Vocal polyphony from and around Lassus

Abstract

This selection of CDs brings together secular and sacred vocal polyphony from the 16th century, both a cappella and accompanied. The discs are reviewed in chronological order, starting with motets associated with a Ferrarese convent and ending with music found in the library of the Latin School in Freiberg, Saxony. The main body of this newly released repertory consists of sacred and secular music by the pan-European composer Orlande de Lassus, who worked as a composer in Italy, the Low Countries and the German Lands. Lassus is also a historical connecting figure between Italian convent music and Saxon music of Freiberg Cathedral. We begin with the earliest repertory in this bouquet of motet recordings, a collection of anonymous motets from Italy performed by the ensembles Musica Secreta and Celestial Sirens, directed by Laurie Stras and Deborah Roberts. In her vivid liner notes to Lucrezia Borgia’s daughter (Obsidian cd717, issued 2017, 72′), Laurie Stras gives insight into the life and musical production of Borgia’s daughter Leonora d’Este (1515–75) who was a Clarissan nun in the convent of Corpus Domini in Ferrara. Stras connects Leonora d’Este and her convent with the 1543 Scotto print of anonymous motets Musica quinque vocum motteta materna lingua vocata—the motets that feature on this recording—and even suggests Leonora to be the unidentified composer of the motets. The pieces in Musica … materna lingua vocata are among the most progressive motets of the 1540s and are technically refined: they are written for voci pari—a small (in this case, female) voice range of only two octaves—and their initial melodies are often drawn from chant. Most of the motets themselves are freely imitative and not based on a cantus firmus or canon. This makes a delightful repertory for the ensembles that recorded the Musica … materna lingua vocata, whose members range from teenagers to women in their sixties—reminiscent of nuns in a convent. The motets emphasize the technical ability of the ensembles’ singers. Here, voices blend and complement each other, yet every single voice remains audible as an individual. Some pieces include the organ and bass viol as accompanying instruments in a lower register. This leads to a varied listening experience. The diverse pieces—ranging from Matins settings to responsories, hymns to Vespers settings—illustrate the music of the liturgical hours in 16th-century monastic life. The recording offers a variety of soundscapes that 16th-century churchgoers would have experienced, depending on where they sat in the cathedral. The liner notes include the motet texts with translation, their liturgical function, and corresponding saint’s days as well as the participating musicians of each track. This disc is a compelling addition to the growing body of recorded music that is associated with women composers and monastic music of early modern Europe.