Millennium of Music

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Music from the Lowlands: Giaches de Wert: The Madrigals

Born either in Ghent or in Weert near Antwerp, Giaches de Wert (1535 – 1596) went to Italy, where he settled first in Mantua and then in Ferrara. While there he became a master of the madrigal form. This program presents three selection of his madrigals: first one performed by Cantus Cölln (Konrad Junghänel, conductor), then by Currende Consort, lead by Eric Van Nevel and finally by The Consort of Musicke under the direction of the founder, Anthony Rooley.
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Flemish Dance and Songbooks: Piffaro

Featured in this program is Piffaro, a late Medieval and Renaissance ensemble from Philadelphia. Under the direction of Joan Kimball and Robert Wiemken, Piffaro tours extensively in the United States and Europe. In the first half of the program, Piffaro performs music from the Odhecaton, an anthology of secular songs published by Ottaviano Petrucci in 1501 in Venice. This selection includes music by Antoine Bruhier, Alexander Agricola and Jacob Obrecht. In the second part Piffaro performs music from the collection created and published by Tielman Susato, a Flemish composer and publisher of the 16th Century. It includes compositions by Johannes Ghiselin, Agricola, Obrecht, and other Renaissance composers of the early 16th Century.
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Music from the Lowlands: Flemish Dance and Songbooks

Music in this program comes from the anthologies created by Tielman Susato, the 16th Century Flemish composer and publisher. In a selection called Love Songs and Dances from the Renaissance Capella Antiqua performs music by Josquin, Antoine Brumel, and other early Flemish composers. Musica Reservata follows with 16th Century French Dance Music, Susato’s arrangements of the French-Flemish music. Then Musica Aurea performs Dances of the Renaissance, another selection from Susato’s publications (they call it ). Early Music Consort of London completes the program with 12 more compositions from Susato’s anthology.
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Between Earth and Heaven

Again, a new recording by the Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of Chevetogne; this week, Eastertime and Ascension.
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Ronsard and the Lowlands

The Dutch ensemble Egidius Kwartet looks at the lasting influence of Ronsard's verse on the Franco-Flemish school, including Lassus, Regnart, and Arcadelt.
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Sacred Lassus III: Holy Week and the Lamentations of Jeremiah

As we enter the 30th anniversary season of Millennium of Music, we share the great Holy Week writings of Lassus.
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Sacred Lassus II: Canciones Sacrae

The Cantiones Sacrae are the swansong of one of the masters of the motet, crowning his life’s work. In them Orlandus Lassus deploys with sovereign ease the essence of his art, which distinguishes him from, say, his contemporary Palestrina: the complex technique of vocal polyphony is employed in order to espouse the nuances of the text as closely as possible. In other words, here we have the ideal balance between 'head' and 'heart', the recurrent feature of most of the greatest masterpieces.
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Sacred Lassus I: Missa pro defunctis

Our longest single-composer series--over 50 hours of chronological material--was dedicated to the genius from Mons, Roland de Lassus, (also known as Orlando di Lasso and Orlandus Lassus). We begin our three-part series on his scared music with his setting of the Requiem Mass.
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Don't Weep for me, O Mother

Our friends from the Abbey of Chevetogne are back, and we will begin and end our Belgian series with their latest two recordings. This week, the Matins of Holy Saturday.
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Victoria, Cabezon, Praetorius

Additional works from both the concerts by The Sixteen and the Huelgas Ensemble surround harpsichord virtuoso Diego Ares' tribute to the blind composer and performer Antonio Cabezon (c.1510-1566).
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Michael Praetorius

In a typical break with the prevailing winds, Paul Van Nevel and his Huelgas Ensemble give us a concert illustrating Praetorius' pivotal role between the Renaissance and Baroque styles of music.
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