diverdi.com
Accent ACC 24235
febrero de 2010
St. Jan de Doper church in Mechelen
Géry de GHERSEM. Missa Ave Virgo
Sanctissima
SSATB
01 - Kyrie [5:18]
02 - Gloria [7:29]
03 - Credo [12:00]
04 - Sanctus [5:36]
05 - Agnus Dei [3:43]
06 - Francisco GUERRERO. Ave Virgo Sanctissima · SSATB [3:58]
Regina coeli
07 - gregorian chant [0:39]
08 - Francisco GUERRERO. SSAATTBB [6:02]
09 - Pieter CORNET. organ & gregoriant chant [11:50]
10 - Philippe ROGIER. SSAT-SATB [2:52]
11 - Peter PHILIPS. SATB-SATB [3:14]
12 - Francisco GUERRERO. Salve Regina SATB [8:15]
Currende
Erik van Nevel
soprano • Sarah Abrams • Marina Smolders
mezzo-soprano • Sabine Lutzeberger • Kerlijne van Nevel
alto • Ann Baptist
countertenor • Rob Cuppens • Bart Uvyn • Gunther Vandeven
tenor • Wouter Bossaer • Gunter Claessens • Lode Somers
• Han Warmelinck
baritone • Joachim Brackx • Erik van Nevel
bass • Paul Mertens • Walter van der Ven
organ • Ben Van Nespen
Géry de Ghersem is an illustrious unknown in the world of
music. Although the Portuguese King John IV, at the beginning of the
seventeenth century, owned more than 280 manuscripts by de Ghersem,
only one complete surviving composition by him is known, his Missa
Ave Virgo Sanctissima. This mass is the main work on the present
CD. The other seven works on this recording, motets by Francisco
Guerrero, Pieter Cornet, Philippe Rogier and Peter Philips are all
connected with de Ghersem and his mass. From Guerrero de Ghersem
borrowed his five-part motet Ave Virgo Sanctissima. The Regina
Coeli and Salve Regina have been chosen thematically, for
all the other motets on this recording carry the same title, and were
anyway composed by musical colleagues of de Ghersem from Spain (Rogier)
or Brussels (Cornet and Philips).
Géry de Ghersem was born in 1573 (1575?) in Tournai, and, for a
short time, was taught by Georges de la Hèle at the Cathedral of
Tournai. In 1582 de la Hèle set out for Madrid. De Ghersem, then
at most eight or nine years old, remained for several years in Tournai.
In 1586, he travelled to Spain with thirteen other Flemish choirboys
aged from seven to twelve, to sing as a cantorcillo in the Capilla
Flamenca at the Madrid court.
In August of the same year, shortly after de Ghersem's arrival in
Madrid, the Kapellmeister de la Hèle died. So the young choirboy
came under the direction of the new Kapellmeister - also Flemish -
Philippe Rogier.
On the 4th December 1593, de Ghersem left the choirboys (the
cantorcillos), possibly because his voice broke (the young men at that
time could retain their soprano voice until they were 18 or even 20!),
and joined the adult singers, the cantors. During his third year as an
adult singer the Kapellmeister Philippe Rogier died (1596). Rogier's
successor was Mateo Romero (Mathieu Rosmarin), who was also Flemish.
Under Romero de Ghersem was appointed Vice-Kapellmeister of the Madrid
court on the 10th October 1598. In this post he had to teach the
choirboys under the direction of the Kapellmeister, and always
accompany them when they went to the castle. He must keep track of the
materials in the possession of the choirboys, and he was responsible
for their welfare. For this work as Vice-Kapellmeister he received 60
maravedis (Spanish coinage at the time) extra, per day! From the
archives it appears that de Ghersem held the post of Vice-Kapellmeister
until 1604. In that year he was given permission to return to the
Netherlands, and he took advantage of the opportunity. It is uncertain
whether this was a result of homesickness or disappointment at not
becoming Kapellmeister when he was almost the same age as Romero. De
Ghersem's name appears again in the accounts of singers in Valladolid
between 1609 and 1630, but it remains unclear whether he actually went
back to Spain in these years.
In the Netherlands he expected a bright future. The Archduke Albrecht
and Isabella had been established as Regents of the Netherlands since
1598. The rulers were commended for their peace-loving policy, their
piety and gentleness and above all for their respect for the arts.
