One hour of browsing through early music, with an accent on Masses. Music from old manuscripts and songbooks: the songbook of Johannes Heer and the Oxford Manuscript.
At the beginning of the 16th century, Johannes Heer studied in Paris and began working on his songbook. The ‘Johannes Heer Son Book Cod. St. Gallen 426’ is the most important work in his music collection of the Abbey Library of St. Gallen.
The Oxford Manuscript (ms. Oxford, Bodleian Library, Canonici misc. 213) is not an elaborately decorated book, but a modest working manuscript without illustrations. Even so, it is an invaluable source for Renaissance music.
Along the way, we’ll listen to some vihuela music from Spanish collections.
Johannes Heer (1489–1553)
From Johannes Heer Song Book, Cod. St. Gallen 426:
- O werder Mund
- On Freud verzer ich mengen Tag
- Erhör mich, lieb
- Ach hulf mich leid
Tetraktys, conducted by Kees Boeke, fiddle and recorder
(CD Johannes Heer Song Book. Et’cetera KTC 1910, 2014)
Luis de Milán (c. 1500–1561)
From El maestro, 1536:
- Tiento
Luys de Narváez (fl. 1530–1550)
From Libros del delphin de musica Nos. 1–6, 1538:
- O gloriosa domina
Christopher Wilson, vihuela
(CD Milan – Narvaez, Music for Vihuela. Naxos 8.553523, 1996)
From the Oxford Manuscript (ms. Oxford, Bodleian Library, Canonici misc. 213):
Gualterius Libert (fl. 1423–1428)
7. Belle Plaisant/Puisque je suis
Guilaume Malbecque (c. 1400–1465)
8. Quant de la belle me parti
Zsuzsi Tóth, soprano; Carlos Mena, countertenor; Tetraktys, conducted by Kees Boeke, fiddle and recorder
(CD De Tristesse de Deuill – de Desplaysance. Et’cetera KTC 1911, 2014)
Additional track:
Johannes Heer?
9. Alia compositio super ein fröhlich Wesen
Tetraktys