I thank you unendingly for posting this recording -- it is my favorite performance of this particular mass, and of the two Agnus Dei movements especially. Surely, God is present in the beauty of this music.
MIssa brevis è uno dei monumenti musicali assoluti della produzione musicale di GP da Palestrina, questo Agnus Dei ha dei momenti di rara bellezza e genialità, il contrappunto pur non essendo tra i più complessi che possono trovarsi nelle composizioni palestriniane, anche per via del tempo Largo (quello a mio parere più appropriato per la maggior parte della musica sacra del prenestino e che nella visione che aveva il Cardinal Bartolucci, storico e fondamentale maestro della Cappella Sistina, si dilatava ulteriormente), riesce ad assicurare il continuum tra le voci con un gioco di rimandi sulle parole del testo e di melismi sulle "a" ed "e". Soprattutto due momenti sono davvero insuperabili: 1. Agnus Dei I sul "miserere nobis" fugato con la sequenza Cantus-Altus-Bassus-Tenor ripetuta per tre volte, sino alla fine del movimento. Ciò proprio a sottolineare l'invocazione disperata dell'uomo peccatore al D-i-o salvatore. 2. Agnus Dei II il "peccata" con melisma sulla sillaba "TA" dei due Cantus, preparato magistralmente dalla nota lunga sulla sillaba "CA"e risolto altrettanto maglistralmente dal contrappunto sul "mundi" con nota breve sulla sillaba "ndi" per ripartire senza sosta subito con il "Qui tollis". questo schema si ripete per 4 volte per poi andare alla parte finale del "dona nobis pacem". Alla maestria compositiva di Palestrina, in questa esecuzione, si associa naturalmente anche la perfezione tipica dei Tallis Scholars del Maestro Peter Phillips.
This performance is superb and exquisitely sing. It is profoundly moving, the more so because the singing is restrained so that the choir is not obtrusive and allows the glory of the music to uplift the listener. A wonderful performance. Thankyou.
@Colorsofchaos Agnus Dei is one movement or song from the work Missa Brevis ("short/brief Mass"). Palestrina has written several movements called Agnus Dei, but they are different because they belong to different Mass settings. Same words, different music.
Hi, musicaergosum, from Lima Perú. Thanks for videos. I'm studying counterpoint with the classic book "Counterpoint. The vocal polyphonic style of Sixteenth Century" by Knud Jeppesen (Dover edition), which teaches that discipline out of the features of Palestrina style in voice leading. As you can see, your videos are very important for me! If you are musician, I recommend that book to you. Many thanks again.
@jeTROGIBBS It also affects me physically, jeTROGIBBS. Most of all, it gets to a place within my mental and physical being that brings me to an inner tearful, yet deeply calm, place. AKS IS one way to say it, for certain. Singing it is a whole 'nother SWEET THING.
Palestrina wrote several masses with different melodies :) Missa Papae Marcelli, for example, has also an Agnus Dei, which is different from this version here, that belongs to Missa Brevis
Several times I had discussions with italian musicians who are saying about the "dry and emotionless interpretation of Palestrina's sacred choral music" by Tallis Scholars choir. I'd like to remember that in that age music was much more related to math and numbers than not to emotions and passions, mainly the sacred music. It's very dangerous to interpretate this sort of music with the modern concept of emotions 'cause probably these are changed deeply through history, mainly during the period of Romanticism. I say this 'cause Italians are been the first to sing gregorian chant at the "Aida"'s way and with the "delicious" sound of an organ. Today we know that it's completely wrong and anachronistic, surely didn't sound like that in the medieval churches. So I prefer the sounds of the british school for this early music, probably they might sound a bit empty voices ok but at least I'm sure it's much more correct that way than sang to the "Karajan's style"
I think the Tallis Scholars' interpretation is right on the money. Sacred music, especially settings for Mass, are intended to be subdued and sober. Any sort of ostentation should be avoided, because that would bring the attention on the choir. However, the idea behind liturgical music is to elevate the mind of the listeners to God: one should almost forget that the choir is there. Palestrina creates this effect brilliantly. Adding "emotional" effects in the style of Romanticism would be most incongruous, it seems to me. (That doesn't mean you have to be mechanical, but the point is, the text and melodies themselves, and the dynamics and articulations that naturally flow from them, should provide all of the "emotional" content.)
StartabandRoxy I respect your point of view even if I disagree with that. I don't think it's a matter of Puritanism. There have been scholars, singers and choir conductors studying the faces of the statues of the singing angels of the Notre Dame cathedral to try to understand how singers might have sung in those ages, studying the shapes of the mouths, of the lips to imagine how the sound might have been. All this because there are not books from the 14th and 15th century about singing tecniques and when we've got these big lacks of informations it's very easy doing mistakes contaminating with our modern knowledge things that in those ages probably didn't exist. That's why I strongly think it's not a matter of Puritanism.
Padre Paulo Ricardo sempre me direciona ao Divino.
I thank you unendingly for posting this recording -- it is my favorite performance of this particular mass, and of the two Agnus Dei movements especially. Surely, God is present in the beauty of this music.
