At the end of the 1990s, lutenist Jacob Heringman made what was apparently the first album devoted entirely to intabulations -- notated arrangements for plucked stringed instruments -- of Renaissance choral music. The album was quite a success, and the fact that it has taken Heringman two decades to follow it up suggests his deliberate approach to things. As it happens, Inviolata: Josquin des Prez, released in 2020, is worth the wait. It might seem a rather specialized release: intabulations for lute or vihuela are a small ...
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At the end of the 1990s, lutenist Jacob Heringman made what was apparently the first album devoted entirely to intabulations -- notated arrangements for plucked stringed instruments -- of Renaissance choral music. The album was quite a success, and the fact that it has taken Heringman two decades to follow it up suggests his deliberate approach to things. As it happens, Inviolata: Josquin des Prez, released in 2020, is worth the wait. It might seem a rather specialized release: intabulations for lute or vihuela are a small part of the Renaissance universe, to begin with, and Heringman narrows his focus from Josquin's music in general, to specifically pieces with texts devoted to Mary, and it is specialized. The physical release booklet (highly recommended) delves into such questions as to how lutenists thought about the pieces' texts during this first stage of instrumental music. Yet Heringman's playing and program are fascinating even for general listeners. He rightly notes that one virtue of lute...
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