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The Sacred Flame - Cambridge Singers   

I'll be honest, my mental image of the Cambridge Singers is of rather heavy handed singing, suitable for John Rutter's jolly carols, but not exactly competition for the Sixteen. However in this collection of Renaissance and Baroque they have proved they can do subtlety too. The Monteverdi pieces bounce along with just enough lightness. There's a wonderful range of the best music here. Gesualdo's O vos omnes, for example, is full of 'he can't do that!' moments - it's electrifying. Buxtehude's chunky and jubilant Magnificat adds a little light relief among the exquisite likes of Victoria and Josquin Desprez... and it runs through neatly through Schütz to the (relatively) trendy 'new' music of Mr Bach.

All in all a great collection.

The Sacred Flame - Cambridge Singers   

I'll be honest, my mental image of the Cambridge Singers is of rather heavy handed singing, suitable for John Rutter's jolly carols, but not exactly competition for the Sixteen. However in this collection of Renaissance and Baroque they have proved they can do subtlety too. The Monteverdi pieces bounce along with just enough lightness. There's a wonderful range of the best music here. Gesualdo's O vos omnes, for example, is full of 'he can't do that!' moments - it's electrifying. Buxtehude's chunky and jubilant Magnificat adds a little light relief among the exquisite likes of Victoria and Josquin Desprez... and it runs through neatly through Schütz to the (relatively) trendy 'new' music of Mr Bach. All in all a great collection.

Gabrielli - Jubilate Deo

Monteverdi - Beatus vir, Christe adoramus te, Cantate domino

Palestrina - Sicut cervus, Exsultate Deo

Anerio - Christus factus est

Gesualdo - O vos omnes

Lassus - Timor et tremor, Ave verum corpus

Sweelinck - Laudate Dominum

Buxtehude - Magnificat

Victoria - Jesu dulcis memoria, O vos omnes

John of Portugal - Crux fidelis

Desprez - Ave Maria

Hassler - Dixit Maria

Schütz - Psalm 100, Selig sind die Toten

J. S. Bach - O Jesu Christ meins Lebens Licht

CDs - Collections

The big advantage of a collection is that you can sample a whole range of composers of the period at one go. It also gives more variety of style and approach. These collections have been specially selected to fit even if you have a number of single-composer CDs. While there will be some overlaps, there are also plenty of gems that make each CD worth owning. See also our separate page of Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis collections.

The Road to Paradise - Gabrieli Consort   

Effortlessly and beautifully sung by the Gabrieli Consort under Paul McCreesh, this is one of the best collections of unaccompanied church music we've ever come across. Not only is pretty well everything here a gem, many of them are relatively unknown, and unlikely to be on other collection CDs. The range is wonderful. There is gorgeous polyphony on the Parsons piece, and though Britten’s Hymn may be  

better known I had forgotten just how hair raising it is until hearing this electrifying performance. Media vita is not one of Sheppard's best, though it does have some of his trademark "wow!" clashes and builds, and at 19 minutes is quite a tour-de-force. The lyrical Richard Rodney Bennett piece has rather King's Singers-y harmonies (none the worse for that), while we shouldn't underrate Tavener's Song for Athene just because it was well known from Diana's funeral. Other pieces of note include the simpler but satisfying Sheppard In Pace, the moving Harris anthem and Holst's ethereal Nunc - topped by a stunning Amen. Altogether, a cracker.

Tallis - Misere nostri, Chant - Jacet granum, clangat pastor, Parsons - Ave Maria, Britten - A Hymn to the Virgin, Byrd - Christe qui lux es et dies, Sheppard - Media vita in morte sumus, Bennett - A Good-Night, Tavener - Song for Athene, Sheppard - In pace in idipsum, Holst - Nunc Dimittis , Harris - Bring us, O Lord God, Howells - Take him, Earth, for cherishing, Chant - In paradisum

Advent at St. Paul's - Choir of St Paul's Cathedral   

Advent tends to get overwhelmed by Christmas, so it's a great time to put off the pressure to dive into Christmas music and hear some of the sublime pieces written for the beginning of the church year. With a good mix from ancient to modern, this CD is a refreshing collection. It's not entirely obvious why all the selections are there - the luscious anonymous Rejoice in the Lord Alway (that used to be ascribed to Redford), for instance. But this is top notch church music all the way. As usual, the acoustic at St Paul's makes more for a rich sound than absolute crispness, and tempos are occasionally a trifle slow, but overall up to an excellent standard.

