Music Before 1800: Cappella Pratensis

Under the direction of Stratton Bull, the eight men of Cappella Pratensis from the Netherlands commemorate the 500th anniversaries of two extraordinary composers’ deaths—Josquin Desprez’s death in 1521, and Jean Mouton’s a year later. The breathtakingly beautiful mass movements, motets, and chansons conceal their intricate complexities to sound seemingly effortless and ethereal. The pieces’ canonic sections often provide a puzzle to be solved when one or more voices are implied but not written out.

“Their singing was impeccably clean, in timbre and balance alike. In repertoire so often thought to be all about the intellectual beauty of counterpoint, they drew out the more vital beauty of melody.” —Chicago Classical Review

The virtual program becomes available on Sunday, April 23, 4 p.m. ET and remains viewable until May 7.