Renaissance composer Marc'Antonio Ingegneri is mentioned in the history books as Monteverdi's teacher, but his music isn't often performed. A friend of Nicoḷ Sfondrato, later Pope Gregory XIV, he worked at the heart of the musical reforms of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Based in Cremona for much of his career, he was a successor to Palestrina and seems, on the evidence here, to have tried to outdo even that master in terms of simplicity and clarity. However, paradoxically, he may have been one of those figures who, in ...
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Renaissance composer Marc'Antonio Ingegneri is mentioned in the history books as Monteverdi's teacher, but his music isn't often performed. A friend of Nicoḷ Sfondrato, later Pope Gregory XIV, he worked at the heart of the musical reforms of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Based in Cremona for much of his career, he was a successor to Palestrina and seems, on the evidence here, to have tried to outdo even that master in terms of simplicity and clarity. However, paradoxically, he may have been one of those figures who, in trying to be very conservative, end up being progressive. This release by the Choir of Girton College, Cambridge, features Ingegneri's Missa laudate pueri Dominum, a parody mass based on a motet by Palestrina, with its sections interspersed with smaller choral works and keyboard music. Consider the straightforward Credo, which might well have made an impact on the young Monteverdi and has an appealing dramatic quality. The Monteverdi-like quality is emphasized here by conductor...
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