In the summer of 2009 Harry van der Kamp and his Gesualdo Consort Amsterdam finished, with the recording of these Cantiones Sacrae, their epic journey...

In the summer of 2009 Harry van der Kamp and his Gesualdo Consort Amsterdam finished, with the recording of these Cantiones Sacrae, their epic journey through the complete vocal oeuvre of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck. All in all, a total of 17 CDs of music had been recorded, giving rise to the publication by Glossa of "Het Sweelinck Monument", a collection of six limited-edition CDbooks, with texts in Dutch and distributed solely in the Netherlands. This is music of the highest quality, whose circulation shouldn't be limited, however, to Sweelinck's home country. For that reason, following the international release of The Secular Vocal Works in 2009 (GCD 922401), and before publishing in 2012 a grand box set containing the 150 Psalms, we are now presenting this double disc set of the five-part motets. Brought together in 1619, the collection Cantiones Sacrae quinque vocum was published in Catholic Antwerp by Petrus Phalesius, the same publisher who a quarter of a century previously had issued the Chansons by the same composer. These are motets which present a special mastery of counterpoint and an uncommon sense of melodic and harmonic refinement. An expertly- nowledgeable article from specialist Pieter Dirksen and a cover design which portrays the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam (the church in which Sweelinck was organist for a large part of his lifeand where he is buried) complete this stimulating release.