Clemens non Papa
Clemens non Papa’s motets are high Renaissance polyphony at full stretch: Marian devotion in O Maria, vernans rosa, Christmas wonder in the six-voice O magnum mysterium, and the stark grief of Vox in Rama.
These pieces were made for the liturgy and for the long stretch from Nativity to Candlemas, not for seasonal jingles. The writing keeps every line alive inside the weave, so the harmony can lean and clash without the texture turning to mush. Heard beside Josquin, Gombert, Tallis and Palestrina, his motets still sound like serious, moving sacred song: clear, weighty, and built to hold a room.
Compositions by Clemens non Papa appear on
O Rose So Red
Melbourne-based Schola Cantorum, directed by Gary Ekkel, present chants, songs and motets that honour the Virgin Mary across more than a thousand years of sacred repertoire.
Sing Round the Year
Donald Swann gathers eighteen carols and kindred songs of worship and praise, arguing that a carol need not be confined to Christmas. School choirs, organ and his own piano and voice share the programme.