De Profundis by Ludwig Senfl
This week's Friday Motet is by Ludwig Senfl, a member of the generation following Josquin. Senfl was a Josquin maniac. Some of you will remember when we did his re-write/expansion of Josquin's Ave Maria (last Friday's motet). That was right around the period when I was becoming a Senfl nut. Since then, we've programmed quite a lot of his music, especially for Circa and Green Mountain Consort (though Bach Choir has had its share, for sure). I prize his sacred music for both its Apollonian nature and for its simultaneous deep emotional and spiritual expression. Kind of like Bach in this respect. Senfl's music draws deeply on Josquin's style, but also has a distinct stamp and character all its own.
Our Motet is the first part of Senfl's setting of the 'De profundis' (Psalm 130), a cri de coeur from the psalmist for help in a darkest hour. This psalm draws out deep responses from composers--its depiction of darkness, its cries for help, and its ultimate expression of faith in the future combine to make a dramatic shape which music can enhance and inscribe upon our hearts. Those of you who know and love Bach's Cantata 131: 'Aus der Tiefe' will recognize it as a powerful example.
I have returned so many times to Senfl's 'De profundis' when in need of what music has to offer us in dark times. Its rising-line opening is unforgettable, and its spinning-out (Josquin-style) of urgent phrase after phrase seems somehow to comfort and console.
This week's Friday Motet is by Ludwig Senfl, a member of the generation following Josquin. Senfl was a Josquin maniac. Some of you will remember when we did his re-write/expansion of Josquin's Ave Maria (last Friday's motet). That was right around the period when I was becoming a Senfl nut. Since then, we've programmed quite a lot of his music, especially for Circa and Green Mountain Consort (though Bach Choir has had its share, for sure). I prize his sacred music for both its Apollonian nature and for its simultaneous deep emotional and spiritual expression. Kind of like Bach in this respect. Senfl's music draws deeply on Josquin's style, but also has a distinct stamp and character all its own.
Our Motet is the first part of Senfl's setting of the 'De profundis' (Psalm 130), a cri de coeur from the psalmist for help in a darkest hour. This psalm draws out deep responses from composers--its depiction of darkness, its cries for help, and its ultimate expression of faith in the future combine to make a dramatic shape which music can enhance and inscribe upon our hearts. Those of you who know and love Bach's Cantata 131: 'Aus der Tiefe' will recognize it as a powerful example.
I have returned so many times to Senfl's 'De profundis' when in need of what music has to offer us in dark times. Its rising-line opening is unforgettable, and its spinning-out (Josquin-style) of urgent phrase after phrase seems somehow to comfort and console.