Search - Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips :: Ockeghem: Missa De Plus En Plus/Missa Au Travail Suis

De plus en plus, more and forever more...

Giordano Bruno | Wherever I am, I am. | 03/02/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"... the special genius and influence of the composer/statesman/ man of wealth, Johannes Ockeghem (1425-1460) is becoming familiar to enthusiasts for Renaissance polyphony. Here's prime evidence, three recordings of his Missa 'de plus en plus', by the three leading vocal consorts of England, The Tallis Scholars, The Clerks' Group, and The Orlando Consort. All three performances are very fine and worthy of the music. What I'd love to see is a comparison by listeners, expressed in the comments on this review, of any two or three of the CDs. Believe me, the mass itself is a masterwork that will never grow tiresome, in which you will hear something fresh in each performance. It's not at all extravagant to have three CDs of such a composition, but you'll also find that each of the three CDs includes other works by Ockeghem and his contemporaries that will give you three times your money's worth in listening pleasure.



The Missa 'de plus en plus' is constructed almost mathematically on the melody of the middle voice of a secular chanson by Gilles de Binchois. That melody is stated in long not values in the 'tenor' of each movement of the mass. Ockeghem's particular genius as a composer - which was a part-time job for him, though he was renowned as a deep bass singer - was his gift for beautiful flowing melody combined with his mastery of the most intricate counterpoint and modal harmony. Others, like Mouton, were gifted with melody, or, like Agricola, adept at rhythmic and structural complexity, but Ockeghem was both. In this mass, Ockeghem chose to alternate extended, dense passages of full four-part polyphony that sounds almost improvisatory, with briefer but florid and exhilarating duet passages.



The recorded performances by The Tallis Scholars and by The Clerks' Group use roughly the same vocal forces - eight singers, two on a part but sometimes only one on a part, with women singing the 'superius' line. The Orlando Consort uses only four voices, one on a part throughout, with male alto Robert Harre-Jones singing the superius. I do have a hierarchy of preference, but I intend not to emphasize it until I hear the reactions of others.



Also recorded on this CD by The Tallis Scholars is Ocheghem's Missa "Au Travail Suis," another 'parody' mass constructed on a theme from a secular chanson, possibly one composed by Ockeghem himself. The two chansons are included in the performance.



Listen, if you buy all three, and find you prefer one extremely, you can always sell the other two here on amazon, or donate them to your local library."

Springs ever and anew...

FrKurt Messick | Bloomington, IN USA | 07/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"--Johannes Ockeghem--

Ockeghem (1425 - 1497) was a gread Flemish contrapuntist and teacher. He was probably a pupil of Binchois (included here is one of his chansons); he spent time as a cathedral chorister and chaplain, including composer and chaplain to three successive kings of France. Ockeghem influenced other composers, including Josquin des Pres and later composers influenced by the great Franco-Flemish school, of which Ockeghem was the the leader of the second generation. Ockeghem wrote at least 16 masses, 9 motets (including a massive 36-part canon-motet), 20 chansons and a canon.



--Missa De plus en plus--

This mass draws upon the inspiration of the chanson by Ockeghem's teacher, Binchois, of the same name. There are full and reduced voice sections, the full voice sections carrying the chanson melody. This mass is a very full and grand composition. It has a typical scoring range - Alto, High Tenor, Low Tenor, and Bass. There are some very virtuoso periods in this mass, often surprising.



--Missa Au travail suis--

This mass is less grand in scale, almost more of a chamber-music tone, full of stillness and gentleness. It too is based upon a chanson included on the disc, written by Barbingant or Ockeghem himself. The scoring here is atypical, for Soprano, Alto, Bass and Bass (three ranges). The contrast between this mass and the other included here on this disc shows a range of creativity on Ockeghem's part.



--Liner Notes--

Being internationally acclaimed, the Tallis Scholars' CDs typically present their commentary and texts in English, French, German and Italian (together with any Latin texts); this disc, however, only includes the English (and English translation of the songs and mass). The cover art also typically represents visual arts contemporary with the compositions - here the piece is 'Donna nuda allo specchio' by Giovanni Bellini, an artist of the generation of Johannes Ockeghem. In this, the Tallis Scholars have begun to list the singers; this was not true of their early recordings, and is a much welcomed addition.



--The Tallis Scholars--

The Tallis Scholars, a favourite group of mine since the first time I heard them decades ago, are a group dedicated to the performance and preservation of the best of this type of music. A choral group of exceptional ability, I have been privileged to see them many times in public, and at almost every performance, their singing seems almost like a spiritual epiphany for me, one that defies explanation in words. Directed by Peter Phillips, the group consists of a small number of male and female singers who have trained themselves well to their task.



Their recordings are of a consistent quality that deserve more than five stars; this particular disc of pieces by Johannes Ockeghem and others is worthy of a place on the shelf of anyone who loves choral music, liturgical music or Gregorian chant, classical music generally, or religious music. It is truly special. The original recording was made in 1997 in the church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Salle, Norfolk, one of their favourite recording sites. It was done in honour of the 500th anniversary of Ockeghem's death.

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