Missa Galeazescha
Alexander Agricola (1445-1506)
Gaspar van Weerbeke (1455-1517)
Motets
Heinrich Lübeck, Johannes Martini (c1440-1497/98)
Instrumental music
Odhecaton, Paolo Da Col – Pian&Forte, Gabriele Cassone – La Pifarescha – LaReverdie – Liuwe Tamminga organ
Classic Voice/Antiqua CA001 (2009). Recorded 2005
[flac, cue, log, scans, covers of a later reissue]
Rare and recommended!
"In the second half of the fifteenth century, in times of the Duchy of Galeazzo Maria Sforza (1444-1476), Milan lived an extraordinary artistic flowering period, particularly in music. The Duke decided to create a large chapel for which he would hire some of the most famous Franco-Flemish polyphony composers active at the time, including Alexander Agricola, Gaspar van Weerbecke and Loyset Compère.
The court of Galeazzo Maria Sforza promoted a new genre of polyphonic Mass, which in its texts attributed particular importance to the cult of Our Lady of Grace and Mercy. One of the masterpieces of this type is the Missa Galeazescha for five voices (also called Missa de Beata Maria Virgine) that Loyset Compère composed during the years 1474/5. It is performed in this extraordinary recording by a vocal and instrumental ensemble inspired by the force of the musical chapel that Galeazzo Maria Sforza had at his disposal (besides the vocal chapel, he assembled a group consisting of two bombards and two trombones, forming the alta cappella, and lute, harp, two viols and cornetto muto to form the bassa cappella).
To complete the mass we have also recorded several Marian motets of Agricola and Weerbecke, who also served Sforza, as did Compère, and various ceremonial instrumental pieces by an ensemble of Renaissance trumpets and percussion, and organ transcriptions of some vocal works."
Cantus Records