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A. Gabrieli: Missa vexilla regis & Motets

Tactus

$21.99 Jan 13, 2015

While during most of the 16th c. vocal polyphonic music had steadily focused on a four-part structure, around the 1570s the number of parts underwent a remarkable increase, particularly in sacred music, all over Italy. A typical example is the Concerti by Giovanni Gabrieli, published 1587, and one of the cornerstone works of the second half of the 16th c. The structure of these pieces is not particularly complex. Their appeal consists chiefly in the pursuit of grandeur, the dynamic play of choral masses, the restless rhythm of the chord sequences and the search for a sound rich in harmonics.

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A. Gabrieli: Missa vexilla regis & Motets
Tactus Jan 2015
CD
$21.99

Canti Gregoriani: Resonet, intonet
Tactus Jan 2003
CD
$21.99

Clementoni: Organ Works & Missa Jubilaris

Tactus

$21.99 Nov 21, 2025

This world premiere recording production was the rediscovery of composer Arturo Clementoni, active in Ascoli Piceno from the first two decades of the 20th century as chapel master and organist. The picture that emerges from the documentation of his activities is that of a person who lived and worked fully in the rich, lively musical humus of his land, and was loved and respected by his fellow citizens, but also esteemed by the great musical personalities of his time. For his activity as a composer he received a great number of awards, for instance the first prize for his Missa Jubilaris at the composition contest proclaimed in 1950 (declared Holy Year by Pope Pius xii) by Carrara of Bergamo, the most important Italian publisher of that period in the field of sacred and liturgical music. The life and work of Arturo Clementoni fit perfectly in the artistic and cultural current of the Cecilian Movement, whose ideals and rules were officially sanctioned by Pope Pius x's Motu proprio "Inter plurimas pastoralis officii sollicitudines", issued on 22 November 1903. The symphonic chorale Cristo risusciti undoubtedly is a peak among Clementoni's works that are known so far, and because of it's quality and breadth deserves to be seriously rediscovered in the context of the great organ literature of the twentieth century in Europe. The Missa Jubilaris is worthy of a special mention because of the spirituality with which it is imbued and because it achieves a successful mixture of an evocation of Gregorian atmospheres, a solid polyphonic framework, and bursts of symphonic-style elan.

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Clementoni: Organ Works & Missa Jubilaris
Tactus Nov 2025
CD
$21.99

Mix & Match

Soror mea, sponsa mea: Il Cantico dei Cantici nei conventi i
Tactus Jan 2005
CD
$21.99

French Orchestral Selections [2 CDs]
Vox Apr 2010
CD
$29.99

French Trios & Quartets / Caecelian Trio
Vox Jan 1994
CD
$35.99

Borkowski: Choral Works

DUX

$10.99 ~~$21.99~~ Save 50% May 27, 2014

"•The present CD brings together for the first time Marian Borkowski’s entire output of a cappella choral compositions in performances by the Polish Chamber Choir Schola Cantorum Gedanensis directed by Jan Łukaszewski. • Mr. Borkowski has written choral music throughout his compositional career but recent years have witnessed his enhanced interest in the genre. Most of his choral pieces fall under the ‘sacred music’ category, being settings of religious texts, either short fragments or single words."

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Borkowski: Choral Works
DUX May 2014
CD
~~$21.99~~ $10.99

Gesualdo: Dolcissima mia vita. Madrigali a cinque voci, Libro quinto (1611) / Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale Gent

PHI

$20.99 Sep 24, 2021

Philippe Herreweghe records his third disc devoted to a controversial figure in the world of music and art in general: Carlo Gesualdo, who had his wife murdered and is suspected of having his son smothered. This time Collegium Vocale Gent performs his fifth book of madrigals (1611), published two years before his death. A collection that even today contributes to the eternal debate: to what extent does art become impregnated with reality, and how can it be appreciated when it emanates from a mind living so close to horror? Here the bold dissonances and sometimes tortured expressiveness that can be perceived in his harmonic language offer food for thought. Can we speak of redemption through art for a murderous composer in the twilight of his life?

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Gesualdo: Dolcissima mia vita. Madrigali a cinque voci, Libro quinto (1611) / Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale Gent
PHI Sep 2021
CD
$20.99

Ein Deutsches Barockrequiem / Meunier, Vox Luminus

Ricercar

$20.99 Apr 14, 2023

Johannes Brahms drew texts from various Biblical sources for his Deutsches Requiem. As we hear in his choral music, he had a passion for polyphony and was inspired by models from the great Lutheran tradition of the late Renaissance and the Baroque. Ricercar and Vox Luminis have explored this early repertoire with the same passion for many years now, although with no less admiration for Brahms's masterpiece. It is no surprise that some of the texts that Brahms chose had already been set by his illustrious predecessors; it simply remained for us to trace a path through these earlier scores, so many meditations on death, and to assemble a very different Deutsches Requiem: one animated by the emotions of the Lutheran Baroque.

