Ensemble Versus

The programme for the refectory of the Augustinian Abbey is not tied to a specific liturgical feast, but presents a substantial selection of Renaissance polyphony that was performed at Old Brno during the tenure of choir directors Křížkovský and Janáček. Compared to the musical output of that time, it represented only a negligible fraction. Especially in the form of various anthologies, a larger number of works by Renaissance composers began to be published in the second half of the 19th century; part of the performing materials from Old Brno has also been preserved in manuscript. Thanks to this, we know that polyphony was performed with the accompaniment of organ, cello or double bass, and more rarely also trombones.

The programme of the chamber choir Versus, which has long specialised in Renaissance polyphony, aims to recall this particular practice of performing old liturgical compositions in a non-liturgical context, making use of colourful shifts from plainchant monody to intricate polyphony, from purely vocal performance to combinations with instruments – all within the framework of the Mass, with Palestrina’s six-voice mass serving as the backbone of the programme.