Search - Sebastian de Vivanco, Don Fernando De Las Infantas, Bartolome De Escobedo :: Mortuus Est Philippus Rex: Music For The Life And Death Of The Spanish King

The big drawing card for this recording is the world premiere of Missa Philippus Rex Hispaniae by Spanish Renaissance composer Bartolome de Escobedo. The score for this important Mass, written around the time of Philip II of Spain's coronation in 1559, has remained nearly indecipherable due to severe damage to the only surviving manuscript. In 1997, just prior to the 400th anniversary of the king's death, a published edition of the Mass, which was painstakingly reconstructed by a multitude of ingenious techniques, was produced, and now we can hear it for the first time. In addition to this elaborate work, very much indebted to the style of Josquin, there are several other works dedicated to or otherwise associated with King Philip. While none of these is well-known, each proves an enlightening and worthy treasure, especially the gorgeous motet "Versa est in luctum" by Sebastian de Vivanco. --David Vernier