Beauty Farm - Manchicourt Masses

We know little about the biography of Pierre de Manchicourt (around 1510-1564), and recordings of his music are also rare. The vocal ensemble Beauty Farm takes up the cudgels for this Franco-Flemish Renaissance master, who is still only known to a few specialists. The album sheds a representative light on the sacred music of this composer, who was, after all, Kapellmeister to Philip II in Madrid in the last years of his life.

Four masses - including the first recording of the Missa de Domina - show that Manchicourt was one of the grand masters of vocal polyphony.

'For this album, the group consists of three countertenors, two tenors, a baritone and two basses, adding to the richness of texture and the particular sound-world that Manchicourt's music inhabits. Each singer is first-rate, and there is excellent blend.' � Organist's Review