Antonio de Cabezon(1510-1566)
     Selected Works for Organ

CD 1:
Tracks 1-7: Organ of Lerma Parish Church(1617)
Tracks 8-11: Organ in Saragossa's "Patio de la Infanta"(1692)
Tracks 12-16: Organ at San Maurizio Church, Milan(1558)

CD 2:

Tracks 1-8: Organ at Hofkirche-Innsbruck(1558)
Tracks 9-13: Organ at the Main Altar in La Se de Evora(1562)
Tracks 14-19: Organ at Cuidad Rodrigo Cathedral(1727)

Motette 12291(2cd's)
Jose Luis Gonzalez Uriol, Organs
TT 116:03

Antonio de Cabezon was born of a wealthy land owner family; he was also
blind.  With a good musical education behind him, de Cabezon gradually
moved up to the inner royal circle by working for the Empress of Portugal.
This became a springboard for him to be the musician for Prince Philip.
Wherever Prince Philip went, de Cabezon was by his side.  So it was off to
other countries and even an extensive stay in England.  It wouldn't sound
unreasonable to assume that de Cabezon learned much from his counterparts
throughout Europe, but the evidence indicates that de Cabezon's mature
style was already in force before his travelling days ensued.

If you are familiar with the organ music of composers such as Sweelinck,
Scheidemann, Weckmann, or Scheidt, de Cabezon will certainly remind you
of them.  The music clearly reveals that de Cabezon had great influence on
those who followed.  He is one of the master composers of classical music,
and I have no doubt that if he had lived in the high baroque period or
later that his name would be as well-known as a Haydn or Brahms.

I do have one quibble about the music, and it revolves around the issue
of tempo which is one of the prime ways to provide musical contrast.  There
is little of this from de Cabezon as tempos generally span from 'andante to
moderato'.  Of course, de Cabezon was a century too early to take advantage
of the "Stylus Phantasticus".  For this reason alone, I suggest that the
music might be best listened to just a few works at one session.

Everything else about de Cabezon's music is wonderful.  He clearly is
making music for royalty; every work reflects the ceremony of the court.
de Cabezon is a serious man in his music which often is reflective and
melancholy.  Yet, he is never stern; a basic optimism is always an
undercurrent as is a subtle urgency.  The sense of improvisation is strong
and consistent, and de Cabezon is a master of counterpoint and polyphony.

It's no wonder that I am enthralled with de Cabezon's organ works
and this 2-disc set.  Delightful historical organs, majesty, strength,
exceptional lyricism, and a sense of taking a stroll down the emerging
path that culminated with Bach is a thoroughly magical and rewarding
journey.  Perhaps the quality of de Cabezon's music I love the most is its
undercurrents of poignancy; there's much more here than the surface allows.
Continuously, I feel that I'm inside the soul of the composer, witnessing
his deepest feelings and his era.  De Cabezon takes us to distant lands
while simultaneously into the recesses of our spirit.

There are thirty-five works on the two discs with a healthy number
assigned to each of the six organs, and these organs are enticingly sweet
and fantastic.  Sure, there's the occasional sour note, but each of the
instruments lovingly conveys the full measure of de Cabezon's poignant
side *and* the majesty of the royal environment.

Which pieces are the best? That's a good question because each is my
favorite when it's luxuriating throughout my body.  There is one work
which I seem to be coming back to most frequently - the "Prenes Pitie"
which beautifully conveys all of de Cabezon's best qualities:  reflection,
majesty, yearnings, and great diversity within a very tight structure.

Don's Conclusions:  I'm sitting here trying to imagine what a lucky
and astute guy Prince Philip was in being the prime customer of such
outstanding music freshly minted on a daily basis.  We can't have the
Prince's good fortune, but we do have the Motette set to take us back to
this glorious music and its times.  I don't know of any other disc devoted
to de Cabezon's organ music, never mind a 2-disc set.  If you love Bach,
baroque or renaissance music, or simply have an interest in where the great
music you listen to has some of its origins, the time is *now* to dig into
this wonderful set.  It occupies a special spot in my library and gives me
renewed faith in the capacity of humans to transcend their boundaries.

Don Satz
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