Many Works Many works of the Renaissance have survived only in fragmentary form; the music presented here also comes from a fragmentary source and therefore had to be reconstructed. This process combines detective work with creative (re)composition and is reminiscent of the restoration of damaged paintings, where iconographic rules are used to fill in missing details. Especially with incomplete polyphony, both the context and the genre of the work are crucial for reconstruction. Restorers rely on well-founded assumptions, particularly when dealing with music by important composers.
Of Jakob Obrecht's Missa Scaramella, only the tenor and treble partbooks have survived, making reconstruction necessary. The well-known cantus firmus melody in the tenor facilitated this process, as it forms a central element of the mass. Through the diverse treatment of this melody, the work acquires a varied and engaging character, which would make it one of Obrecht's outstanding masses, were it to survive in its entirety.
Obrecht's motet Mater Patris sensitively highlights Mary's role as Mother of God and Daughter of the Father. Compared to other motets by the composer, its five-part structure makes it less complex, conveying an intimate and reverent atmosphere. The work serves as a musical meditation on profound religious beliefs and demonstrates Obrecht's remarkable expressiveness.
The program concludes with two lively arrangements of the Scaramella melody, as well as other motets related to Philip Weller. Each composition—be it the lighthearted work by Antoine Brumel or the characteristically surprising twists by Alexander Agricola—showcases the stylistic range and technical skill of the composers of that era.