he did not present his compositions unless he was satisfied with them; a certain sense of perfectionism seem to have been part of his personality. These features may entice one or the other to psychologize, and suggest that these features reflect his attempt to find recognizion, which not may have be natural to him, given his humble origins.
Considering the frequency of performances and the number of recordings, it seems rather bold to claim "A New Sound for Josquin", as is the title of Rodin's liner-notes. What is different here? Listening to this disc those who have heard many recordings of Josquin's music may be surprised. I certainly was, as I heard his music here in a way I can't remember having heard it before. There are various factors responsible for that.
The first is the connection between music and space. This is an important aspect of performance practice that unfortunately is often overlooked. The music of William Byrd, for instance, was mostly intended for performance in secrecy, as public worship for Catholics was forbidden under Elizabeth I. However, this is seldom taken into account in recordings. Rodin aimed at performing the music in the acoustical circumstances in which Josquin's music may originally have been performed and heard. "We have therefore recreated the intimate acoustical environments that were available only to the luckiest of listeners: the king, the duchess, the pope, and their retinues, along with the singers themselves. Musicians performing motets might have huddled around a lectern in the side chapel of a
cathedral (...), where sound-absorbing wall tapestries and physical proximity produced an immediacy that was tempered only by the more distant reverberation of the larger church. For the songs one can imagine spaces ranging from a great hall to a tent in the middle of a field to our choice here: a castle bedchamber."
In Rodin's notes I noticed what seems an inconsistency with regard to the circumstances of performances. He emphasizes that singers had to cultivate rhythmic accuracy, as Josquin's music often includes "intricate rhythms that can only work when perfectly coordinated in time." And he refers to the fact that singers were reading from their own parts and could not see the parts of others. That seems at odds with his statement quoted above that singers were standing around a lectern. In such cases they were singing from a choirbook, which includes all the parts. The only explanation I can think of is that not all the music was available in choirbooks, and the situation may have been different anyway in performances of secular music (which obviously was not available in choirbooks).
An important aspect is also the choice of tempo. Rodin emphasizes that this is not just a matter of interpretation, as they are in the choirbooks; he demonstrates this by using Josquin's most famous motet Ave Maria ... virgo serena as an example, which he thinks is often performed too slowly. Many listeners may have to get acquainted with the relative swift performance here. A further essential feature of these performances is the way the voices are used. "The key to unlocking what is most special about his music is ensuring that the individual voices are audible. To that end the ensemble assembles distinctive voices that are naturally clear, powerful, and flexible. Together we aim not for blend but for coherence and solidarity." Especially notable are the open vowels and the sharp consonants. In some cases that goes so far that the singing is on the brink of screaming (Une musque de Biscaye).
Sometimes the singing reminded me of Graindelavoix, whose approach to renaissance music I find impossible to swallow. However, "coherence and solidarity", the ideals of Rodin, are missing there, as the singers are more diverse in background. Even so, these performances I have to get used to, although there is certainly much to enjoy and to admire. The sacred music I found most satisfying, and the transparency, which allows for hearing the various parts, also those which have a different text, is one of this recording's assets. This disc is certainly one no lover of Josquin's music should miss. The fact that it is different from most (all?) other recordings, makes it an essential addition to the Josquin discography. The cover suggests that this is the first volume of a series of recordings. Can we expect a complete recording of Josquin's oeuvre?
The second disc was released at the occasion of the commemoration of Josquin's death in 2021. The Ensemble Clément Janequin confines itself on chansons. Most of the pieces are taken from a book of chansons that was published by Tylman Susato in Antwerp in 1545, more than twenty years after the composer's death. That very fact is telling: it indicates that Josquin was still held in high esteem after his death (whereas other composers may have been forgotten soon after their death), and that there was a market for his chansons. The latter reflects the growing interest for music to be performed in intimate surroundings.
In the course of the 16th century such music was performed in different ways. Whereas Cut Circle recorded the chansons in its programme a capella, here a lute and a keyboard instrument participate in a number of chansons. That is a relatively modest line-up: it had been perfectly possible to include other instruments.
The programme consists largely of two categories of chansons. The first are of a lamenting or melancholic nature. The titles give a clue as to their content, such as Regretz sans fin il me fault endurer ("Endless regret I must endure") or Douleur me bat ("Pain pummels me and sadness dismays me"). Obviously Mille regretz, the favourite piece of Emperor Charles V, could not be omitted, although it is not included in the Susato edition; it is heard here in instrumental arrangements (which says something about its popularity).
The second category concerns more light-hearted pieces (Petite camusette, Baises moy ma doulce' amye), whose texts may also be connected to the theatre of the time. They are clearly different in character, but even those have been set for five or six voices. The pieces of the two genres are performed in alternation, which results in much variety. The way they are performed is also different, but not as much as in the Cut Circle recording.