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Ein Deutsches Barockrequiem / Meunier, Vox Luminus
Ricercar Apr 2023
CD
$20.99

The Romantic Piano Concerto Vol 1 / Michael Ponti
Vox Jan 1992
CD
$29.99

Schutz: Cantiones Sacrae / Rademann, Dresdner Kammerchor

Carus

$29.99 Jan 29, 2013

SCHÜTZ Cantiones Sacrae , Op. 4 • Hans-Christoph Rademann, cond; Dresdn C Ch • CARUS 83.252 (2 CDs: 108: 31 Text and Translation)

The fifth issue in Rademann’s projected complete works of Heinrich Schütz, this publication of 1625 has already been recorded complete three times. Rudolf Mauersberger used a large choir of men and boys with instrumental ensemble; the Eterna recording was once available on Telefunken LPs but, in a Berlin Classics set of 10 CDs of Schütz’s music, never came for review. Manfred Cordes ( Fanfare 20:5) got a rave review for rendering one voice to a part, unaccompanied except for motets that required continuo. Matteo Messori (30:5) also used one voice to a part with organ continuo throughout. The new version has a vocal ensemble of 18 with continuo.

One might wonder why this collection of Latin-texted motets, written over a period of years (some of them were certainly sung for the Emperor Matthias when he visited Dresden in 1617) is not heard as often as the German-texted Geistliche Chor-Musik of 1648, which has been recorded complete 10 times. In a very informative note here, Oliver Geisler shows that Carl von Winterfeld (1834), Philipp Spitta (1894), Joachim Moser (1936), and most recently Clytus Gottwald have singled out the treasures that are to be discovered here, beginning long before the revival of interest in the greatest German composer of the 17th century. The last-named lamented that 20th-century church music has been modeled on the 1648 book instead of this expressionist music that would have led composers in more adventurous directions. It would seem that the music is more admired than loved. Rademann sets out to make it loved.

To read Cordes’s notes is to imagine that, foreseeing this new recording, he was arguing against it in his insistence on one voice to a part without the “rigid sound” of the organ, but his real reference was to Mauersberger’s pioneering set. Rademann shows how light and flexible his singers can sound in this madrigalian music, and the continuo is so discreet as to fade out of hearing. (Indeed, I cannot hear it at all in at least one piece, “Dulcissime et benignissime Christe.”) I find the two versions equally appealing, appreciating the one I am hearing before switching to the other equally impressive performance. My head tells me that Cordes argues persuasively, but my heart tells me that the warmth of Rademann’s multiple voices is unarguable. These Scriptural texts in Latin are not madrigals, after all.

At least six conductors have assembled partial collections of this music to fit a single disc. The largest was two LPs under Helmut Rilling, both issued here on Musical Heritage Society, probably a projected complete set that was never finished. The most recent, a full CD by Erik van Nevel (15:5), was commendable when the only complete set was Mauersberger’s, but van Nevel never made the rest of the book. It should be noted that I referred in that review to “41 motets;” the correct count is 40, since “Pater noster” is printed twice as the secunda pars of two motets. If you have not discovered the marvels of this book, I urge you to hear Rademann. He promises to give us a commendable complete works.

FANFARE: J. F. Weber

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Schutz: Cantiones Sacrae / Rademann, Dresdner Kammerchor
Carus Jan 2013
CD
$29.99

Vieuxtemps: Voix intimes - Rarities for Violin & Piano / Csikos, Lechardeur

Naxos

$9.99 ~~$19.99~~ Save 50% Feb 09, 2024

This instalment in the Naxos survey of Vieuxtemps’ lesser-known chamber and instrumental works includes more unearthed gems for violin and piano, performed by Vilmos Csikos and Olivier Lechardeur. Among the discoveries is the world premiere recording of the Fantasy for Voice, Violin and Orchestra featuring the young soprano Manon Lamaison in a wordless vocalise.

REVIEW:

In the Fantasia for voice, violin, and orchestra, the voice has the task of wordlessly evoking memories of the composer. The lines of the violin and the voice entwine. This piece can be heard for the first time in a piano reduction instead of the orchestra. Ma marche funèbre and Souvenir d’amitié were also recorded for the first time.

Three young artists have taken on these discoveries and present their results. The soprano Manon Lamaison only appears in the fantasy at the end. Singing solidly, she masters her wordless contribution.

Violinist Vilmos Csikos and pianist Olivier Lechardeur are involved throughout. Csikos positively presents the music in a musical rather than virtuoso manner, whereby the radiant soloistic aura is not difficult for him. However, work titles such as Elegy and Romance also suggest such an approach.

