Here, the polyphonic segments of the selected Magnificat compositions are based not on monophonic models but on preexistent compositions. Accordingly, here we have to do with parody works in which a procedure widespread in Masses is applied to the Magnificat. Forty of Lassos 101 Magnificat compositions are to be assigned to this type. These imitation Magnificats in no way involve a simple retextualization of preexistent works.

Ivan Repui, the new chief conductor of the Munich Rundfunkorchester, devotes his first CD on BR-KLASSIK to works by the composers Maurice Duruflé and Ottorino Respighi, both of whom took a major interest in the melodies and harmonies of Gregorian chant. The French composer Duruflés Requiem is based on the Gregorian 'Missa pro defunctis', the Latin Mass for the Dead, and the Italian Respighi, in his Concerto Gregoriano, used Gregorian chant as a source of inspiration for the harmonious sound of the concerto and for the song-like treatment he gives to the solo violin. Recorded in March 2017.

An impressive testament of the famous Charpentier Te Deum, H 146, this recording is full of life robust, yet refined! The vigor of the Choir brings listeners the majesty of music from Chicago s Historic St. John Cantius Church. While Charpentier s masterpiece is the crown jewel of this recording, there are other gems , including the charming Piccolomini Mass of Mozart.

The Choirs of Chicago s historic St. John Cantius presents Renaissance Polyphony of Portugal for Our Lady of Fatima to honor the Virgin Mary on the 100th Anniversary of her 1917 Apparitions at Fatima, Portugal. The CD features stunningly beautiful settings of traditional Marian hymns and canticles, such as Salve Regina, Magnificat, Alma Redemptoris, Ave Maris Stella, and much more.

Martín Palmeri began to work on the Magnificat dedicated to mixed choir, soprano and mezzo-soprano solo, string orchestra, bandoneon, and piano in 2010. He was guided by an idea to create a piece, which would be stylistically and emotionally close to the Misa a Buenos Aires – Misatango, yet much more difficult for the performers, and more sophisticated as far as the rhythm and polyphony are concerned. The composition was ended in 2012 and its world premiere took place in Milan. The source of the text of the Magnificat is the Gospel of Luke (1:46-55).

For a Breath of Ecstasy is seven-movement work for chorus, strings, and oboe that is based on texts by Sara Teasdale. This major work for chorus, strings, and oboe features settings of the poetry of Sara Teasdale, commemorating the centennial of her winning the Pulitzer Prize in poetry for her Love Songs, Northwestern State University commissioned this work.

Stile Antico's 2015 release on Harmonia Mundi, A Wondrous Mystery, is a sublime collection of Renaissance choral music for Christmas, presented in a pleasant mix of familiar German carols and a mass, with tracks interspersed for the sake of variety. This makes sense in consideration of the group's broad audience, which may know such popular hymns as Michael Praetorius' Ein Kind geborn in Bethlehem and Es ist ein Ros entsprungen, or Johannes Eccard's Übers Gebirg Maria geht and Vom Himmel hoch, yet be somewhat at a loss with the motet and Missa Pastores quidnam vidistis by Jacobus Clemens non Papa, a composer beloved by early music specialists but not exactly a household name for lay listeners. However, the a cappella performances are consistently beautiful and soothing throughout, and the quietly joyous mood of the music fits the album's title perfectly. The 12-voice choir's blend is well-balanced and transparent, and the ambience of All Hallow's Church, Gospel Oak, London gives an ideal resonance for the group's small size and close miking.

On its onward journey across the major secular and sacred landmarks of Italian Renaissance polyphony, La Compagnia del Madrigale now turns its attention to Claudio Monteverdi s 1610 Vespers. This new recording on Glossa presents the award-winning [Gramophone 2014] ensemble in its prime and in the company of Cantica Symphonia and La Pifarescha, all under the direction of Giuseppe Maletto: a veritable cornucopia of present-day early music performers!

Restored by Mayr expert Frans Hauk from two extant manuscript versions and heard here in its world premiere recording, Simon Mayrs Stabat mater in F minor was singled out by a contemporary biographer for its marvellous effect and heavenly beauty. Mayr himself frequently returned to this work, recycling one of its movements in his great Requiem (Naxos 8.573419-20). The song-like Ave maris stella builds on a hymn that dates back to the 8th century.

The Norwegian six-member a cappella group, Nordic Voices here presents the extraordinary polyphonic music of Tomas Luis de Victoria, a Spanish composer whose music has continued to move people for more than 400 years, crossing geographical, cultural, and even religious barriers. This surround-sound recording comes ten years after a "warm, consistent and moving" (BBC Music) album of Lamentations, which featured pieces by sixteenth-century composers, including Four Lessons by Victoria.

This recording has a huge advantage over most of its rivals for the attention of Tallis listeners: the wonderful acoustics of Winchester Cathedral. In this magnificent space, the soaring lines and resplendent harmonies of Tallis's greatest masterpieces find sympathetic resonance, resulting in a heightened dramatic presence that takes the music beyond earthly confines. Of course, beyond the exceptional quality of the writing, credit must go to the phenomenal men and boys of Winchester Cathedral Choir. Where, even in England, does one find trebles who sing with more assuredness, musicality, and beauty of tone? With a repertoire including "In ieiunio et fletu," "Salvator mundi," "In manus tuas," "The Lamentations of Jeremiah," "O nata lux," and the unbelievable 40-part motet "Spem in alium," this is the Tallis disc to own if you're buying only one.

One of the most talented singers of the new generation brings to light four gems for soprano and orchestra belonging to the great eighteenth -century tradition of Neapolitan sacred music. The three composers are representative of as many generations of an industrious dynasty: Francesco Feo (1691-1761) was the uncle of Gennaro Manna (1715-79), who in turn was the uncle of Gaetano (1751-1804).

Bursting with the transcendent sounds of this choir of boys and men coupled with the glorious acoustic of St. Paul's in Harvard Square, every selection on Ave Maria tells a story. Each beautiful and interesting work has its own history. Perhaps none more significant than that of the inspiration for Palestrina's Missa Pappae Marcelli or of the extraordinary depiction of the Magi from the East in 'Reges Tharsis,' on to the vivid and dramatic use of harmony in Bruckner's Virga Jesse. One thing is clear, this beautiful music has a stream of inspiration running clearly throughout. Dvorak and Rachmaninoff are such well-known names, however Rachmaninoff himself called 'Bogoroditse Dyevo' a favorite of his own works. A must have for quintessential boy-choir category in the music collection.

Even by the standards of a time and place—Tudor England—in which masterpieces of choral polyphony appear to have been virtually an everyday occurrence, there is something uniquely and intensely compelling about the surviving works of John Sheppard. This is music designed to be sung by liturgical professionals, and none rise to its demands quite like Westminster Cathedral Choir.

Francis Poulenc is considered one of the greatest melodists of the 20th century but it is his individual and immediately recognisable harmonic language that makes his music so distinctive. Often overlooked in his lifetime and in the years after his death, his sacred music was an expression of his more serious side and, following the death of his close friend, Pierre-Octave Ferroud, a re-awakening of his religious faith. The Sixteens new recording centres round the themes of conflict and atonement, reflecting both Poulencs intense internal struggles and the turbulence of life in France during the mid-20th century.