The Clerks' Group - Johannes Ockeghem - Missa De Plus En Plus - 5 Motets (1996)

The Clerks' Group have earned their place in the early music hall of fame chiefly for their recordings of Ockeghem. No other group have been as consistently compelling in this repertory. Unlike the more conventional choirs, the Clerks' Group pay a lot of attention to the local flavor of polyphonic music. When it comes to performing Ockeghem, whose stylistic writing includes many local conventions, the ability to render local details accurately makes the difference between revelatory and mediocre. This disc is a special delight because of the beauty and relative accessibility of Missa De Plus en Plus, which forms the bulk of this recording. De Plus en Plus was one of Ockeghem's earlier masses. It alternates two- and four-part sections, achieving an almost hypnotic tide-like effect. The original De Plus en Plus tune is included for comparison (the tenor line from the original tune became the cantus firmus for the Mass). Of the fillers, Matthaeus Pipelare's Salve Regina is a gem. The final motet, Gaude Maria, is probably not by Ockeghem, but it is worthy to appear alongside the known Ockeghem's works. The group's singing is well-nigh flawless throughout.