Obrecht: Missa O lumen ecclesiæ / Missa Malheur me bat

Obrecht: Sacred Music
Missa O lumen ecclesiæ / Missa Malheur me bat
Ars Nova Secunda Chorus - János Bali
Hungaroton 31772

Contents:

    Missa O lumen ecclesiæ
  1. Kyrie I (a 4)
  2. Christe (a 4)
  3. Kyrie II (a 4)
  4. Gloria in excelsis Deo - Et in terra (a 4)
  5. Qui tollis (a 4)
  6. Credo in unum Deum - Patrem (a 4)
  7. Et incarnatus (a 3 ex 2 "fuga in dyapenthe")
  8. Et resurrexit (a 4)
  9. Sanctus (a 4)
  10. Pleni sunt (a 4)
  11. Osanna I (a 4)
  12. Benedictus (a 4)
  13. Osanna II (a 4)
  14. Agnus I (a 4)
  15. Agnus II (a 4)
  16. Agnus III (a 4)

    17. Ave Regina cælorum (antiphon a 4)
  17. prima pars: Ave Regina
  18. secunda pars: Funde preces

    19. Alma Redemptoris mater (antiphon a 3)
  19. prima pars: Alma Redemptoris
  20. secunda pars: Et stella maris
  21. tertia pars: Tu quæ genuisti
  22. quarta pars: Virgo prius
  23. quinta pars: Sumens illud

    24. Missa Malheur me bat
  24. Kyrie I (a 4)
  25. Christe (a 3)
  26. Kyrie II (a 4)
  27. Gloria in excelsis Deo - Et in terra (a 4)
  28. Qui tollis (a 4)
  29. Credo in unum Deum - Patrem (a 4)
  30. Crucifixus (a 3)
  31. Et in Spiritum Sanctum (a 4)
  32. Sanctus (a 4)
  33. Pleni sunt (a 3)
  34. Osanna (a 4)
  35. Agnus I (a 4)
  36. Agnus II (a 3)
  37. Agnus III (a 4)

Performers: Péter Bárány (countertenor), Zoltán Gavodi (countertenor), Nigel Heavey (countertenor), Péter Patay (countertenor), Csaba Gyulai (tenor), Ádám Kard (tenor), Miklós Laczkovich (tenor), Zoltán Kalmanovits (baritone), András Koncz (baritone), Zoltán Mizsei (baritone), András Soós (baritone), Pál Benkö (bass), András Demjén (bass), Tamás Pintér (bass)

Playing time: 68'

Recording date: February 1998 (Budapest)

Jacob Obrecht (1457/8-1505) is generally regarded as one of the leading composers of the Franco-Flemish school of the later 15th century, together with his contemporaries Josquin Desprez, Pierre De La Rue, and Heinrich Isaac. In some ways, Obrecht is the most old-fashioned of this group, given his predilection for more abstract approaches to polyphonic writing. However, his style remains distinct from that of Dufay or Ockeghem. Obrecht's maturity as a composer evidently predates Josquin's, despite his younger age, and so his music does not reflect the new approaches to text-setting which came into vogue in the 1500s.

The Missa Malheur me bat is one of Obrecht's most famous settings, based on a chanson by Martini (once thought to be by Ockeghem). The Missa O lumen ecclesiæ is listed as Missa O quam suavis est in older sources, and in fact the tenor does not quite match either antiphon.

The next Obrecht recordings by the present ensemble:

Obrecht: Missa Si dedero / Missa Pfauenschwanz
Ars Nova Secunda Chorus - János Bali
Hungaroton 31946
Obrecht: Missa De Sancto Donatiano / Missa Sicut spina rosam
A:N:S Chorus - János Bali
Hungaroton 32192
Obrecht: Missa Fors seulement / Missa De tous biens playne / Missa Cela sans plus
A:N:S Chorus - János Bali
Hungaroton 32319

And the beginning of a series devoted to Agricola:

Agricola: Missa Malheur me bat / Missa In minen sin
Ars Nova Secunda Chorus - János Bali
Hungaroton 32011

Other significant recent recordings devoted to Obrecht's sacred music:

Obrecht: Missa Maria zart
Tallis Scholars - Peter Phillips
Gimell 454 932
Obrecht: Missa Malheur me bat
The Clerks' Group - Edward Wickham
AS&V Gaudeamus 171
Obrecht: Church Music
Vocal Group Ars Nova - Paul Hillier
VAN 02
Obrecht: Missa Caput / Salve Regina
Oxford Camerata - Jeremy Summerly
Naxos 8.553210

Finally, a recording devoted to secular music:

Obrecht: De wereldlijke werken met liedteksten van Gerrit Komrij
Camerata Trajectina
Globe 6059

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Todd M. McComb