Music, the visual arts and science formed the essence of the culture in
their court. It was a cosmopolitan centre for the arts, of
international renown, and one of the leading centres of culture in
Europe.
In this court de Ghersem was the musical director ("maitre de
musique"). Only the latest research about de Ghersem (Die Musik in
Geschichte und Gegenwart, 2006) uses the word Kapellmeister to
describe his function there. His musical colleagues in Brussels were
Peter Philips, Pieter Cornet and John Bull.
De Ghersem described his "Kapellmeister-ship" for the Archduke as being
a priest-choirmaster. So he had several additional jobs in the Brussels
area. Sources mention his presence in the chapel of St. John the
Baptist in the Waldrudis Church (Mons, 1606), the Cathedral of St.
Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels (1610), as a choirmaster in Tournai
(1614) and in Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg in Brussels (1622).
In the Brussels archives he is referred to as "Chaplain of the Oratory
and Precentor of the Court" during the "Ommegang", one of the most
important annual city festivals of Archduke Albrecht. In one
illustration he himself can be seen at the ceremony. When Albrecht died
in 1621, the peace and prosperity of the Southern Netherlands came to
an end. The heritage of the Archduke reverted to Spain.
De Ghersem wrote his will on the 20th February 1629, and died on the
25th May 1630. He was buried in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Tournai,
before the altar of St. Anna. This final resting place remains intact
today. His epitaph reads: "Monumentum memoriae Venerabilis Viri Domini
Gauceri de Gherssem, Hujus ecclesiae canonici Qui obiit XXV maii
MDCXXX".
De Ghersems seven-part mass (Madrid, 1598), which can be heard on this
CD, is part of a collection of six masses Missae Sex Philippi
Rogerii Atrebatensis sacelli Regii Phonasci Musicae peritissimi, Et
aetatis suae facile Principis Ad Philippum Tertium Hispanarium Regem.
Matriti ex typographia Regia, MDXCVIII. The other five masses are
by Philippe Rogier. In his will, Rogier expressly asks de Ghersem to
publish a collection of five masses, and to dedicate them to Philipp
II. When Philipp II died in September 1598, the masses were dedicated -
a month later in October 1598 - to Philipp III. Whether de Ghersem
added his Missa Ave Virgo Sanctissima to the collection as the
sixth mass on his own authority or at the request of the King is
unclear. The collection was printed by the Fleming Johannes Flandrum,
who was active in the royal court in Spain. Although de Ghersem was
highly regarded, apparently only his Missa Ave Virgo Sanctissima
was printed. The mass is based on the five-part motet with the same
name by Francisco Guerrero.
To complete the picture we mention the works of de Ghersem which are
still known: half of the motet Benedicam Dominum exists, and
from it the full second tenor part; finally, the second bass part of
the eight-part Missa sine nomine (Antwerp, 1642).
After his death, de Ghersem was performed well into the seventeenth
century. During his lifetime the theorist Pietro Cerone commended de
Ghersem for his masses in his El melopeo y maestro (1613).
Johann IV of Portugal was also full of praise for the perfect marriage
between text and music in de Ghersem's compositions. André
Catullius (1652) was among his admirers as well. The Portuguese
theorist Manoel Nunes da Sylva quoted from the Lamentations of de
Ghersem to explain the art of counterpoint (1685).
Francisco Guerrero (1528-1599)
"el más único de su tiempo en el Arte de Música"
("the most unique of his time in the art of music"), said Francisco
Pacheco in 1599 on the occasion of Guerrero' s death. Guerrero was a
pupil of De Morales in Seville cathedral. In 1554 he was employed
there, and, with some interruptions, remained there until his death in
1599. In 1581/82 he travelled to Italy, and in 1589 to the Holy Land
(Damascus, Bethlehem and Jerusalem). He published an adventurous diary,
El Viage de Jerusalem, about this trip. Four important
collections of motets by Guerrero appeared in 1555 (Seville), 1570,
1589 and 1597 (all in Venice). He spent so much money publishing these
works that he was in financial distress. His creditors had him
arrested, but Guerrero was released when his employer, the Bishop of
Seville, paid his debts and bought his freedom.
Guerrero's five-part Ave Virgo Sanctissima (1570) was the
starting point for de Ghersem's mass. This motet contains a unison
canon between the two upper voices. A unison canon is then also the
starting point for each part of the mass. Thus, in the Kyrie, the
second alto imitates the second cantus. In the Christe
eleison the second cantus imitates the first cantus etc.
