Cristóbal de Morales (†1553) Mille Regretz Agnus Dei "B"
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    Each of us is allowed to have an opinion about things. In my view, the greatest Mass ever composed was the "Mille Regretz" by Cristóbal de Morales. My understanding is that Morales went back to the Mass years later and wrote "alternate" Sanctus movements and Agnus Dei movements. These "alternate" movements are . . . very special.

    If you have a choir that can handle this six-voice masterpiece ("Alternate Agnus Dei"), there are now practice videos available to help your choir learn:
    Morales Agnus Dei "B" VIDEO  •  Practice Videos & PDF score

    (In my view, showing the practice videos to this piece is an AMAZING way to explain to folks what polyphony is all about).

    ----

    Or, you can buy a Professional Recording of this piece from Amazon.com.

    Chanticleer recorded this Mass (here), but not the special "extra" movements.

    ----

    Also, here is a simple SATB & chant Kyrie (with practice videos!) you might enjoy doing for Lent:
    Brudieu SATB Kyrie VIDEO  •  Practice Videos & PDF score

    ----

    Cristóbal de Morales is usually mentioned along with Francisco Guerrero and Tomás Luis de Victoria as the trio of Spanish composers who typified 16th-century Spanish church polyphony. The Missa Mille regretz is based on the famous chanson of the same name by Josquin des Prez, and proved to be a favorite work of Charles V.
  • DougS
    Posts: 793
    Based on a pop song, Jeff. Illicit!!
  • BruceL
    Posts: 1,072
    Jeff,

    You may know Dr. Lorenzo Candelaria from UT-Austin (he has written for Sacred Music before). He is a genius with this music, and a good resource for us.

    It's always struck me that Spanish music of this era is, as you say, a good introduction to sacred polyphony because it is "bridge music": there was much less of a disconnect between art and folk music back then.
  • mahrt
    Posts: 517
    One little caution: "Mille regretz may not be by Josquin. It has, of course, become a parlor game for musicologists to disattribute some Josquin favorites, and there is some discussion back and forth in the scholarship. The tenor of some of it is that it is such a good piece that it must be by Josquin. All that counts is that Morales thought it was by Josquin and that it is such a good piece. It is a pity that good pieces stop being performed when they stop being by Josquin.
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    DougS,

    I believe that Dr. Mahrt has explained (someplace) that this is a case of a great composer "elevating" a secular tune, not a secular tune "bringing down" a lofty piece of music.
  • DougS
    Posts: 793
    I was being sarcastic.
Add a Comment