Search - Cipriano de Rore, Paul van Nevel, Huelgas Ensemble :: de Rore: Missa Praeter Rerum Seriem

From the seventh heaven

Musicus | Oslo, Norway | 10/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I consider this recording of Missa Praeter rerum seriem even better than the one by The Tallis Scholars. The reason is simple: I feel more passion here, more dynamic sensitivity. Make no mistake of it: This is one of the more inspired performances of the Huelgas Ensemble and its conductor Paul Van Nevel.

When it comes to the composer, De Rore is one of the greatest masters of counterpoint before Bach. He was also a landmark composer of madrigals; his 5th book is perhaps the greatest in the prima prattica tradition. Here Van Nevel includes some madrigals, motets and chansons, which I doubt are recorded before, another good reason to buy this CD, even if you have the one with Tallis Scholars. The madrigals are really ear-openers, Van Nevel and his crew do this so much more expressive than others. It would be a wonder if they could perform and record De Rore's 5th book of madrigals, too. Another wonderful CD of prima prattica-madrigals from Van Nevel/Huelgas is In Morte Di Madonna Laura, - Amazon search: B00000270Z - extremely beautiful that one, too. A pity that so much of this stuff is out of print; it is a shame that commercial considerations count when it comes to keep in stock unique recordings, material that is not recorded before.

This performance will never turn you down!"

Calamus

Giordano Bruno | Wherever I am, I am. | 02/04/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Whatever 'faint praise' or carping criticism I may have heaped on an occasional non-favorite from The Huelgas Ensemble must be totally discounted in listening to this recording of music by Cipriano de Rore (1516-1565). The Missa Praeter rerum seriem is a major monument of late Renaissance polyphony; the more often I listen to it, the more musically profound it seems to me. This performance of it by The Huelgas Ensemble is likewise a monument of choral singing in our times, easily surpassing its competition from The Tallis Scholars.



You'll have to take my word for that, because my interest here is to comment on the seven shorter pieces by Cipriano recorded here - one French chanson, two Latin motets, two Italian motets, and "Calami sonum ferentes", listed as a madrigal but in Latin. In musical point of fact, all seven pieces are fully 'madrigalesque' and shockingly, radically 'modern' for music written before Gesualdo or Monteverdi were born! If anyone ever tells you that 'modern' music began with Cipriano, don't argue! He/She may be right.



But I don't even want to review all seven madrigals here, just one five-minute miracle of expressiveness, Calami sonum ferentes (track 10), written for and sung by four bass voices, the lowest descending regularly to D below the bass staff. The polyphony is shaped by an ascending rhythmically-offset scale from low B-natural to the octave,thus: B - C - C# - D - D# - E - F# - G - E - A - A - F# - b - G# - b ... That 'row' is treated canonically in all four voices. It's a plangent theme of such thorny chromaticism that, if Frederick the Great had thought of it, JS Bach would perhaps still be working on his Musical Offering. I promise, when you hear this piece the first time, your jaw will drop.



The Latin text is anything but liturgical. It's a poem by the 1st C Roman poet Catullus. Here's the booklet translation:



"Those who sound the CALAMUS lightly, in the Sicilian measure, do not strike a chord in my breast. On the contrary, they are displeasing, for they have not been torn from the roaring waters of Aufidus. Muse! You who haunt the pleasant woods of Sirmio, and who softened the heart of cruel Lesbia, visit me! Wretched me, as i return to the beginning of my song! Muse! Who delighted your dear Catullus, join your sweet song to these poor shepherd's pipes!



The rediscovery of Latin lyric poetry was, of course, one of the Humanist triumphs of the Renaissance. CALAMUS is a reedy plant from which panpipes and shawm/bassoon reeds have always been made, around the Mediterranean. The word CALAMUS is etymologically the root of 'shawm' and 'chalumeau' in European music, and of 'shenai' in Eastern music. So Catullus was obviously playing with words. But the calamus plant has eternally had poignant, piquant symbolic associations with sexuality. I'll leave it to you literate music lovers to make the leap of association to some of the most ardent poems of America's "Calamus Lover", Walt Whitman.



Whatever meanings that Catullun poem had for Cipriano de Rore, the most intensely emotional composer of his time and place, we can only surmise by listening to his music.



For anyone who can labor through Latin, here's the original:

calami sonum ferentes siculo levem numero

non pellunt gemitus pectore ab imo nimium graves

nec constrepente sunt ab aufido revulsi

Musa

quae nemus incolis sirmionis amoenum

reddita qua lenis lesbia dura fuit

me adi

me adi recessu principis mei tristem

Musa

deliciae tui catulli

dulce tristibus his tuum iunge carmen avenis"

Another amazing recording

L. Stanley | Minnesota, USA | 10/07/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I can't say enough about the Huelgas Ensemble. I have an extensive early music collection and anything this group puts out is always among my favorites. They have a very rich sound, not-top heavy like the Tallis Scholars, yet still very clear. If nothing else, buy this recording for the astounding "Calami Sonum Ferentes", a 4-part chromatic madrigal for all bass voices. Of course, the title piece, the 7-part Missa Praeter Rerum Seriem is also wonderful, that goes without saying for a group like this! Paul Van Nevel has a knack for finding uncommon pieces that are of the highest quality."