“Artful repentance” — Josquin des Prez composed the first major setting of Psalm 51 (Miserere mei, Deus). Its subtle structural details make it worth many repeated listenings. “Bach to basics” — The phrase “Lutheran Mass” may sound like a contradiction in terms. But Luther really liked almost all of the traditional elements of the Mass. Bach wrote four works known as “Lutheran Masses” which get far too little attention. “Bend down thy gracious ear” — A paraphrase by Martin Luther of Psalm 130, set to a haunting melody, is the foundation for powerful choral works constructed by J. S. Bach and Felix Mendelssohn. “Christus Victoriae” — Born in a Spanish…