Hyperion Records

The Magnificat quarti toni for four voices by Philippe de Monte is part of a group of eight Magnificat settings (in the eight liturgical tones) which have come down to us in a manuscript of 1602. These works are probably earlier in date than the manuscript, and they may plausibly be linked with the revival of the cult of Mary mentioned above. The texture is often homophonic, with tenor and bass treated in falsobordone. The music generates an atmosphere of intimate mystical clarity.

from notes by Bénédicte Even-Lassmann © 2011
English: Charles Johnston