Heinrich Isaac, born in Flanders around 1450, was one of the foremost contemporaries of Josquin des Prez. A long time ago, Cappella Pratensis travelled to the Hofkirche in Innsbruck in Isaac’s footsteps to record all the polyphonic music that the composer ever wrote for Easter Sunday. Some of the music comes from Choralis Constantinus, a mighty collection of more than 375 polyphonic motets. In each motet, Isaac cleverly weaves a Gregorian melody into the polyphony. Cappella Pratensis was eager to add its own pieces to the puzzle, braiding sung polyphony and organ music improvised on Gregorian melodies into a marvellous dialogue between the past and present. The organist is Wim Diepenhorst, who gets under the skin, note by note, of Isaac’s collaborator, the organist Paul Hofhaimer.
Program
Selection of motets from Choralis Constantinus by H. Isaac
Performers
Tim Braithwaite, Andrew Hallock, superius | Lior Leibovici, Korneel Van Neste, altus | Peter de Laurentiis, Pieter De Moor, tenor | Máté Bruckner, Marc Busnel, Jonty Coy, Grantley McDonald, bassus | Wim Diepenhorst, organ | Stratton Bull, artistic director