The Golden Age of English Polyphony

Giaches de Wert (1536‐1595) was born in Flanders. He became one of the foremost composers of the Golden Age of Renaissance vocal polyphony, together with other illustrious composers: Dufay, Ockeghem, Obrecht, Josquin and Lassus. At an early age he went to Italy, where he became Maestro di Cappella of the Santa Barbara Basilica of Mantua, built by Guglielmo Gonzaga, head of the ruling family who were central in the development of the high cultural climate of Mantua. De Wert’s music is firmly rooted in the stately Franco‐Flemish polyphonic tradition, in which he introduced “Italian” elements expressing the emotional content of the text, such as sadness, sorrow, joy and exaltation. This new recording contains the First Book of Motets, a first recording, sung by one of the foremost Early Music Choirs of The Netherlands, the Collegium Musicum Amsterdam, conducted by Anthony Zielhorst.