Comes: Masses, Part 1

Juan Bautista Comes (ca. 1582–1643), famed for his polychoral devotional and liturgical compositions, held positions in Valencia and Lerida. Although he may have written as many as eight masses, this edition presents the extant complete masses by Comes for one, two, and three choirs. These works demonstrate changes in texture, harmony, and borrowed materials, which are representative of both Comes and his Iberian contemporaries. In these masses, Comes handles the pacing, balance, motivic plasticity, and varied sound color deftly and, at times, dramatically.

Misa Exsultet caelum

Misa Iste confessor

Misa qué fértil que es el año

 

Elizabeth Roche, "Massed Choirs," Early Music 28 (May 2000): 296; Grayson Wagstaff, Notes, March 2001