This intriguing disc offers what must be one of the European tradition's first examples of collaborative composition. The "Compagnia dei Musici di Roma" mentioned in the title was a group of top Roman composers during the tenure of Pope Gregory XIII (1572-1585). They issued a collection of madrigals with contributions by its individual members, among other works. By this time Palestrina was well established as an exemplary Roman composer, a status he has yet to fully relinquish. His status is demonstrated by the Missa ...
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This intriguing disc offers what must be one of the European tradition's first examples of collaborative composition. The "Compagnia dei Musici di Roma" mentioned in the title was a group of top Roman composers during the tenure of Pope Gregory XIII (1572-1585). They issued a collection of madrigals with contributions by its individual members, among other works. By this time Palestrina was well established as an exemplary Roman composer, a status he has yet to fully relinquish. His status is demonstrated by the Missa Cantantibus Organis recorded here, based on a Palestrina motet. A total of eight composers, including Palestrina himself, were involved, with the Kyrie and Credo each split into three sections and the Gloria into two. The mass is a splendid work, expanding the five voices of Palestrina's model to a thick 12-voice texture, and it has apparently never been recorded before. It's quite a find. The question that may occur to the potential buyer is whether the music by the other composers,...
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