Music Reviews
Josquin and the Lost Generation
Vox Early Music Ensemble
Review by: Robert Zierolf
Renaissance music is for some an acquired taste, but once acquired it can become
insatiable. There are now several first-rate professional ensembles devoted
exclusively to this repertoire, which was, until the later twentieth century,
largely the province of musicologists.
For the uninitiated, mid-Renaissance composer Josquin des Prez is both a superb
introduction to music of the times, and for those well acquainted with him and
his era a likely favorite. To date, European ensembles have largely had the
corner on this repertoire, so it's good to see a recording by a new ensemble
from the United States present Josquin's music along with some by lesser
known composers of the post- Josquin generation.
Vox Early Music Ensemble offers two secular and one sacred work by Josquin,
and works by Nicholas Gombert and Jean Richafort that pay tribute to the "Prince
of Music," as Josquin was known by his contemporaries and others since.
Performance by this Ann Arbor-based ensemble is not confidently polished when
compared with longer established European counterparts, but the CD and liner
notes with texts make a worthy addition to a Renaissance library.
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Robert Zierolf is Professor of Music Theory and History and Division head of Composition, Musicology, and Theory at the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. He is also a freelance writer on classical music.
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Tuesday, February 09, 2010 
