The concert will take you on an exciting musical journey through time to the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales, the monastery founded by Joan of Spain in 1559 and located in the heart of Madrid. Let us experience together how – inspired by the richness of the music library as well as the archival sources of the monastery – a solemn service for the feast of Pentecost may have sounded in this place at the turn of the 17th century.
The Missa dum complerentur is based on a motet of the same name by Tomás Luis de Victoria (ca. 1548-1611), published in 1572 (Motecta, Venice 1572). While the motet was composed for five voices and with double cantus, the mass is composed for six voices and doubles the alto and tenor.
The Ordinary of the Missa dum complerentur is supplemented today by the Pentecost Proprium. Parts of the propers are sung in canto llano, others are replaced by organ works from the Obras de Musica (Madrid 1570) by Antonio de Cabezón (1510-1566). The highlight of the organ contributions is the richly diminished intavolation of the six-part motet Ave Maria Josquin. It is heard at the liturgical passage of the Pater noster, i.e. the text that forms the first part of this composition, but unfortunately was not intavolled by Cabezón.
Victoria’s composition of the Ordinary of the Mass will be sung from the choir book: All twelve singers and the two players of bajon and corneta will gather around a book and from it the separately written voices will awaken to a common sound. The motet and the hymn Veni Sancte Spiritus, on the other hand, will be sung from part books. We will perform the eight-part composition of the hymn in such a way that the first chorus will be taken over by the singers; the second chorus will be played by the organ, while one of the singers will venture an improvisation from the tenor voice, but certainly beyond it. Improvisation will also be used to render certain moments of the canto llano.
All these practices are historically documented and serve to decorate special festivities. In the case of our performance, the different approaches to the music help us to seek a balance between unitas and varietas and – based on this – to create a very special evening for you. The end (Ite missa est) we hope – in the strictest sense of the word – to be able to share with you: Let us be surprised!
– Juan Díaz de Corcuera, Carlos Federico Sepúlveda, Markus Schwenkreis