For Emperor & Pope: Music for a Renaissance

The Song Company showcases a range of extraordinary vocal music from the northern European Renaissance, and with their small forces offer intimate and affectionate interpretations of lesser-known repertoire. The 1500s witnessed an unprecedented musical flourishing within the German Empire, the diverse mosaic of medieval traditions providing the perfect breeding ground. This album presents the vocal works that were the jewel in this cultural crown: soaring polyphony composed for the most important chapels and courts of the day, alongside bawdy ballads to entertain in banquet halls and private chambers, blending the high art Flemish school with the sensuous freedom of the Italian style.