Only in the four-part Crucifixus in the Credo does de Ghersem
not use a unison canon. Guerrero's motet quotes a Gregorian chant for
the words "Ave Virgo sanctissima". For the word "Salve" he takes
another Gregorian chant, in this case from that of the Salve Regina.
De Ghersem quotes this Salve Regina in the Gloria and
in the second Agnus Dei (recognisable by the falling second,
which immediately rises again). Likewise, the key of E minor, in which
Guerrero composes unusually and continuously on "pretiosa", de Ghersem
makes varied use of in his mass.
The eight-part Regina Coeli (1589) quotes the Gregorian chant
literally at the beginning of each new text phrase in all the voices.
Choir 1 is a high choir (two mezzo and two alto clefs), choir 2 is a
low choir (two tenor and two bass clefs). The customary expressiveness
for the words "laetare" and "alleluia" is achieved by the use of
semiquavers. The regularly repeated "alleluia" is used as a refrain in
this mass.
The Salve Regina (1570) is an alternatim composition,
in which Guerrero has set the even verses polyphonically. It is a
magnificent four-part motet in a very linear style of writing with a
climax on "O clemens, O pia".
Pieter Cornet (c.1570/80-1633)
Pieter Cornet, from Brussels, was born into a musical family, and was
organist of the Sint-Niklaaskerk in Brussels from 1603 to 1606. He then
became organist at the court of Albrecht and Isabella. Only
instrumental music by Cornet has survived. Instrumental works at that
time, however, were often provided with religious titles, like this Regina
Coeli. Cornet was also active as an organ builder and consultant.
In this capacity he advised on the construction of the organ for the
Sint-Rombouts Cathedral in Mechelen.
Philippe Rogier (c.1561-1596)
"Rogier, pride of Flanders, glory and light ... departed this life at
the height of his genius; we have been robbed of our beloved Orpheus",
wrote Lope de Vega in his poem Laurel de Apolo in 1630.
At aged eleven Rogier was taken to Spain as a choirboy by Geert van
Turnhout, Kapellmeister to Philipp II (1572). When the Kapellmeister de
la Hèle died in 1586, Rogier succeeded him in the post. In the
above-mentioned library of Johann IV of Portugal, there were 243 works
by Rogier, including the five masses published de Ghersem in 1598.
Rogier's Regina Coeli (Naples, 1595) is scored for double choir
and explicitly quotes the Gregorian original at the beginning of each
phrase and in every voice. It is a simple work which rejoices on
"alleluia" and "resurrexit".
Peter Philips (1560-1628)
In his youth, Peter Philipps sang as a choirboy in St. Paul's Cathedral
in London. As a committed Catholic, he fled from Anglican England, in
order to remain true to his beliefs, even though Queen Elizabeth I
pleaded for tolerance between Protestants and Catholics. After a detour
via Brussels, he landed first of all in Rome, where he met Giovanni
Pierluigi de Palestrina, among others. He remained there for three
years, and then travelled to Genoa, Madrid and Paris, finally returning
to Brussels and Antwerp. After his trip to the Northern Netherlands in
1597, he got a permanent position as organist to the Chapel of Albrecht
and Isabella (see above - Pieter Cornet was the court organist), where
he came into contact with his compatriot John Bull. Philips was the
godfather of one of Cornet's children, so the two composers became good
friends.
From then on Philips prospered, editions of his music appeared, first
madrigals, then motets. In 1613, in Antwerp, the Phalesius Press
published his collection Cantiones Sacrae octonis vocibus.
Regina Coeli and Salve Regina are two works from this
collection, both composed for double choir. At the beginning of the
seventeenth century Gregorian chant was often still used as a starting
point for religious works. In Regina Coeli Philips initially
uses the Gregorian chant with very long note values, but soon the mood
changes, and the "alleluia" rejoices with fast notes and
counter-rhythms throughout the whole piece. It is written for two
four-part choirs (S, A, T, B). Salve Regina is written for the
same forces, but from the text, and above all from the musical setting,
a very devout character is achieved. Certainly here Philips also used
rather rapid changes of choir and rhythmic accelerations, and thereby
bequeathed a true high point of strict polyphony at the end of the
sixteenth century.
Renate Weytjens
Translation by Christopher Cartwright and Godwin Stewart