Dufay: Sacred Choral Works
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Guillaume Dufay
Label: Reflexe
Magazine Review Date: 7/1987
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 66
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: 747628-2
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Missa, '(L')homme armé' |
Guillaume Dufay, Composer
Guillaume Dufay, Composer Hilliard Ensemble Paul Hillier, Conductor |
| Nuper rosarum flores |
Guillaume Dufay, Composer
Guillaume Dufay, Composer Hilliard Ensemble Paul Hillier, Conductor |
| Ecclesie militantis |
Guillaume Dufay, Composer
Guillaume Dufay, Composer Hilliard Ensemble Paul Hillier, Conductor |
| O sancte Sebastiane |
Guillaume Dufay, Composer
Guillaume Dufay, Composer Hilliard Ensemble Paul Hillier, Conductor |
| Salve flos Tusce gentis |
Guillaume Dufay, Composer
Guillaume Dufay, Composer Hilliard Ensemble Paul Hillier, Conductor |
| Alma redemptoris mater 1 |
Guillaume Dufay, Composer
Guillaume Dufay, Composer Hilliard Ensemble Paul Hillier, Conductor |
Composer or Director: Guillaume Dufay
Label: Reflexe
Magazine Review Date: 7/1987
Media Format: Vinyl
Media Runtime: 0
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: EL270426-1
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Missa, '(L')homme armé' |
Guillaume Dufay, Composer
Guillaume Dufay, Composer Hilliard Ensemble Paul Hillier, Conductor |
| Nuper rosarum flores |
Guillaume Dufay, Composer
Guillaume Dufay, Composer Hilliard Ensemble Paul Hillier, Conductor |
| Ecclesie militantis |
Guillaume Dufay, Composer
Guillaume Dufay, Composer Hilliard Ensemble Paul Hillier, Conductor |
| O sancte Sebastiane |
Guillaume Dufay, Composer
Guillaume Dufay, Composer Hilliard Ensemble Paul Hillier, Conductor |
| Salve flos Tusce gentis |
Guillaume Dufay, Composer
Guillaume Dufay, Composer Hilliard Ensemble Paul Hillier, Conductor |
| Alma redemptoris mater 1 |
Guillaume Dufay, Composer
Guillaume Dufay, Composer Hilliard Ensemble Paul Hillier, Conductor |
Author: mberry
This is the most exciting record I've heard for some time. It spans Dufay's life, and his evolving style, from the richly elaborate motet O sancte Sebastiane to the composer's prodigious late Mass-cycle based on the popular melody L'homme arme. Dufay was possibly the first composer to use this famous song associated with the warrior Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold. On this recording tune receives some discreet instrumental reinforcement. Dufay states it in the minor, using a flat in the key signature, but he omits the flat in the top voice, with the result that we hear a constant shimmering interchange of major and minor throughout. The amazing variety of texture, intricacy of rhythm and liveliness of the flowing imitative writing (sometimes with an unusual pairing of voices), all these points are firmly and sensitively interpreted by the Hilliard Ensemble with their unerring sense of balance and pleasing reedy vocal quality well captured by the recording. They perform with a steadiness of pulse that makes the successive proportional changes sound inevitable. A supreme moment, admirably controlled, comes towards the end of the final Agnus Dei. The quiet opening of this section, with the tune in long notes 'crabwise', or back to front, gradually gives way to increased momentum as the tune reappears for the last time, in its normal guise and, I would think, speed, clear and well-defined against a backcloth of sumptuous design.
The earlier motets include two structural masterpieces, the five-part Ecclesie militantis, composed for the coronation of Pope Eugene IV, and the four-part Nuper rosarum, which reflects the architectural proportions of Florence Cathedral. There is also one later gem of delicacy, the little three-part Marian antiphon, Alma Redemptoris mater. This is a recording of sheer delight for scholars, but also a 'way in' for anyone wishing to discover some of the unparalleled subtleties of fifteenth-century music. Few musicologists are able to communicate their knowledge to the ordinary listener in simple and interesting language: the sleeve-notes by DF are a model in this respect, full of learned information presented in a lively and irresistible way that makes its meaning immediately accessible.'
The earlier motets include two structural masterpieces, the five-part Ecclesie militantis, composed for the coronation of Pope Eugene IV, and the four-part Nuper rosarum, which reflects the architectural proportions of Florence Cathedral. There is also one later gem of delicacy, the little three-part Marian antiphon, Alma Redemptoris mater. This is a recording of sheer delight for scholars, but also a 'way in' for anyone wishing to discover some of the unparalleled subtleties of fifteenth-century music. Few musicologists are able to communicate their knowledge to the ordinary listener in simple and interesting language: the sleeve-notes by DF are a model in this respect, full of learned information presented in a lively and irresistible way that makes its meaning immediately accessible.'
Dufay: Sacred Choral Works
Dufay: Sacred Choral Works
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