Secular Hymns

Stile Antico's 2015 release on Harmonia Mundi, A Wondrous Mystery, is a sublime collection of Renaissance choral music for Christmas, presented in a pleasant mix of familiar German carols and a mass, with tracks interspersed for the sake of variety. This makes sense in consideration of the group's broad audience, which may know such popular hymns as Michael Praetorius' Ein Kind geborn in Bethlehem and Es ist ein Ros entsprungen, or Johannes Eccard's Übers Gebirg Maria geht and Vom Himmel hoch, yet be somewhat at a loss with the motet and Missa Pastores quidnam vidistis by Jacobus Clemens non Papa, a composer beloved by early music specialists but not exactly a household name for lay listeners. However, the a cappella performances are consistently beautiful and soothing throughout, and the quietly joyous mood of the music fits the album's title perfectly. The 12-voice choir's blend is well-balanced and transparent, and the ambience of All Hallow's Church, Gospel Oak, London gives an ideal resonance for the group's small size and close miking.

Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, one of the four best-known sons of Johann Sebastian Bach, has gone down in history as the “Bückeburg Bach.” During his years at the court of Count Wilhelm zu Schaumburg-Lippe in Bückeburg he produced a remarkable body of sacred and secular works, including piano concertos, symphonies, cantatas, oratorios, and Passion settings.

This recording presents a reconstruction of the Easter Celebration at St. Mark’s, Venice, around 1600. The Proprium Mass (the part of the mass which is related to the liturgical year) is from the beautiful Gradulae Giunta (Venice, 1572), the Missa Ordinarium (the standard Mass which is always the same) is by Monteverdi, from his Selva Morale e Spirituale.

Inspired by Meister Eckhart, who described the “now” (German: Nun) in the mystical sense as a moment in which the past and future merge together, the ensemble gave itself its name nu:n. On this CD, the three musicians delve into the earliest surviving sources of the music, and give it a new sonic guise of our time. From various concerts, we hear wonderful recordings of secular and sacred hymns, eloquent and sensitive texts, and enchanting melodies informed by profound and virtuoso improvisation.