This list is centered on the heart of the Franco-Flemish polyphonic style of the later 15th century. This is one of the most significant strands of Western musical development, and the list will attempt to survey the three generations from Dufay to Ockeghem to Josquin fairly well, with some later additions from the traditions branching off from this core.
This genre is especially interesting to me, as it is the most elaborate contrapuntal music ever written in the mainstream. My interest stops largely with the stylistic generation of Gombert, with some outlying examples in a handful of styles which do add something specific to the polyphonic idiom forged in the late 15th century. I will generally eschew music which is not contrapuntally based in the strict sense. The recordings listed may not be composed entirely of sacred music, but will be primarily devoted to it.
Recordings will be listed roughly chronologically. I should note specifically here that, in many cases, the number of stars does not adequately relate my own relative enthusiasm for repertory vs. performance. Where a large discrepancy exists between the two, the comments available by following the link on the rating itself should help clarify. Putting together a really compelling recording of this very fine and complicated music continues to be a challenge. Once more musicians grow up hearing this music, the challenge will lessen.
This list is one I would be happy to make much longer. There is a wealth of very fine music from around the year 1500, and it is - for me - the height of Western music. Unfortunately, it has taken quite some time, and the efforts of multiple generations of interpreters, to begin to have really outstanding recordings of this music. Even as it is, many here could be improved by a more up-to-date production. Hopefully this situation will continue to be remedied over time, as more groups learn the intricacies of this music. Many of the questions of note & rhythm have only been answered in recent years, and so interpretations are taking on a more finished quality.
Dufay has benefited tremendously from many fine recordings. His major works have been blessed with more and better performances than any other composer of this stylistic era. A new generation of interpreters continues to improve on the older work, moving his discography into another state of flux. It is possible that I might re-expand this listing, as other major works receive updated performances, although the present size does give a good overview of Dufay's Mass cycles.
After a long wait, we are finally seeing more first-rate performances of this music. It is very welcome to me, as in many ways this is one of the most stimulating times in Western music, the era from which Dufay & Ockeghem emerged. The techniques are less uniform than they are in the next generation, and so present many unexplored avenues. Only a few years ago, none of the listed recordings existed.
Here I will add the personal note that it was Ockeghem's music more than any other which sold me on this genre some years ago. His ability to compose free counterpoint which is melodically compelling in each line is virtually unparalleled, and a constant inspiration. The frequency of recorded Ockeghem performances seems to have tailed off substantially lately, after a major run several years ago. At this point, the quality of Ockeghem's discography starts to lag some others, especially when it comes to truly outstanding performances. Some new efforts here would be welcome.
Moving to the post-Ockeghem generation and the years around the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Franco-Flemish style becomes the central musical idiom of Europe, and a tradition with enough weight to sustain a wealth of viewpoints & innovations. For the most part, I will conclude this list with examples from this generation, that of Josquin and his direct contemporaries. This is one of the most appealing times for Western music, but also a time during which style was in a state of flux, and so I have been relatively selective regarding which composers to emphasize. This general section of the listing disappeared in recent years, as more dedicated programs have appeared in the following sections, and now it is revived with Agricola alone. Perhaps Agricola should be given a separate section, but the current paragraph still serves as a useful introduction.
Obrecht is the first composer of the Josquin generation who is of high individual interest to me. Obrecht is especially skilled at creating large-scale architectural forms and keeping them animated with energetic counterpoint. More recordings have been appearing of late, and are very welcome, but I have been forced to omit those with unconvincing interpretations. Only a few years ago, Obrecht possessed not a single dedicated recording on CD. Today, especially with the Hungaroton series, there is a good overview of his style available.
Josquin wrote some fine music, but I cannot say that he is one of my personal favorite composers. While I admire elements of his style, I emphatically disagree with any suggestion that his music is better than that of all other composers of his generation. This listing is very much in a state of transition at the moment. Josquin's most important works are generally found only on performances that seem somewhat dated & unfocused when compared to the later recordings on the list below, which meanwhile feature more obscure material.
La Rue is another composer of the generation of Josquin who appeals to me strongly. His style does not make overwhelming use of any particular technical element, continuing the ideas of Ockeghem et al. in an original way. La Rue consequently marks something of an end to the more abstract Franco-Flemish style. His recorded discography is particularly sketchy to date, with no recorded interpretation which can be considered a true landmark. However, some highly appealing material can be found in the renditions below, from a variety of interpreters. It is now becoming possible to be more selective, as well as to choose from a variety of interpretive styles.
Gombert is perhaps the most innovative composer in the generation succeeding Josquin. After him, Renaissance polyphony went more toward simplification in that never-ending cycle, and so my interest wanes. I would like to add more material from the Gombert generation (such as Clemens), but quality programs combined with quality interpretations have been slow to appear. Le Jeune is a later composer who managed to be innovative in a unique way.
If a recording in this genre is not listed here, either I haven't been able to obtain a copy (perhaps out of print), I don't know about it at all, I felt that it is substantially duplicated by a recording I like better, or I didn't care for it enough to give it one star. Of course this is attentuated for recordings in the final section, as there my criteria for repertory become even more idiosyncractic. However, in the earlier sections I definitely try to be familiar with everything that is recorded. Please feel free to inquire.
One thing that should probably be said here is that I am frequently hyper-critical concerning performances of my favorite pieces. In my more lucid moments, I sometimes think that I merely believe the pieces to be better than they are. The truth is that there is an enormous wealth of detail available, and it is not easy to bring it all out in one performance. I continue to consider this the heart of the Western repertory as a whole.
I will try to keep this page up to date as new releases appear, although updates will tend to be slower here due to the larger number of factors which enter into evaluating a program of this nature.
Todd M. McComb Updated: 29 April 2008