ANTOINE BRUMEL (c.1460-1512/13)
Earthquake Mass
(Missa Et ecce terrae motus)

01 Il Culto delle Pietre [instr.]
02 KYRIE
03 GLORIA
04 Kleist [instr.]
05 CREDO
06 On the Natural History of Destruction [instr.]
07 SANCTUS
08 BENEDICTUS
09 The Parasite [instr.]
10 AGNUS DEI

Tracks 1, 4, 6 and 9 are compositions
by Manuel Mota

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About this album

For their new album, Graindelavoix and Björn Schmelzer have turned to Antoine Brumel’s amazing 12-voice Missa Et ecce terræ motus, “monstrous and unique”, in Schmelzer’s words. Recorded during their 2023 European tour, the ensemble has added to their regular singers four wind instrument players and, most especially, has invited the Portuguese composer and guitarist Manuel Mota, who provides some intriguing soundscapes which seamlessly blend with the spectacular singing.

Björn Schmelzer: “This mass was unprecedented for Brumel’s time, totally incomparable to what else was being composed. It evokes many later genres and even contemporary styles, as you see when you perform it today. In any case, I am fascinated by musical works that are exceptional in their own time and in that specific sense are essential to a certain historical period. Taking such exceptional works seriously and seeing them as crucial means that you automatically change the existing image of the past, and I am convinced that you also change your own time.”

In the booklet essay, Schmelzer builds on the similarities of Brumel’s composition to Pieter Bruegel’s drawing The Resurrection of Christ, providing yet another fascinating approach to one of the most outstanding and crucial musical creations of the Renaissance.