Lechardeur finds his place in the duo as a secure and reliable accompanist. Overall, the impression remains that these rarities of the repertoire are presented here in a passable manner.

-- Pizzicato

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Vieuxtemps: Voix intimes - Rarities for Violin & Piano / Csikos, Lechardeur
Naxos Feb 2024
CD
~~$19.99~~ $9.99

A Choral Tapestry / Voces8
Signum Classics Jan 2012
CD
$19.99

Vespri Concertati della Scuola Bolognese
Tactus Jan 1993
CD
$21.99

Dupre: Vocal Discoveries

MDG

SACD

$24.99 Jul 31, 2026

One of the world's leading experts on Marcel Dupré, Tobias Frank, joins forces with his ensemble Vox ad hoc to reveal a previously undiscovered facet of the French composer: vocal works for soloist or choir, with piano or organ accompaniment or purely a cappella. Until recently, these outstanding pieces had remained quietly overlooked in the archives of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

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Dupre: Vocal Discoveries
MDG Jul 2026
SACD
$24.99

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Bach: Motets, Cantatas, Mass & John Passion / Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale Ghent

PHI

$44.99 Mar 11, 2022

Founded by Philippe Herreweghe at a time when the Baroque revival was still a matter for specialists, Collegium Vocale Gent has been at the heart of the rediscovery of Bach's sacred music. This ten-album set brings together some of his finest sacred vocal works, from a selection of Leipzig cantatas (Gramophone Editor’s Choice, Choc de Classica etc.) to the St John Passion (Gramophone Editor’s Choice, Trophée Radio Classique) by way of the Mass in B minor. Collegium Vocale Gent was one of the first ensembles to use new ideas about baroque performance practice in vocal music. Their authentic, text-oriented and rhetorical approach gave the ensemble the transparent sound with which it would acquire world fame. In recent years, Collegium Vocale Gent has grown organically into an extremely flexible ensemble whose wide repertoire encompasses the full range of different stylistic periods from Renaissance up to contemporary music. Besides its own baroque orchestra, Collegium Vocale Gent works together with several historically informed ensembles, including the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées, Freiburger Barockorchester and Akademie fü r Alte Musik Berlin. It also works with prominent symphony orchestras such as the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Budapest Festival Orchestra and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouworkest. Since 2017 the ensemble runs its own summer festival, Collegium Vocale Crete Senesi, in Tuscany, Italy. Collegium Vocale Gent enjoys the financial support of the Flemish Community and the city of Ghent.

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Bach: Motets, Cantatas, Mass & John Passion / Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale Ghent
PHI Mar 2022
CD
$44.99

CANTI GREGORIANI NICOLAUS
Tactus Jan 2000
CD
$21.99

Giovanni Battista Riccio: Vocem iucunditatis, Sacred and Ins

Dynamic

$18.99 Jan 30, 2026

Giovanni Battista Riccio lived in Venice when the city's music was dominated by illustrious figures such as Monteverdi and Gabrieli. Riccio won aristocratic patrons and his surviving three collections of sacred music, which also contain instrumental compositions, attest to his standing in the city and beyond. His music is flowing and full of variety, not least in the liveliness of motifs, use of binary and triple time, sound painting and employment of echo effects. His Motets setting passages from the Song of Songs, offer unusually expressive and refined depth.

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Giovanni Battista Riccio: Vocem iucunditatis, Sacred and Ins
Dynamic Jan 2026
CD
$18.99

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Claudio Merulo: Toccate D'intavolatura D'organo, Complete Edition

Tactus

$18.99 ~~$37.99~~ Save 50% Jul 08, 2014

Claudio Merulo (1533–1604) enjoyed great renown in his time. +
His famous Toccate expresses most vividly his considerable skill in the practice of intavolare diminuito. + These world premiere recordings present the entire corpus of Merulo’s Toccate: the 9 Toccate contained in the First Book of Toccate d’intavolatvra d’organo (1598), the 10 Toccate contained in the Second Book of Toccate d’intavolatura d’organo (1604) and the 7 manuscript Toccate drawn from the Nuova intavolatura d’organo tedesca.

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Claudio Merulo: Toccate D'intavolatura D'organo, Complete Edition
Tactus Jul 2014
CD
~~$37.99~~ $18.99

POULENC: COMPLETE WORKS FOR A CAPPELLA CHOIR

APARTE

$27.51 Mar 27, 2026

This complete recording of the a cappella choral works of Francis Poulenc marks the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Ensemble Aedes and brings to a close a cycle initiated in 2009. Francis Poulenc's a cappella choral compositions form a unique ensemble, revealing a fragile interiority suffused with profound humanity. For him there was no sense of division between the secular and the sacred in his choral works: he appears to have considered them as a single entity, stemming from the same inspiration. From the Chanson a boire (1922) to the Laudes de saint Antoine de Padoue (1957), all of his compositions show the same fervor, clarity, and depth of feeling.

