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Our first concert, in November 2005, paired masses by
Josquin and Isaac based on the chanson Une mousse de Biscaye. In April 2006 we performed Lamentations by Lassus; the St. John
Passion by his best student, Leonhard Lechner; Holy Week motets by Victoria;
and Lotti’s 8-voice Crucifixus. In October 2006 we
presented some of Heinrich Isaac’s greatest work, including motets for his two most important patrons, Lorenzo de Medici
and Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. In December we performed two concerts of Christmas music centered around Josquin’s
motet Praeter rerum seriem, and works inspired by it: Rore’s 7-voice mass, and a Magnificat by Lassus.
We presented “War and Peace,”
first in May 2007 in NYC, then at the Boston Early Music Festival in June. It featured works by Josquin, La Rue and Ramsey
based on the biblical quote “How the mighty are fallen”; Janequin’s La Guerre
and a chanson celebrating peace; several versions of Da Pacem; settings by Isaac and Palestrina of the liturgy for the Votive Mass for Peace,
and J.S. Bach’s ‘motet’ “Es war ein wunderlicher Krieg” from the middle of his Cantata #4.
In
October, for the 2007 New York Early Music Celebration, we performed music of Heinrich Isaac and Josquin Desprez, dividing
a mass between them, framed by a 6-voice motet by each. We repeated the concert in Teaneck, NJ, to benefit the Teaneck
Peace & Justice Coalition.
In March 2008 we presented Renaissance settings of Salve
Regina by OBRECHT, MARTINI, MORALES, & VICTORIA--interspersed with other Marian motets by OCKEGHEM.
In June, 2008, we repeated the shorter, Boston version of the "War
& Peace" program in New York City.
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| Publicity postcard from October 2007 concert |
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