Guerrero: Missa Congratulamini Mihi (2010)

performed by The Cardinall's Musick, Andrew Carwood (conductor)
composed by Francisco Guerrero, Thomas Crecquillon

The a cappella choral music of late Renaissance Spanish composer Francisco Guerrero has benefited from a variety of new recordings, but most have touched on his motets, clear, often somber works in the classic Spanish style. His masses are not so common, so this fine recording from the British group the Cardinall's Musick is especially welcome. The five-part Missa congratulamini mihi sounds less like Guerrero's contemporary Palestrina than like Josquin; it has a very attractive combination of joyous intensity (it is an ... Read More

The a cappella choral music of late Renaissance Spanish composer Francisco Guerrero has benefited from a variety of new recordings, but most have touched on his motets, clear, often somber works in the classic Spanish style. His masses are not so common, so this fine recording from the British group the Cardinall's Musick is especially welcome. The five-part Missa congratulamini mihi sounds less like Guerrero's contemporary Palestrina than like Josquin; it has a very attractive combination of joyous intensity (it is an Easter piece) and perfect clarity. The work is a so-called parody mass, meaning that it reworks a preexisting piece, which is, often, as here, a motet, but sometimes a secular chanson or simply a tune. The model here is a motet by French composer Thomas Crecquillon; it immediately follows the mass, and the interested listener can easily follow the rather dense web of correspondences between the two works. All the music can be enjoyed as well at a less technical level, and the sound of... Read Less