for vocal ensemble Cappella Pratensis from Den Bosch

“Nulli secundus”, second to none, says the famous Dutch philosopher and theologian Desiderius Erasmus about the Franco-Flemish composer Jacob Obrecht, thereby labelling him as one of the greatest composers of his time.

Vocal ensemble Cappella Pratensis presents the monumental Missa Zart from Jacob Obrecht on tour in various cities: a special occasion, as this music has not been performed in the Netherlands before. Jacob Obrecht was one of the most important composers of the Golden Age from the Low Countries. On Sunday, May 10, you can experience his masterpiece in a historical setting in Bergen op Zoom.

This work, described by musicologist Rob Wegman as The Sphinx, is unique within the repertoire – one of the true masterpieces of Franco-Flemish polyphony.

With a duration of nearly an hour, the piece is among the most monumental works of Renaissance polyphony. The popular German sacred song “Maria zart, du edler art”, which appears as a cantus firmus in the tenor, is embellished with endlessly inventive sequences and patterns. It was possibly these examples that prompted the humanist Paolo Cortese to write in 1510 that Obrecht "sowed more masterful sweetness in music, with skilled harmony, than was needed to please the ear."

Eight singers from Cappella Pratensis bring the sounds and sights of Renaissance music to life, gathered around a single choirbook, creating an intense and intimate sound world. The manuscript, which reproduces the densely packed and complex mensural notation of the time, was specially produced for the ensemble by Marc Busnel, master calligrapher and singer within the ensemble.

Inspired by historical performance practices, the singers convey nuances of rhythm and phrasing through various gestures and physical contact, as the notation, unlike in a modern choral score, requires performers to make real-time decisions about matters such as text placement and unnotated accidentals. The result is a creative and flexible approach to performance intrinsically rooted in historical practice.

Prior to the concert, there will be an introduction by artistic director Tim Braithwaite at 2:30 p.m.

Mass Maria, tender can be heard on Sunday 10 May at 3:00 PM in the Sint-Gertrudis Church in Bergen op Zoom (introduction at 2:30 PM).

For more information & tickets see https://cappella-pratensis.weticket.io/missa-maria-zart-bergen-op-zoom.