The highly regarded Ensemble di Musica Antica del Conservatorio di Vicenza and its musical director Piervito Malusà explore the sacred music of the 16th century Italian composer Ludovico Balbi. The disc features Balbi’s Ecclesiasticae Cantiones, his first important collection of sacred polyphony.

Ludovico Balbi was born in Venice in 1545. In 1565 he had the chance to study in Padua with one of the leading composers of the Venetian school, Costanzo Porta, and it was Porta who helped him to find employment in the city. In his career Balbi published at least eleven collections of sacred works, including the work recorded here, which was published in 1578 by the famous Venetian editor Angelo Gardano.

The Ecclesiasticae Cantiones are twenty-one motets for four-voices based on the Mass proprium texts. On this recording it has been decided to fit each of the seven groups of three motets (one set for each holyday) around instrumental works by Giovanni Gabrieli, Claudio Merulo, Luigi Balbi and Bastian Chilese.

Track Listing:
1. Dominica prima Adventus: Intonazione del I tono (Giovanni Gabrieli)
2. Universi qui te expectant
3. Ad te levavi animam meam
4. Dominus dabit benignitatem
5. Sonata XXI con tre violini (Giovanni Gabrieli)
6. Dominica secunda Adventus: Intonazione dell'XI tono (Giovanni Gabrieli)
7. Ex Sion species decoris eius
8. Deus tu convertens vivificabis nos
9. Ierusalem surge
10. Canzon Trigesimasesta (Claudio Merulo)
11. Dominica tertia Adventus: Intonazione del IX tono (Giovanni Gabrieli)
12. Qui sedes Domine super Cherubin
13. Benedixisti Domine terram tuam
14. Dicite pusillanimes
15. Canzone a 4 (Luigi Balbi)
16. Dominica quarta Adventus: Intonazione del II tono (Giovanni Gabrieli)
17. Prope est Dominus
18. Ave Maria gratia plena
19. Ecce virgo concipiet
20. Canzon prima, La Spiritata (Giovanni Gabrieli)
21. Dominica in Septuagesima: Intonazione del XII tono (Giovanni Gabrieli)
22. De profundis clamavi
23. Bonum est confiteri Domino
24. Illumina faciem tuam
25. Canzon Vigesimaseconda, a 5 (Bastian Chilese)
26. Dominica in Sexagesima: Intonazione dell'VIII tono (Giovanni Gabrieli)
27. Commovisti Domine terram
28. Perfice gressus meos
29. Introibo ad altare Dei
30. Canzon XII (Giovanni Gabrieli)
31. Dominica in Quinquagesima: Intonazione del II tono (Giovanni Gabrieli)
32. Iubilate Deo omnis terra
33. Intonazione del X tono (Giovanni Gabrieli)
34. Benedictus es Domine
35. Manducaverunt et saturati sunt