Dufay’s travels in Italy lasted almost 20 years and brought him to several important positions. This program takes several manuscripts that give evidence of his presence and lets us hear the music of the era. The manuscripts also include music of his contemporaries, so single works of Prepositus Brixiensis, Bartholomeus de Bononia, Bertrandus Ferraguti and Antonio da Cividale are included among the motets and other pieces of Dufay. Bartholomeus and Antonio are represented on an Orlando Consort disc and some earlier Arcana discs, but apart from those pieces there seem to be no recordings of these four composers or any of these works. The motet of Bertrandus is important because it was sung at the election of the bishops of Vicenza in 1409 and 1433, so it is unfortunate that it is played, not sung. The only other instrumental selection is an anonymous dance from the Codex Faenza.

The five singers of this group all play instruments, so only the isorhythmic motet O Sancte Sebastiane and the hymn Exultet caelum laudibus are unaccompanied. The other isorhythmic motets are Supremum est and Vassilissa ergo, along with other motets, songs and a hymn. Although we need more recordings of voices without instruments in this repertoire, this is an excellent example of the alternative performance practice. The notes identify the occasion for which each piece was written, adding to our understanding of the program. JEROME F. WEBER