Mexican Baroque

Not all music of the baroque period was written in Europe — the Spanish and Portuguese colonial expansion of the 15th and 16th centuries led to the establishment of Catholic churches and missions throughout central and south America, and with them came composers and music teachers who both wrote music while in America and taught compositional technique to indigenous musicians. This gorgeous recording focuses on sacred vocal music by Ignacio de Jerúsalem and Manuel de Zumaya, both active in Mexico during the 18th century. The all-male choral ensemble Chanticleer performs with its usual brilliance and panache.