Track Listing

1. Kyrie (11)
2. Gloria (5)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #245974 in Music
• Released on: 1999-01-12
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Unlike some "greatest-hits" samplers, this well-chosen selection can serve a purpose for even some fairly advanced music lovers who still don't know this period well. Annotator David Fallows ties things together with perceptive commentary, and the performances chosen (most of them from stylistically enlightened recordings) are all quite fine. The uncredited programmer hasn't hesitated to emphasize great names (Dufay and Josquin Des Prez) or to include stylistically weird material (Solage's incredibly dissonant Fumeux fume). Only a few minutes after Solage, we get the gorgeous euphony of Tallis' Spem in alium! It's a pity that no texts are included, or that there isn't any bouncy dance music, but this is still a fine single-disc introduction to the period. The timing is about as long as possible. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews

Renaissance in Peace
I enjoyed this album of music from the Renaissance. Overall, it is a peaceful and comforting set of music. I found it something to listen to while I was reading or studying. This collection is diverse. It features works for voice both accompanied and cappela arrangements. There are also instrumental works for organ, as well as for lute. The liner notes are clear and informative. From them, I learned that Renassaince Music obtains its distinctive sound from gently flowing melodies, unpredictable phrase structures and an indirect approach to a tonal centre. These attributes made the music strange and yet captivating to me. If you are interested in music of the Renassaince Period or simply enjoy peaceful music performed well, this album will be interesting to you.

A good starting point for anyone interested in music of the 15th and 16th centuries
"The Renaissance In Music" is aptly named. It's not intended as a "best of," but rather an examination of major composers, trends, and genres that marked the Renaissance, here characterized as an era (1400 to 1600) in which vocal counterpoint reached new heights in elegance and sophistication. The cover picture of sunlight shining into a dark room is an evocative metaphor for the Renaissance itself, and for the CD's own effort to shine some light on long-darkened corners of music history.

The compilation establishes a strong focus on the 15th century by beginning with the works of Guillaume Dufay (1397-1474). Dufay excelled in both sacred and secular vocal compositions, as illustrated here by three Mass movements and the lovely chanson "Se la face ay pale."

Pioneer of pervasive imitation Josquin Desprez (c. 1450-1521) is well represented with 20 minutes of music, the highlight being a stirring rendition of the virtuoso motet "Miserere mei, Deus" (not to be confused with the early 17th century Allegri work).

Selections from the High Renaissance dispense with the usual suspects; notable omissions include Byrd, Lassus, Willaert & Palestrina. We hear a madrigal by Verdelot, a Marian antiphon by Gombert, and perhaps best of all, Thomas Tallis' magnificent 40-voice motet "Spem in alium."

Instrumental pieces get rather short shrift, with only "Agincourt Carol" and a fantasia by Mudarra (c. 1510-1585) providing contrast to the stream of polyphony that dominates the CD.

Some selections may induce head-scratching; for example, Solage's "Fumeux et fume." This bizarre, chromatic work represented the late Medieval "ars subtilior" style, an experimental movement that faded before the Renaissance began in earnest. A better selection from the transitional period from late Medieval to early Renaissance is Perugia's "Helas Avril," a three-part virelai which foreshadows Dufay's polyphony.

Prominent Dufay scholar David Fallows provides insightful liner notes. The performances (which prominently feature the Huelgas Ensemble under the direction of Paul Van Nevel) are selected from a wide time frame (1965 to 1996), but fine mastering and clever sequencing makes the compilation flow nicely.

"The Renaissance in Music," despite some notable omissions and curious inclusions, serves as a good starting point for anyone interested in music of the 15th and 16th centuries. The compilation's tantalizing selection should whet one's appetite for more music of the era.