Anon - Laudes Regiae, Palestrina - Matins responsory, Handl - Ecce concipes, Peerson - Blow out the Trumpet

Lloyd - Drop down, ye heavens, Byrd - Laetentur coeli, Wilby - Echo Carol, Weelkes - Hosanna to the Son of David

Britten - Regis regum rectissimi, Anon - Rejoice in the Lord Alway, Gibbons - This is the record of John

Rutter - Hymn to the Creator of Light, Anon - Angelus ad Virginem, Bruckner - Virga Jesse floruit, Parsons - Ave Maria

Palestrina - Vespers responsory, Trad - O come, o come, Emmanuel, Carter - Toccata on Veni Emmanuel

Byrd Motets in paired settings    

A clever idea that works surprisingly well. Six Byrd motets (Latin anthems) are paired with a motet that uses the same words by a different composer. It's a great way to explore some of Byrd's contemporaries, while discovering afresh just how brilliant Byrd was. You may have the Byrd Ave Verum Corpus, his most famous (and possibly best) motet elsewhere, but it bears having multiple copies. This is an old recording (1965), which means that it's very good value for money, yet still entirely acceptable to the listener.

Byrd - Haec dies, Ave verum Corpus, Miserere mei, O quam gloriosum, Iustorum animae, Tu es Petrus

Palestrina - Haec Dies, Tu es Petrus, Philips - Ave verum Corpus, Gabrieli - Miserere mei, Victoria - O quam gloriosum

Lassus - Iustorum animae

The English Anthem Vol 3 - Choir of St Paul's Cathedral   

There is plenty of worthwhile music here in another collection of English anthems from St Paul's. Although as usual the acoustic does give a slight mushiness to the sound, the choir (or director) seems slightly less inclined than usual to adopt slow tempos, which was a pleasant change. Harwood's opening blockbuster with its long organ opening is an acquired taste, reminiscent of Stanford's B flat Te Deum in its ability to be both chirpy and grandiose. Stanford himself weighs in with the even longer The Lord is my Shepherd, not one of our favourites of his output. These collections tend to be weighted to the Victorian/Edwardian, so it's good to see Tavener's ravishing Hymn to the mother of God, balanced by Walton's equally beautiful piece of the same name. If you like a modern piece, Saxton's At the round earth's imagined corners (the name alone is wonderful) is electrifying. This doesn't mean the older names aren't there, though. Wood classic in Expectans Expectavi is joined by the simple but touching Attwood Come Holy Ghost (soloist isn't brilliant, but is fine). Holst's Turn back, O man, always in danger of sounding plodding, comes across well, and there's a pleasant surprise if you don't know it in Parry's There is an old belief. All in all, a good lucky bag of a CD.  Harwood - O how glorious, Stanford - The Lord is my Shepherd, Tavener - Hymn to the mother of God, Wood - Expectans expectavi

Harris - Faire is the heaven, Attwood - Come Holy Ghost, our souls inspire, S S Wesley - In Exitu Israel, Saxton - At the round earth's imagined corners, Walton - Hymn to the mother of God, Holst - Turn back, O man, Parry - There is an old belief,

Elgar - Give unto the Lord (psalm 29)

The English Anthem Vol 4 - Choir of St Paul's Cathedral   

A collection of solid English anthems which, despite being 4th in the series manages to include such staples as Attwood's Teach me, O Lord (with its infamous 'the way of thy statutes' that usually comes out as 'statues'), Wood's stately O Thou, the Central Orb, Bullock's Give us the wings of faith and Bairstow's Jesu, grant me this I pray. As usual, mixed feelings about the St Paul's choir - very accurate but, the building's acoustics are mushy and they do love to do things slowly.

