The St Emmeram Codex

Franz Vitzthum (Countertenor)
Klaus Wenk (Tenor)
Gerhard Hölzle (Tenor)
Marcus Schmidl (Bass)
Edzard Burchards (Countertenor)
Christof Hartkopf (Bass)
Léon Berben (Organ)
Stimmwerck (Vocal group performing music from the renaissance period)

Ostönnen, St.Andreas

Contents:

Christi nutu sublimato   Johannes Brassart (c.1405-1455)
Sanctus   Johannes Roullet (c.1435-c.1445)
Agnus Dei   Reginaldus Liebert (c.1425-c.1435)
Virgo rosa   Gilles Binchois (c.1400-c.1460)
Adyen ma tres belle (Buxheim Organ Book)   Gilles Binchois (c.1400-c.1460)
Kyrie eleison   Francesco Landini (c.1325-1397)
Par maintes foys   Johannes Vaillant (c.1360-c.1390)
O Maria virgo davidica - O Maria stella maris   Anonymus
Vierhundert Jare (Buxheim Organ Book)   Oswald von Wolkenstein (c.1376-c.1445)
Crist ist erstanden   Johannes Brassart (c.1405-1455)
Levat autentica   Rudolf Volkhardt von Häringen (c.1395-c.1465)
Sanctus   Peter Schweikl (?-1466)
Verbum bonum   Hermann Edlerawer (c.1395-c.1460)
Cristus surrexit (Buxheim Organ Book)   Anonymus
Supremum est mortalibus   Guillaume Dufay (1397-1474)
Mille bon Jores (Buxheim Organ Book)   Guillaume Dufay (1397-1474)
Tota pulchra es   Arnold de Lantins (?-1432)
Sequitur adhuc semel Dulongesux (Buxheim Organ Book)   Guillaume Dufay (1397-1474)
Aliud esclaphe (Buxheim Organ Book)   Gilles Binchois (c.1400-c.1460)
Quam pulchra es   John Dunstaple (c.1390-1453)
Anima mea liquefacta   Leonel Power (?-1445)
Portigaler (Buxheim Organ Book)   Guillaume Dufay (1397-1474)
En naturarum dominus   Anonymus
Credo   Anonymus
Alle dei filius   Johannes Waring (c.1440-c.1460)
Sanctus   Anonymus
Presulem euphebeatum   Petrus Wilhelmi (c.1400-c.1480)

Playing time: 1:14 (h:m)
Booklet: 36p., English French German
Order Nr. AE 10023
EAN 4026798100230
Product category: SACD
Release date: 18/12/2009

Introduction:

French, German and English vocal music for 4 to 6-voices from the middle of the 15th century, combined with excerpts from the Buxheim Organ Book, recorded on the presumably oldest organ of the world...

The Codex Saint Emmeram is a huge collection of important and popular European compositions (255 works in total) mainly from France, Germany and England, amassed in the middle of the 15th century by Hermann Pötzlinger, a cloister teacher in Regensburg. He was preserved in the Saint Emmeram Abbey in Regensburg, where it has it's name from. Today the collection is kept in the Bavarian State Library and has recently been printed as a facsimile.
The Regensburger Vocal Ensemble Stimmwerck with the countertenor Franz Vizthum, the tenors Klaus Wenk and Gerhard Hölzle as well as the bass Marcus Schmidl has taken care of this collection and has recorded 22 pieces. For the pieces with 5 or 6 voices the singers Christoph Hartkopf and Edzard Burchards joined the group. Academically this production was accompanied by the British musicologists Ian Rumbold and Peter Wright. The recordings took place in the fabulous acoustics of the abbey church of Windberg-Bogen (near Straubing). Besides, the Dutch organist and harpsichordist Léon Berben (already very well introduced with Aeolus) plays the excerpts from the Buxheimer organ book (compositions which also appear in the St Emmeram Codex!) on the Gothic organ in the St Andreas church in Ostönnen (near Soest) which is considered as one of the oldest, maybe even as the oldest preserved organ of the world.
The Codex Saint Emmeram shows the big stylistic variety of the European music from the late Middle Age and gives interesting ideas on the performance practise at that time. Pötzlinger sometimes also attaches liturgical texts to several pieces of secular origin (Kontrafakta). The 36 pages booklet contains all song texts in several translations.
A miraculous musical trip in the late Middle Age and an amazing sound document which comes along of course as an SACD for the lovers of Surround sound.