A blessed Sunday to one and all!
German composer Hans Leo Hassler was born on this October 26th in 1564, bringing much of the genius and style of Italian renaissance polyphony into his compositions. Although a Protestant (an early one, given his era), much of what he wrote was Catholic, in theme, sympathy and text, including Masses and choral motets. One of the latter was his Dixit Maria, fitting for these latter days of October. This short motet shows the precision of his counterpoint and balance of the four voices:
And, while we’re on the theme of Our Lady, here is another Marian composition by a Protestant, a Unitarian, no less, the Norwegian (but of Scottish descent) Edvard Grieg (1843 – 1907). His setting of the antiphon, Ave Maris Stella, in Romantic style, is beautifully rendered here by the ensemble Voces8:
