L.L. Ave Maris Stella by Giullaume Dufay

This piece, "Ave Maris Stella," is Latin for "Hail the star of the Ocean." The music opens with a soloist chanting the nuematic cantus firmus, then the choir enters with an extremely rich and melismatic verse. The harmonies the piece utilizes are absolutely amazing, and there is one tiny section where a sound was created that I never had actually conceptualized to be possible. At this stage in a musician's life, this is obviously rare, but I was surprised by Dufay.

Upon a little research, I wasn't able to get a translation completely from Latin to English, but I believe the term, "Star of the Ocean," is a reference to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

The piece was performed by an ensemble called Pomerium, and directed by Alexander Blachly. Pomerium, which is Latin for "Orchard," was a 14 voiced group founded in New York to perform the music of the Renaissance, and they are particularly acclaimed for their interpretations of Dufay, Gesualdo, and Monteverdi. Blachly is the founder, and is still an extremely active figure in early performance to this day.