La Dissection d'un Homme Armé: Six Masses After a Burgundian Song
There's a 15th-century manuscript in Naples containing an extraordinary cycle of six Masses based on the popular tune "L'homme arme": the first five each use successive lines of the song; only the sixth uses the entire melody. Van Nevel hasn't recorded all six Masses here (that would require three CDs), but he does perform one movement from each. The Huelgas Ensemble's accomplished, musical performance has only one problem: according to Van Nevel's liner notes, the manuscript directs that the "L'homme arme" melody be performed instrumentally, with the rest of the parts taken by singers; in this performance he uses every possible combination of voices and instruments, including the reverse of the prescribed one. That important point aside, this disc is both beautiful and fascinating.--Matthew Westphal