Glorious Eroticism Vocal music by Lassus - impresses PATRIC STANDFORD '... an impressive recording, beautifully sung ...'

A contemporary of the more widely familiar Palestrina, Rolande de Lassus was by far the more prolific, having written over sixty masses (there are only fifteen by Palestrina) and four settings of the Passion, one to each gospel account. Often the mass of this period was a so-called 'parody' mass -- one which was based on a motet popularly known to the congregations of the time -- rather than the usual plainchant. A large number of Lassus masses are parodies based upon his own motets, and the Missa Surge Propera takes as its starting point a motet that came from his settings from the Song of Solomon: Surge propera amica mea taken from the second book, verse 10: '... Arise, make haste my love, my beautiful one, and come.'/p>

The mass is preceded with three of the motets from the Song of Solomon, and is followed similarly by words that begin the very first book: 'Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth ...'

ROLANDE DE LASSUS

MOTETS

REGIS RECORDS

EARLY MUSIC

POLYPHONY