Pierre Moulu, Missa Missus est Gabriel & Missa Alma redemptoris mater.

The Brabant Ensemble’s eighth CD ventures further into the nooks and corners of Renaissance repertoire, with the first ever disc devoted to the music of Pierre Moulu (?1484-c1550). Moulu was a cleric at the cathedral of Meaux near Paris, but nothing else is known of his life. However, his five Mass settings circulated around the greatest church choirs of the century, including the Habsburg-Burgundian court and the Sistine Chapel. The CD contains two of these: Missa Missus est Gabriel is based on a motet by Josquin Desprez, while the chant-based Missa Alma redemptoris mater achieved celebrity in its time due to the fact that it can be performed in two versions: either at full length, or in a ‘telescoped’ form omitting most of the rests, so that the polyphony combines in a more compact way. The ‘short’ version is performed complete by The Brabant Ensemble, while the long version is represented by two movements. Also included are the well-known ‘musician motet’ Mater floreat florescat, which lists many of the leading singers and composers of the day in praise of King Francis I of France, and the Compline responsory In pace.

Morales CD Nominated for Classic FM Gramophone Awards 2009

The Brabant Ensemble's CD Cristobal de Morales: Magnificat, Motets, Lamentations is on the shortlist of three for the 2009 Classic FM Gramophone Awards, in the Early Music category. This is the third consecutive nomination for The Brabant Ensemble, following our Crecquillon and Gombert discs in 2007 and 2008 respectively.

Read reviews for this disc »