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POULENC: COMPLETE WORKS FOR A CAPPELLA CHOIR
APARTE Mar 2026
CD
$27.51

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Marcello: 6 Cantate per soprano e continuo

Tactus

$21.99 Oct 24, 2025

Preserved in three different libraries, the Marciana in Venice, the Library of the Naples Conservatory, and the State and University Library in Hamburg, the six cantatas that make up this world-premiere recording were composed by Benedetto Marcello in the early 18th century. These are thus youthful works, quite interesting for the originality of their writing, which helps us understand why their author was so highly regarded during his lifetime - even called the "prince of music" - and also by posterity, as he managed to blend his personal sensibility with lessons drawn from tradition and the influences of a life rich in cultural encounters. The compositional structure of these works - less known than his concertos and theatrical works - follows the traditional format of alternating recitatives and arias. However, this does not prevent the author from experimenting with innovative solutions, particularly in the treatment of the voice. Typical of Marcello's style is a certain inclination toward the bizarre, with the use of harmonies that can sound "estranging," sudden modulations, chromaticism, augmented sixth chords, and the melodic interval of the diminished fourth. In some passages, he even seems to anticipate the models of the "sublime" style theorized in the mid-to late 18th century.

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Marcello: 6 Cantate per soprano e continuo
Tactus Oct 2025
CD
$21.99

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Schutz: Cantiones Sacrae / Magnificat

Linn Records

$29.99 May 10, 2019

Cantiones sacrae is the long-awaited follow up to Magnificat’s critically acclaimed 25th anniversary recording, Scattered Ashes. The Cantiones sacrae is an unusual work that stands quite apart from Schütz’s other published sacred music in both scale and style. The collection comprises forty Latin motets for four voices, plus a figured bass for continuo accompaniment (realized on this recording by lute, violone and organ), which was added later by the composer. The perfectly crafted works are composed in a learned, contrapuntal style rich in dissonance and range of expression. Schütz cleverly mirrors the intensely intimate nature of the texts using a musical language that looks to inward expression rather than to external effect. Schütz takes every opportunity to exploit vocal timbre and technique in the service of word-painting, with the virtuosic vocal lines ranging from a conservative imitative style to the most avant-garde, chromatic style of the Italian madrigal. Magnificat’s performance of the Opus 4 motets reveals Schütz to be a composer with an imagination of extraordinary variety.

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Schutz: Cantiones Sacrae / Magnificat
Linn Records May 2019
CD
$29.99

The Chants Of Transfiguration

Gloriae Dei Cantores

$18.99 Mar 01, 2013

"The singing of these chants by this professional ensemble is wonderful. The sound of the women's voices is particularly striking because of their light and brilliant timbre."
—Loewen, American Record Guide

"The chants are sung by women and men in alternation with occasional octave-singing climaxes. The solo verses are expertly sung. The singing is characteristic of a group that sings chant as a daily service of worship, yet under the influence of Dr. Berry the interpretation leaves nothing lacking that a professional ensemble would bring to the task. This is an unusual presentation that will appeal to many chant enthusiasts."
—J.F. Weber, Fanfare

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The Chants Of Transfiguration
Gloriae Dei Cantores Mar 2013
CD
$18.99

DONA NOBIS PACEM

HYPERION

$18.49 May 12, 2015

Dona Nobis Pacem became a somewhat unexpected hit for Vaughan Williams. A fervently antiwar plea, the work remains to this day one of the composer's most widely performed works. Coupled with it here is the first recording of Stephen Hough's Missa Mirabilis (the title derives from an unfortunate motorway incident), a work which shares with the Vaughan Williams an ability to seem very much greater than the sum of it's parts. Andrew Litton directs the Colorado Symphony and all-star soloists Sarah Fox and Christopher Maltman.

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DONA NOBIS PACEM
HYPERION May 2015
CD
$18.49

Provenzale: Lamenti & Cantatas / Echo Du Danube

CPO

SACD

$18.99 Jul 10, 2015

Founded in 1999 Écho du Danube’s festival and concerts programs often include rediscoveries based on intensive research and library work, an often exciting as well as laborious but important aspect of its musical existence and as the source of new inspiration. The ensemble formations vary from duo or trio to twenty persons or more based on the work requirements. On cpo the ensemble here offers a multifaceted program of spirited and fresh music from 16th-17th c. Neapolitan composers with lavish instrumental resources including the salterio and baroque percussion instruments.

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Provenzale: Lamenti & Cantatas / Echo Du Danube
CPO Jul 2015
SACD
$18.99