Although Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621) is best known today for his keyboard music, it was primarily his vocal works that were published during his lifetime. Perhaps his greatest achievement as a composer was the polyphonic settings of all 153 psalms for four to eight voices based on the French metrical psalter by Clément Marot and Théodore de Bèze. This enormous work was published in four volumes between 1604 and 1621 and is one of the great monuments of Protestant sacred polyphony.

This 3-CD selection from the Psalms is an ideal introduction to it. It is performed by a professional Dutch choir, experts in early music and especially in the Dutch Renaissance style, conducted by a number of famous names, including Paul van Nevel, Philippe Herreweghe, William Christie, Ton Koopman and Peter Philips. The Netherlands Chamber Choir was a pioneer in its field at a time when choirs were still lagging behind instrumental ensembles in developing a modern understanding of how to perform this repertoire with smaller forces, tight intonation, purity of tone and dynamic expressiveness.

The selection illustrates the variety and inventiveness to be found throughout Sweelinck's vocal output. There is a robust polyphony in the Venetian style, an elegantly flowing counterpoint and a straightforward, hymn-like simplicity of gesture. Sweelinck shapes and arranges his original psalm melodies with an imaginative freedom worthy of Bach in his chorale settings. Like Bach, he is a masterful painter of words, whether he is evoking concepts of life and death or down-to-earth images of flora and fauna.

These performances were recorded in churches in Amsterdam and Haarlem in the late 1980s and won critical acclaim for the 'first-class' vocal ensemble and technique when they were first published. This new edition includes full notes on Sweelinck and the psalm settings included.

- Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck was an influential Dutch composer, organist and teacher of the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. Among his most notable works are his psalm settings, which demonstrate his mastery of both vocal and instrumental music. Sweelinck's psalms are based on the Geneva Psalter, a collection of psalm settings originally developed by the Protestant reformers, especially for congregational singing in Reformed churches.

- Sweelinck's versions of the psalms emphasize these simple melodies through complicated polyphonic settings and mix Renaissance counterpoint with elements of the early Baroque. His innovative use of harmony, counterpoint and expressive text setting reflects his ability to build a bridge between the two musical eras. The psalms are remarkable for their emotional depth and variety, capturing the moods of the texts - from joy and praise to lament and supplication.

- These recordings of a selection of the 150 psalms were made in the 1980s and 1990s by the famous Netherlands Chamber Choir under the direction of the most important early music conductors of the time: William Christie, Ton Koopman, Peter Phillips, Jan Boeke, Philippe Herreweghe and Paul van Nevel. The choir is supported by a rich instrumental ensemble.

- Truly legendary recordings of timeless choral treasures from the Netherlands! Originally published by NM Classics.