Why has the choral music of 16th century Dutch composer Jan Sweelinck been so conspicuously ignored by choirs and record companies? Except for a now unavailable series released a few years ago by the Netherlands Chamber Choir, and for two or three recordings of Psalm settings, Sweelinck’s relatively modest but qualitatively impressive output of choral music remains virtually unknown to most audiences and singers. As the greatest of all Dutch composers and one of Europe’s most famous organists, Sweelinck, through his teaching and widely published music, profoundly influenced many of the early 17th century’s young composers and performers. The 37 motets contained in the collection titled Cantiones Sacrae–now available on two discs from Hyperion–are among the most beautiful and skillfully structured choral works of any period. Listeners who love the Latin music of Byrd and Tallis will find themselves right at home. As Richard Marlow’s Trinity College Choir so ably demonstrates, Sweelinck not only was a supreme melodist, but also was a master of imitative counterpoint whose extraordinary harmonic sense and innate understanding of the effects of linear ebb and flow brings each piece to an even higher emotional and artistic level. We are very fortunate that one of the world’s greatest choirs chose to bring this surprisingly fine music to our attention.
