i conducted performances of these pieces years ago. at the time there were no performing editions of the music, so i had to create my own, but it was definitely worth the work.
I am a tad surprised by the nasal buzz in the voices. It is required in French and Portuguese, but certainly not in Latin. Is this a conscious choice by the singers/director?
Fascinated by the (improvised?) ornamental decorations - sounds microtonal like Arabic maqam. The harmony is pretty extraordinary, modulating in almost tortuous ways and yet always ending with a cadence to an open fifth! I can see why the Catholic Church got its nickers in a twist about all this pesky harmony detracting from the text.
This is a complete revelation to a person who's been listening to Renaissance masters for 5 decades! Absolutely extraordinary writing and a performance to match in every conceivable way.
Die King Singers sind super, aber für die geistige Musik zu weich, zu mechanisch seltsamerweise, ich vermisse ein wenig die Flexibilität, es ist zu gerade im Tempo
Notice that the music has no "beat",or Rhythm. Called "Syllabic Singing". Michael McClary, retired Professor of Trumpet 🎺, Georgia Perimeter College & Georgia State University.