MIssa brevis è uno dei monumenti musicali assoluti della produzione musicale di GP da Palestrina, questo Agnus Dei ha dei momenti di rara bellezza e genialità, il contrappunto pur non essendo tra i più complessi che possono trovarsi nelle composizioni palestriniane, anche per via del tempo Largo (quello a mio parere più appropriato per la maggior parte della musica sacra del prenestino e che nella visione che aveva il Cardinal Bartolucci, storico e fondamentale maestro della Cappella Sistina, si dilatava ulteriormente), riesce ad assicurare il continuum tra le voci con un gioco di rimandi sulle parole del testo e di melismi sulle "a" ed "e". Soprattutto due momenti sono davvero insuperabili: 1. Agnus Dei I sul "miserere nobis" fugato con la sequenza Cantus-Altus-Bassus-Tenor ripetuta per tre volte, sino alla fine del movimento. Ciò proprio a sottolineare l'invocazione disperata dell'uomo peccatore al D-i-o salvatore.
2. Agnus Dei II il "peccata" con melisma sulla sillaba "TA" dei due Cantus, preparato magistralmente dalla nota lunga sulla sillaba "CA"e risolto altrettanto maglistralmente dal contrappunto sul "mundi" con nota breve sulla sillaba "ndi" per ripartire senza sosta subito con il "Qui tollis". questo schema si ripete per 4 volte per poi andare alla parte finale del "dona nobis pacem".
Alla maestria compositiva di Palestrina, in questa esecuzione, si associa naturalmente anche la perfezione tipica dei Tallis Scholars del Maestro Peter Phillips.
THANK YOU!!...
veramente musica da Paradiso....commovente...
This is most beautiful harmony I've ever heard．
magnifico!!
This performance is superb and exquisitely sing. It is profoundly moving, the more so because the singing is restrained so that the choir is not obtrusive and allows the glory of the music to uplift the listener. A wonderful performance. Thankyou.
Memories of singing this as a cathedral chorister on an early Sunday morning. Lovely.
wonderful.
davvero commovente...
Beautiful!
Bellísimaaaa!!!!
I sing the high part/first part of the second Agnus and I LOVE IT
beautiful!
Wundervoll!
wow.. we're going to sing it on december 15th this year.. it's great =)
Agnus Dei II à 2:20. Quelle voix la seconde soprane !
@Colorsofchaos Agnus Dei is one movement or song from the work Missa Brevis ("short/brief Mass"). Palestrina has written several movements called Agnus Dei, but they are different because they belong to different Mass settings. Same words, different music.
Hi, musicaergosum, from Lima Perú. Thanks for videos. I'm studying counterpoint with the classic book "Counterpoint. The vocal polyphonic style of Sixteenth Century" by Knud Jeppesen (Dover edition), which teaches that discipline out of the features of Palestrina style in voice leading. As you can see, your videos are very important for me! If you are musician, I recommend that book to you. Many thanks again.
@jeTROGIBBS It also affects me physically, jeTROGIBBS. Most of all, it gets to a place within my mental and physical being that brings me to an inner tearful, yet deeply calm, place. AKS IS one way to say it, for certain.
Singing it is a whole 'nother SWEET THING.
whats the difference between Palestrina - agnus dei and palestrina - missa brevis - agnus dei? could someone please enlighten me?
Palestrina wrote several masses with different melodies :) Missa Papae Marcelli, for example, has also an Agnus Dei, which is different from this version here, that belongs to Missa Brevis
@nonnopirro52 thanks, but I can't understand that.
Several times I had discussions with italian musicians who are saying about the "dry and emotionless interpretation of Palestrina's sacred choral music" by Tallis Scholars choir. I'd like to remember that in that age music was much more related to math and numbers than not to emotions and passions, mainly the sacred music. It's very dangerous to interpretate this sort of music with the modern concept of emotions 'cause probably these are changed deeply through history, mainly during the period of Romanticism. I say this 'cause Italians are been the first to sing gregorian chant at the "Aida"'s way and with the "delicious" sound of an organ. Today we know that it's completely wrong and anachronistic, surely didn't sound like that in the medieval churches. So I prefer the sounds of the british school for this early music, probably they might sound a bit empty voices ok but at least I'm sure it's much more correct that way than sang to the "Karajan's style"
I think the Tallis Scholars' interpretation is right on the money. Sacred music, especially settings for Mass, are intended to be subdued and sober. Any sort of ostentation should be avoided, because that would bring the attention on the choir. However, the idea behind liturgical music is to elevate the mind of the listeners to God: one should almost forget that the choir is there. Palestrina creates this effect brilliantly. Adding "emotional" effects in the style of Romanticism would be most incongruous, it seems to me. (That doesn't mean you have to be mechanical, but the point is, the text and melodies themselves, and the dynamics and articulations that naturally flow from them, should provide all of the "emotional" content.)
AthanasiusOfAlex I totally agree with you
That's the Puritanical way ... which has caused much ill in the anglosphere and therefore for the world.
StartabandRoxy I respect your point of view even if I disagree with that. I don't think it's a matter of Puritanism. There have been scholars, singers and choir conductors studying the faces of the statues of the singing angels of the Notre Dame cathedral to try to understand how singers might have sung in those ages, studying the shapes of the mouths, of the lips to imagine how the sound might have been. All this because there are not books from the 14th and 15th century about singing tecniques and when we've got these big lacks of informations it's very easy doing mistakes contaminating with our modern knowledge things that in those ages probably didn't exist. That's why I strongly think it's not a matter of Puritanism.
Maurizio Cabibbo But might not people of that time have believed in austerity? (I don't know, I'm just wondering).
São anjos?😧