Est 1923

Peñalosa Complete Motets

Record and Artist Details

Composer or Director: Francisco de Peñalosa

Label: Hyperion

Media Format: CD or Download

Media Runtime: 78

Mastering:

DDD

Catalogue Number: CDA66574

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
Motets, Movement: Emendemus in melius Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: Deus, qui manus tuas Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: Domine Iesu Christe, qui neminem Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: Transeunte Domino Iesu Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: Inter vestibulum et altare Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: Tribularer, si nescirem Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: Ne reminiscaris Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: Versa est in luctum Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: Domine, secundum actum meum Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: Adoro te, Domine Iesu Christe Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: Ave, verum corpus natum Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: Nigra sum, sed formosa Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: Sancta Maria Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: Unica est colomba mea Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: Ave, vera caro Christi Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: Ave, vere sanguis Domini Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: In passione positus Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: Precor te, Domine Iesu Christe Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: Pater noster Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: Ave Regina caelorum Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: Sancta Mater, istud agas Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Motets, Movement: O Domina sanctissima Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Bruno Turner, Conductor
Francisco de Peñalosa, Composer
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Francisco de Penalosa counts for many people as the Spanish Josquin: he was a bit younger than Josquin, and he died a little later, in 1528; but he has that effortless way with notes, the ability to make every phrase appear inevitable. Even so, any such comparison can make Penalosa seem bland, and a better equivalent might be Mouton, more closely Penalosa's contemporary, a composer with a similarly placid countenance and a similarly distinguished career. Edward Lowinsky once characterized Mouton in terms of ''the evenness of his temperament, the steadiness of his character, the solidity of his craftsmanship''—all comments that fit Penalosa like a glove. No wonder he was in such demand. The music flows immaculately and is thoroughly mandarin.
Bruno Turner and Pro Cantione Antiqua give equally mandarin performances. Everything is beautifully turned. They resist the temptation to impose characterizations that would impede the flow. If Pro Cantione Antiqua lack the finesse of tuning or balance that some of the younger ensembles are beginning to make us expect, they more than compensate by their sheer vocal quality. Some of the voices are no longer in their prime, but these are all superb singers and thorough musicians: they give living performances that do full justice to marvellously poetic music.
The record contains Penalosa's entire output of motets—22 of them, all in either three or four voices and lasting from two to four minutes each. That is a risky undertaking: at first glance there is a certain sameness, and Bruno Turner does well in his note to discourage people from listening to all 78 minutes in one sitting before they are thoroughly familiar with the style. (It is the kind of record that would have been quite unrealistic before the days of the programmable CD.) He is also right to urge them to take careful account of the texts and their translations, for this is in many ways very internal music that never grabs you by the throat except through its beauty.
This is a record of rare distinction that communicates a love and a deep understanding of a very special composer. Careful listening will teach you much about the essence of early sixteenth-century polyphony.DF

Peñalosa Complete Motets

Motets, Movement: Emendemus in melius

Motets, Movement: Deus, qui manus tuas

Motets, Movement: Domine Iesu Christe, qui neminem

Motets, Movement: Transeunte Domino Iesu

Motets, Movement: Inter vestibulum et altare

Motets, Movement: Tribularer, si nescirem

Motets, Movement: Ne reminiscaris

Motets, Movement: Versa est in luctum

Motets, Movement: Domine, secundum actum meum

Motets, Movement: Adoro te, Domine Iesu Christe

Motets, Movement: Ave, verum corpus natum

Motets, Movement: Nigra sum, sed formosa

Motets, Movement: Sancta Maria

Motets, Movement: Unica est colomba mea

Motets, Movement: Ave, vera caro Christi

Motets, Movement: Ave, vere sanguis Domini

Motets, Movement: In passione positus

Motets, Movement: Precor te, Domine Iesu Christe

Motets, Movement: Pater noster

Motets, Movement: Ave Regina caelorum

Motets, Movement: Sancta Mater, istud agas

Motets, Movement: O Domina sanctissima

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