The Missa l'homme armé sexti toni has really grown in my estimation based on this performance. This may be A Sei Voci's best performance yet in the series, with an excellent sense of clarity and reasonably lively rhythms. Here they've combined a rhetorical approach to the musical flow with a more straightforward rhythmic presentation which does not become so bogged down in the sonic vanities of the previous issue.
The mass itself is easily one of Josquin's best, combining technical mastery with an excellent sense of flow and momentum. It does not get bogged down, or rest too much on the repetitive phrases I often find so tiresome in his music. For the most part, Josquin wrote better in the motet form, and seems to have struggled to fill the entire length of a mass with compelling material, but here he uses the l'homme armé to fine effect. This may be his most compelling mass after the Missa Ave Maris stella.
Althought not a favorite, the Missa l'Homme armé super voces musicales is a good example of Josquin working in the previous, more technically-oriented style. It seems to me that his attempts here are a bit awkward, and so one can readily understand why he worked toward the smoother style based on points of imitation for which he became so famous.
Altogether, while not the best music from beginning to end, especially given the similar themes of the masses, this is one of the most compelling programs for showing the development of Josquin's late style. The Missa l'homme armé sexti toni seems absolutely decisive in this regard.
Todd M. McComb