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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Music from the reign of King James I
Westminster Abbey has been the focus of British royal occasions for centuries, and the early seventeenth century saw the most dazzling musicians of the age writing music for the Court in all its various incarnations. This fascinating disc presents a selection of works from the reign of King James I. The most celebrated name on this disc is that of Orlando Gibbons, and some of his most masterly works are presented here including the gloriously contrapuntal O clap your hands and the startlingly original verse anthem See, see, the Word is incarnate, setting an extraordinary text which covers the whole of the liturgical year. The most eloquent and emotionally intense music recorded here was most likely never intended for performance in the Abbey, or any other church, but has a particularly Royal relevance. The laments of King David were set by many composers of this period. These moving texts have no place in the liturgy, being neither part of the Ordinary of Psalms and canticles, nor able to furnish a seasonally appropriate or devotional anthem. Their composition seems therefore to have been a response to the death in November 1612 of the Prince of Wales, Prince Henry. These are courtly laments, in which the composers give voice – and perhaps vied to give voice most eloquently – to the grief of the King (in the settings of David’s lament for his son Absalom) and Prince Charles (in the ‘Jonathan’ pieces, in which the king describes his friend as ‘my brother’). Included is the best known of all the ‘Absalom’ pieces, Tomkins’s When David heard, together with his equally moving ‘Jonathan’ setting, Then David mourned. “Where words and music most happily merge - for instance in Gibbons's Hosanna to the Son of David - the director and his vocalists exude confidence, animating melodic lines gracefully to reach a satisfying climax. In the largely contrapuntal O clap your hands, O'Donnell's deft handling of voices brings a lovely delicacy to the texture.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2011 *** “The laments by Tomkins and Ramsey, and Gibbons's "O Lord, in thy wrath", all sung unaccompanied, are moving in their intensity...this recording should be snapped up by all lovers of the period.” Gramophone Magazine, April 2011 “The hero of the disc is...the Abbey's sub-organist Robert Quinney...Stylish, tastefully registered and crisply delivered [the four Gibbons organ pieces] are in their way true gems...many choirs would envy the tight ensemble, impeccable intonation and crystal-clear diction, not to mention the unfailingly excellent solo voices drawn from the ranks of the choir” International Record Review, March 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | I heard a Voice - The Music of the Golden AgeA stunning selection of anthems from the Tudor Times
“Fatigue seems to haunt this worthy performance. Stephen Cleobury's deliberate tempos tend to dissolve the impact of the text… - and impede any build-up towards cadential climaxes. Fretwork plays elegantly, but response to the text only listlessly.” BBC Music Magazine, November 2007 *** “[Fretwork's] presence is the real strength of this disc. Viol playing had been part of musical education since Henry VIII had engaged a viol consort in 1540, and the choristers at Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral would have all received lessons. So, this disc gives us a far better idea of the sound world of these three composers than is often offered on choral anthem collections.” Charlotte Gardner, bbc.co.uk, 16th October 2007 “…the instrumental pieces… are expertly played by the viol consort Fretwork, which also accompanies the verse anthems. The famous choir sings with full-bodied tone and unfailing precision.” Gramophone Magazine, December 2007 “I would happily sit in King's College Chapel listening to this choir sing for the rest of my days.” The Times | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Thomas Tomkins - The Great Service
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| |  | Cathedral Music by Thomas Tomkins
'One of England's most accomplished and versatile Tudor composers to whose music the Windsor choir does full and pleasing justice' (Organists' Review) | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Thomas Tomkins: Choral and Organ Works
“Much of the music on this excellent recording was composed during Tomkins's final decade, before his death in 1656 in relative obscurity... At all times, the Oxford Camerata, led by Jeremy Summerly, sing with the clarity and purity of voice demanded by the music.” Tarik O' Regan, The Observer, 16th January 2000 | | | (also available to download from $6.00) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Great Cathedral Anthems Vol. 12
“This is a fitting conclusion to a rewarding series” Gramophone Magazine | | | Usually despatched in 8 - 10 working days. |
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| |  | English Madrigals
Bennet: | All creatures now are merry-minded | Byrd: | Though Amaryllis dance in green | Farnaby, G: | Carters, now cast down | Gibbons, O: | Ah, dear heart The Silver Swan | Morley: | Hark! Alleluia Phyllis, I fain would die now | Ramsey, R: | Sleep, fleshy birth | Tomkins: | Woe is me that I am constrained When David Heard Bonus tracks – Anthems & Sacred Madrigals recorded in Salle Church, Norfolk,
on July 18th, 19th and 20th, 1988 Then David mourned Bonus tracks – Anthems & Sacred Madrigals recorded in Salle Church, Norfolk,
on July 18th, 19th and 20th, 1988 Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom Bonus tracks – Anthems & Sacred Madrigals recorded in Salle Church, Norfolk,
on July 18th, 19th and 20th, 1988 Woe is me that I am constrained Bonus tracks – Anthems & Sacred Madrigals recorded in Salle Church, Norfolk,
on July 18th, 19th and 20th, 1988 Be strong and of a good courage Bonus tracks – Anthems & Sacred Madrigals recorded in Salle Church, Norfolk,
on July 18th, 19th and 20th, 1988 O sing unto the Lord a new song Bonus tracks – Anthems & Sacred Madrigals recorded in Salle Church, Norfolk,
on July 18th, 19th and 20th, 1988 O God, the proud are risen against me Bonus tracks – Anthems & Sacred Madrigals recorded in Salle Church, Norfolk,
on July 18th, 19th and 20th, 1988 | Vautor: | Cruel Madame | Weelkes: | Hark All Ye Lovely Saints | Wilbye: | Draw on, sweet night |
“Originally released on the Classics for Pleasure label, the issuing of this CD will mark the first time these tracks have been commercially available for over 20 years. The twelve madrigals presented here were deliberately chosen to show off the scope of the best English madrigal writing around the year 1600. Do I regret not having done more of this repertoire in the intervening years? I would, if there hadn’t been so much first-rate sacred music to explore.” Peter Phillips This unique album, the only recording by The Tallis Scholars of English Madrigals
and their first-ever digital recording, was made in the Great Hall at Deene Park,
Northamptonshire, on April 23rd, 24th and 25th, 1982 “This sole recording of secular music by the Tallis Scholars makes one wish for more. Byrd's 'Though Amaryllis's is very nimble, the graded dynamics in Bennet's 'All Creatures' superb.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2008 ***** | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Great Tudor Anthems
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