Graindelavoix - Björn Schmelzer - The Cult of Mary Magdalene in the early 16th C (2009)

In early 16th-century Catholic Europe the figure of Mary Magdalene was the subject of intense veneration and composers of sacred choral music – and of chansons too – were heavily involved in celebrating the saint. But it appears that the figure of Mary Magdalene then celebrated represented three different women, and following the writing of a controversial treatise by Jacques Lefèvre d’Estaples, the Liège-born musician Nicolas Champion composed a beautiful Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena incorporating a number of different cantus firmi and, apparently, reflecting Lefèvre’s thesis.

Björn Schmelzer of Graindelavoix has ventured into the complex web here of historical information – concerned with religion and art history as much as with music – in order to bring forth a wholly compelling performance of the mass (persuasively embellished), related chansons and Parisian plainchant. Although little-known today, Nicolas Champion was a contemporary of composers such as Josquin Desprez, Pierre de la Rue and Alexander Agricola and this recording marks a significant step forward in his modern-day recognition.