Below is an audio recording of Victoria’s “Astiterunt reges”, the seventh responsory for Holy Saturday. Victoria’s setting shows the clarity of Renaissance music that makes it so attractive to many. Notice how clear each voice is as it carves out its on path in the four-voice texture. Note also how small melodic shapes are passed [...]

In addition to Paul Crabtree’s Tenebræ Responsories, BCE is performing a half-dozen other works from the extensive Tenebræ repertory. Like most examples in this enormous body of music, they are all in Latin, and NB will explore them in more depth this week. To begin, let’s look at the music that come to us from around [...]