By Josquin des Prez/Matt Haimovitz | For Cello Quartet | 3′

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From the arranger:

Josquin des Prez likely overlapped with Sandro Botticelli in the artistically flourishing Florence of the late 15th century. In her commission for THE PRIMAVERA PROJECT, Missa Primavera for solo cello, Lisa Bielawa references Josquin’s Missa Hercules Dux Ferrariae in four vocal parts. As a companion piece or standing on its own, this arrangement of the Kyrie from the Missa Hercules strips away the words, adapting the vocal parts to an ensemble of four celli. The cantus firmus anchors the composition; the purity of contour, ambiguity of meter, and symbolism embedded in the independent lines remind us that complex counterpoint was very much alive two centuries before the music of J.S. Bach.

Commission/Dedication: For THE PRIMAVERA PROJECT.
Premiere: Premiered June 6, 2022 at The Cleveland Institute of Music in Mixon Hall during the Aronson Cello Festival (ACF) by Matt Haimovitz, Richard Weiss, Charles Bernard, and, Brian Thornton.
Recording: This work is recorded on the PENTATONE Oxingale Series album PRIMAVERA II the rabbits. Click HERE for streaming options.