Pre-Order for shipping w/c 28 September 2026

‘...the finest moments are in the motets from the Song of Songs, which seem to catch Palestrina at his most sensuous … ravishing.’ GRAMOPHONE

Album Description

Palestrina’s Song of Songs is one of the most beautiful and intimate collections of Renaissance sacred music and this album brings together all 29 settings performed by The Sixteen in one place.

The cycle shows Palestrina at his most expressive and human, while still maintaining the balance, purity and clarity of text that he’s famous for. Compared to some of his more formal liturgical works, Palestrina’s Song of Songs have a more sensual and lyrical feel, reflecting the poetic and romantic nature of the text.

Unusually for sacred music the Song of Songs are deeply romantic and sensual, yet Palestrina treats them with spiritual elegance, conveying the emotion through subtle harmonic shifts and melodic shaping.

Artists

The Sixteen
Harry Christophers

Track Listing

CD1
No.1. Osculetur me osculo oris sui
No.2. Trahe me post te
No.3. Nigra sum sed formosa
No.4. Vineam meam non custodivi
No.5. Si ignoras te, O pulchra
No.6. Pulchrae sunt genae tuae
No.7. Fasciculus myrrhae dilectus
No.8. Ecce tu pulcher es, dilecte mi
No.9. Tota pulchra es, amica mea
No.10. Vulnerasti cor meum, soror mea
No.11. Sicut lilium inter spinas
No.12. Introduxit me rex
No.13. Laeva eius sub capite meo
No.14. Vox dilecti mei
No.15. Surge, propera, amica mea

CD2
No.16. Surge, amica mea
No.17. Dilectus meus mihi
No.18. Surgam et circuibo civitatem
No.19. Adiuro vos filiae Hierusalem
No.20. Caput eius aureum optimum
No.21. Dilectus meus descendit
No.22. Pulchra es, amica mea
No.23. Quae est ista, quae progreditur
No.24. Descendi in hortum meum
No.25. Quam pulchri sunt gressus tui
No.26. Duo ubera tua
No.27. Quam pulchra es
No.28. Guttur tuum sicut (previously unreleased)
No.29. Veni, veni dilecte mi (previously unreleased)