Del Canto Figurado

Vocal & instrumental music of the Spanish Renaissance

In 16th-century Spain, wind ensembles were active in cathedrals, collegiate churches, and for secular patrons. Much of their music was improvised, yet vocal works dominated, often embellished with diminutions. Del Canto Figurado brings together chansons, madrigals, motets, vihuela solos, and even an excerpt from Cristóbal de Morales’ Missa Mille regretz, performed with Capella Sancta Maria and instrumentalists, capturing the expressive and intricate spirit of the Spanish Renaissance.

Lindoro MPC-123, 2012

Music by Antonio, Hernando en Juan de Cabezón, Josquin Desprez, Francisco Guerrero, Cristóbal de Morales, Enríquez de Valderrábano and others.

“The low instruments and the magnificent, sighing and zooming sound, combined with the beautiful singing of Capella Sancta Maria, evoke a thoughtful face that looks to the horizon in tears, bearing a feeling of loss… yet through the golden musical brocade, we also hear the earthly rumble of a growing beat that tells us: here it happens, here and now.” – Jan Goorissen, Blokfluitist, January 2012