Search - Jacob Heringman :: Josquin Des Prez: Sixteenth Century Lute Settings

Outstanding performance of unusual repertoire

Gail Gillispie | Glenwood, IL United States | 03/08/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a superb and profoundly musical recording of challenging and seldom-played repertoire. Arrangements of vocal music, or intabulations, comprise the largest single category of Renaissance lute music. This is the first Renaissance lute CD to be devoted entirely to such arrangements, in this case of works by the greatest composer of the time, Josquin des Prez. This anthology includes lute arrangements of motets, Mass movements, and secular songs from Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Poland, in a well-constructed program. Jacob Heringman performs these pieces on two different lutes and a vihuela, the lute's Spanish cousin. In these works, originally for as many as six voices, finger-twisting chords alternate with swift-moving ornamental passages; Heringman manages both with great agility, so as to maintain the conterpoint and make the music sound much easier than it is. He uses a great deal of variation in dynamics and articulation, along with a subtle rubato, to bring out the musical ideas in these pieces even for those listeners who are not familiar with the original vocal works.The performances are so uniformly excellent that it's difficult to isolate high points, but some of my favorites are Valentin Bakfark's arrangement of "Faulte d'argent;" the Gloria from the "Missa Pange lingua," from the Capirola lute book; the six-voice motet "Benedicta es,caelorum regina," intabulated by Albert de Rippe, and the stunningly virtuosic setting of "Adieu mes amours" by Hans Neusidler. One piece that may be familiar to many guitarists is Narvaez's "Mille regretz," but most of the pieces are recorded here for the first time. This is not "in-your-face" music; it invites and generously rewards active listening and close attention. Heringman's playing is expressive in a very natural way, drawing attention to the music and the instrument rather than the performer. It is a delight to hear serious Renaissance music played in such a transparent and unmannered style.The recording quality is excellent, leaving just the right amount of "space" around the instrument. The program notes, by musicologist David Fallows and by Heringman himself, are well-written and very informative. Highly recommended."

A wonderful discovery

Gail Gillispie | 08/12/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard Jacob Herringman playing this music on the radio, from a recorded concert, and was immediately taken by it. Josquin was regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance, although he is largely unknown today outside of music scholarship. Herringman has done music lovers a great service presenting Josquin's compositions via the lute, which, among other things, highlights the unique expressive quality of the instrument."