Reviewed 20 May 2026
The Morales Project moves to CORO and demonstrates the richness to be found in the composer's less-known masses when performing at the original pitch.
In many ways, Cristóbal de Morales had a somewhat remarkable career, becoming the most influential Spanish composer before Victoria and probably the most famous composer in Europe between the death of Josquin in 1521 and the rise of Palestrina and Lassus in the 1550s. Yet we know so little about him and what we do know from surviving documents suggests a life that was restless, with its share of frustration and disappointment. He seems to have had a recurrent illness, which led to gaps in his employment, and whilst admired musically was a difficult character. He left some 22 masses (many from a pair of books published in Rome in 1544), along with magnificats and motets.
Mark Dourish founded the all male ensemble De Profundis in 2011 to perform Renaissance polyphony at the original lower pitch. One of the reasons why this is pertinent to Morales was that he came from the Spanish tradition of using high countertenors on the top line and in fact one of the reasons why Morales was able to travel to Italy was that Spanish singers were popular in the Papal choir with the falsettists reinforcing or supplementing the castratos.
De Profundis, conducted by Eamonn Dougan and Robert Hollingworth recorded two discs of Morales for Hyperion and now the Morales Project is on Coro with the aim to record the complete Masses and Magnificats of Morales. The third disc in the project (the first on Coro) sees Robert Hollingworth conducting De Profundis in Morales two masses based on L’homme armé, the four part and the five part.
Morales's mass in five voices first appeared in an anthology of 1540, and the one in four in his Missarum liber secundus of 1544. The basing of masses on L’homme armé possibly dates back to the Chivalric Order of the Golden Fleece (created by the Dukes of Burgundy and then taken over by the Hapsburg Emperors). There is the hint of a connection in Morales's four part mass as the ornamental 'K' at the beginning of the alto part in the printed edition features a portrait of Emperor Charles V (whose grandmother was the daughter and heiress of the last Duke of Burgundy) as a warrior wearing the imperial crown, plus his motto, ‘Plus ultra’,
Missa L’homme armé a4 is very traditional. The tune is in the Phyrgian mode and presented on the tenor line, which is actually sung by modern baritones. Which brings us to the sound of the choir. This is a modern choir, using modern voices, and we are not talking about any sort of period reconstruction of sound. After all, Morales during his career would have written for choirs of men and boys, all men with falsettists on the top, and the Papal ensemble that used castrati. For this ensemble there is a basis of around 17 singers with different line-ups used depending on the scoring of the particular masses.
The result in the four-part mass is a sense of richness of imagination as Morales varies the textures all within the confines of a 'typical' Renaissance mass. Hollingworth keeps the music flowing, yet there is a clarity of texture at all times. Using falsettists on top provides a very particular sound quality, and they contribute to this with an admirably smooth line. The liveliness of some of the part writing is also admirably captured. As we move through the mass, there is an increase in intensity with the Benedictus and Agnus Dei being most notable, perhaps prefiguring in a way the music of Victoria.
Just to confuse us, Missa L’homme armé a5 is probably earlier than the four-part version but Morales's treatment of the cantus firmus is more varied, often it is presented at different speeds and pitches, scattered over different voices. Kenneth Kreitner in his booklet note suggests that Morales might have been influenced by memories of Peñalosa’s Missa L’homme armé which he would have sung in his youth as a chorister in Seville. With five parts the writing is quite dense and then in the final Agnus Dei, Morales adds a second bass part to create real richness.
The performance here reinforces the bass line with a bajon (an early bassoon) in the Spanish manner and adds organ support. Certainly the opening Kyrie launches us into a richer, darker, more intense world than the four-part mass. Lacking the obvious structure of a tenor cantus firmus, Morales gives us a real sense of poise and sophistication in the writing. The Credo is seriously expansive, lasting over nine minutes then the steady pace of the Sanctus brings out the richness of the writing. The Benedictus features some wonderful flourishes passed around the voices in contrast to the focus of the same movement in the four-part mass. The Agnus Dei is also expansive, each verse taking its time and letting us enjoy the refulgent textures and way the voices circle each other. When Morales introduces another voice the result is not virtuosity but intensification of the sheer richness and darkness.
In between these two, there is the Magnificat secundi toni, one of the settings Morales created when he was in Rome. This is in four parts, though one verse is in three and the final verse expands to six parts. Morales's Magnificat settings are relatively unusual in that he set all verses rather than having them performed alternim. Not that we lose sight of the chant entirely as each verse begins from a single, focused line. The overall effect, with the stopping and starting of verses, is to create a remarkable kaleidescope of textures within the confines set. Hollingworth keeps things moving, and we are able to admire Morales's imaginative manipulation of his material.
L’homme armé (Phyrgian mode)
Cristóbal de Morales (c. 1500 - 1553) - Missa L’homme armé a4
Cristóbal de Morales - Magnificat secundi toni
L’homme armé (Ionian mode)
Cristóbal de Morales - Missa L’homme armé a5
De Profundis
Robert Hollingworth (conductor)
Recorded St Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb, 15-17 April 2024
CORO COR16221 1CD [65:07)
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