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Hortus conclusus

Little Garden of Paradise by the Upper Rhenish Master, c. 1410-1420. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

The beauty and sensuality of the Song of Solomon has been a source of inspiration for composers for centuries. Today we'll hear settings by Clemens non Papa, William Billings, John Dunstable, and others. 

  • Leonel Power: Quam pulchra es. Johannes Lupi: Vidi speciosam. Performed by The Orlando Consort. 
  • Melchior Franck: Meine Schwester, liebe Braut. Performed by Erin Headley, soprano, and Tirami Su. 
  • John Dunstable: Quam pulchra es, performed by Lionheart. Clemens non Papa: Ego flos campi. Performed by The Tallis Scholars. Antoine Brumel: Sicut lilium. Performed by The Orlando Consort. William Billings: I am the Rose of Sharon. Performed by His Majestie's Clerkes. 
  • Dieterich Buxtehude: Ich suchte des Nachts, BuxWV 50. Performed by Andreas Karasiak, tenor, and Klaus Mertens, bass, and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra. 
  • Jakob Praetorius: Indica mihi. Hieronymus Praetorius: Surge propera. Michael Praetorius: Nigra sum. Performed by the Balthasar-Neumann Choir and Ensemble, directed by Pablo Heras-Casado. 
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