The role of Mary as Mother of God has been undiminished since the fifth century in both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. The Council of Ephesus (431) determined that Jesus is both God and man. With this, Mary became the mother not only of the human Jesus, but thus also of God (Theotokos, or "God-bearer"). In the centuries that followed, countless churches and monasteries
… were dedicated to her. Mary also left deep traces in music history, with countless renditions of prayers and hymns such as Ave Maria and Ave maris stella. The Spanish composer Tomás Luis de Victoria had a particular devotion to Mary. Whereas contemporaries often dedicated their works to princes, in 1583 Victoria dedicated a series of motets directly to her. Mary is also omnipresent in his Missa Ave maris stella as the "star of the sea. Victoria based the mass on the Gregorian hymn of the same name, whose opening motif is constantly echoed in the individual movements. In the Osanna of the Sanctus, he even has the tenor sing the original melody. The superbly singing RIAS Chamber Choir combines Victoria's Mass with Marian music by contemporary Francisco Guerrero. Although the CD booklet contains much information about the music and the performers, there is one omission: after all, who is the lutenist who adds a subtle harmonic layer to Guerrero's motets? (JWvR)more
