The music of Nicolas Gombert (accent it like "Dilbert"), from the generation after Josquin in the middle sixteenth century, develops Josquin's language in the direction of greater density. His unaccompanied sacred choral works are luxuriant things, both difficult and greatly rewarding for choirs. His name is less well known than that of Josquin or Palestrina owing to a confluence of factors: his music presents a rather forbidding wall of sound to the listener, without striking details for the general listener to grab on to, ...
Read More
The music of Nicolas Gombert (accent it like "Dilbert"), from the generation after Josquin in the middle sixteenth century, develops Josquin's language in the direction of greater density. His unaccompanied sacred choral works are luxuriant things, both difficult and greatly rewarding for choirs. His name is less well known than that of Josquin or Palestrina owing to a confluence of factors: his music presents a rather forbidding wall of sound to the listener, without striking details for the general listener to grab on to, and he was a convicted child sexual abuser who did time pulling oars in the fetid galley of a ship. He won a pardon by composing a series of eight Magnificats in the various church modes, the first of which is included on this disc, and in general the Oxford Camerata under Jeremy Summerly offers a good introduction to this composer for anyone who likes unaccompanied choral music. Several motets with grim texts bring out the most distinctive feature of Gombert's style: a tendency...
Read Less
Portions of content provided by Rovi Corporation. © 2024 Rovi Corporation.