The Ockeghem Deploration Synopsis
The Ockeghem Deploration Synopsis
Nymphes des bois, also known as La Déploration de Johannes Ockeghem, is a lament composed by Josquin des Prez on the occasion of the death of his predecessor Johannes Ockeghem in February 1497.
The piece, based on a poem by Jean Molinet and including the funeral text Requiem Aeternam as a cantus firmus, is in five voices. In the first of its two parts Josquin cleverly mimics the contrapuntal style of Ockeghem. This chanson is one of Josquin's best-known works, and often considered one of the most haunting and moving memorial works ever penned. Wikipedia ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymph...)
All I can say as the composer is that I was so moved by the music in this piece, its phrases and chord structures, and I had to reimagine it in this format for brass, but careful to maintain the original spirit and meaning behind the work.
Link to original vocal work “Nymphes des Bois” by Josquin des Prez
Fendall Hill 2024