A comparison reveals that the texts and the various parts are more easily audible in the latter's performances than in those of the Ensemble Clément Janequin. On the other hand, one can leave it to Dominique Visse and his colleagues to explore the tongue-in-cheek side of Josquin's chansons.
They also included some laments on the death of a composer: one of them is Josquin's own famous lament on the death of Johannes Ockeghem, the other the lament on his own death by Nicolas Gombert. They are beautifully sung; the ensemble is probably known in the first place for performances of chansons, and especially the less serious ones, but they are also highly respected performers of sacred polyphony.
This disc is another one that Josquin lovers should include in their collection. It is also a nice opportunity to become acquainted with this aspect of Josquin's oeuvre.
The third disc discussed here attests to the dissemination of Josquin's music across Europe. Josquin was never in Spain, but his music was highly appreciated there. Cristóbal de Morales considered himself the natural successor to Josquin, and motets and masses or mass sections by Josquin were intabulated for vihuela by various composers, such as Alonso Mudarra and Diego Pisador. The Ensemble Jericho documents the reception of Josquin's music in Poland. He was never there himself, but already in his lifetime his music was known and performed in Poland. The disc under the title "Josquin in Poland" brings us to the time after his death, and in Cracow. The inventory of Wawel Cathedral of 1559 refers to the Cantionale in folio motetarum Josquini, which was undoubtedly used for liturgical performances by the Rorantist College.
King Sigismund I 'the Old' (1467-1548) was a great patron of the arts. He wanted to secure his place in the cultural history of his country with a sepulchral chapel in Wawel Cathedral in Cracow. He also founded the Collegium of Rorantists (Cappella Rorantistarum) whose duty was to sing in his chapel every day a Rorate Caeli mass. At the beginning, the Rorantists were a national ensemble, which consisted of priest-singers and composers who sang Polish music, but also pieces by the leading composers of the time. In the course of time composers from elsewhere who settled in Poland also joined the Rorantists.
The Missa Mater Patris may also have been copied for performance by the Rorantist College. It was published by Petrucci in Venice, and included in the Missarum Josquini Liber tertius of 1514 (reprinted in 1516 and 1526). It is a remarkable work, as it is the only mass in which Josquin quotes music of a contemporary - in this case Antoine Brumel (c1460-1512/13). Peter Phillips, in the liner-notes to his recording of this mass (Gimell, 2019), suggests that the two composers were close, and that this mass is a homage by Josquin to his colleague, probably written shortly after Brumel's death. It is a parody mass, based on Brumel's motet Mater Patris.
However, the present disc refers to this mass with a different title: Missa Mater Matris. The reason is not entirely clear, but as this mass was arranged, the man responsible for it, Krzysztof Borek, may have felt that this was the way to show that it was not identical with what Josquin had written. From 1547 Borek worked at the Polish royal court as a singer. By 1558 he was praepositus of the Cappella Rorantistarum at Cracow Cathedral; he apparently held this post until his death around 1570.
Borek did not add entirely new music, but added parts to episodes for two voices, which frequently appear in Josquin's masses. "Perhaps these duets seemed anachronistic to Borek, or maybe the Wawel Cathedral simply preferred the full sound of the band", Bartosz Izbicki states in his liner-notes. Here and there the liturgical text is distributed differently, and Borek also made some cuts. Several sections are omitted: Pleni sunt caeli, Benedictus and Agnus Dei II. They are added here in the original scoring by Josquin. Moreover, the mass is performed in a liturgical framework.
That is not all that is notable about this recording. The way of singing by the Ensemble Jerycho is also highly unusual. If one has the sound of ensembles such as The Tallis Scholars or other 'Western' ensembles in mind, these performances may come as quite a shock. The low voices are dominating, which reflects the fact that the Rorantist College consisted of adult male singers (and the pitch of polyphony was not fixed and therefore could easily be adapted) and the singing is rather loud and powerful. It reminds me of the style of Russian-Orthodox singing. So what we have here is not only "Josquin in Poland" but also Josquin in Polish style, at least the style that may have been practised by the Rorantist College.
The plainchant is basically sung in the same style as the polyphony. In the communio Ecce virgo concipiet additional parts are added, and in the offertorio Ave Maria a solo voice sings a florid line above a long-held tenor in the bass. It is the same procedure as in the anonymous Alleluia Ora pro nobis sancta Dei genitrix.
This release is quite fascinating. It does not only document the reception of Josquin's music after his death, and especially in Poland, but also tells us something about the way written-out music was adapted to local needs. Moreover, the performances confirm that the way music was performed and also vocal techniques differed from one part of Europe to the other. That aspect of performance practice is given too little attention. From that angle this disc is not only of interest to Josquin lovers, but to anyone interested in renaissance music in general.
Johan van Veen (© 2025)
Relevant links:
Cut Circle