Matthias - Let the people praise thee, O God, Bairstow - Jesu, Grant me this I pray, Jackson - Alleluia, laudate puer Dominum

Howells - A Hymn for St. Ceclia, Harris - Bring us, O Lord God, Orr - They that put their trust in the Lord, Stanford - Coelos ascendit hodie

Bullock - Give us the wings of faith, Harvey - I love the Lord, Attwood - Teach me, O Lord, Wood - O Thou the central orb

Grier - Let us invoke Christ, Parry - Hear my words, ye people

English Madrigals and Songs - Oxford Camerata   

This is a real oddity for us, because it's not actually church music - but if you thought madrigals were all 'hey nonny, nonny', it will be a hugely pleasant surprise. And if you love church music, you'll love this CD too. This sampler begins with a handful of early tudor songs, including Cornysh's wry number Ah Robin, gentle Robin where the narrator discusses his leman (mistress). The central chunk is a set of 'madrigals from the golden age', ncluding the most fantastic title of any madrigal, Weelkes' magnificently named Thule, the period of Cosmography. To finish off, there are some more modern romantic songs and part songs, beginning with Robert Pearsall (he of the classic arrangement of In Dulci Jubilo we all know from Carols for Choirs) whose semi-pastische Lay a garland remains one of the most stunning unaccompanied choral pieces ever - it's worth buying the CD for this alone - and ending with Stanford's haunting The blue bird. All this for under a fiver (or $8) - you'd be mad not to buy it. Incidentally, the sheet music of 'Lay a garland' is available free from the Choral Public Domain Library. Just enter the name in the search box to find it.

English Renaissance - The King's Singers.   

This is by no means a new recording, dating back a good few years, but it's worth having in your collection if only to counter a certain amount of intellectual snobbery. There have been times in careers of the changing body of men (and occasionally women) that have been The Kings Singers when their rather strained attempts at humour and kitsch arrangements of pop overwhelmed the fact that they have almost always been an excellent group of singers. This sparkling collection of music by two of the masters of the period, Thomas Tallis and William Byrd, shows that the KS can deliver. They give a beautifully polished performance of some of these superb composers' best-known pieces, including Byrd's Ave Verum Corpus and Tallis' Lamentations of Jeremiah. Simply wonderful

Byrd - Haec dies, Beata viscera Maria Virginis, Ave verum Corpus, Vigilate, Viri Galilaei, O Lord, Make Thy Servant Elizabeth, Sing Joyfully, Laudibus in sanctis, Tallis - Te lucis ante terminum, Lamentations of Jeremiah, If ye love me

Exultate Deo - Westminster Cathedral Choir   

Arguably the best wide-ranging sampler available for this period, with the delightfully crisp and seducing sound of the Westminster Cathedral Choir. It's like Who's Who of the period. Classic CD said 'For anyone eager to sample varied music from the Golden Age of polyphony this is a perfect disc' - and who are we to argue?  

Byrd - Ave verum corpus, Civitatis Sancti tui, Haec dies, Tallis - Salvator mundi, O nata lux, In manus tuas, Palestrina - Sicut cervus, Exultate Deo, Philips - Ascendit Deus, Ave verum corpus, Allegri - Miserere, Parsons - Ave Maria, Lotti - Crucifixus, Viadana - Exultate justi

Tye - Omnes gentes, Gabrieli - Jubilate Deo, Monteverdi - Cantate Domino, Victoria - O quam gloriosum

French and German Organ Music  - John Keys

A short CD at around 45 minutes (reflected in the price), but one that organ enthusiasts are liable to want for some infrequently recorded but magnificent pieces. This reviewer is usually involved in choir music rather than organ, so I have to admit to never having heard of Muffat (apparently of Scottish and French descent but regarding himself as German), but his Toccata is quite a revelation. Of course, no one is going to be surprised by Bach's D minor Toccata and Fugue (performed with clinical precision by Nottingham's John Keys), but there are a number of other delights here (Kerll's cuckoo inspired number isn't to our taste, but it is unusual) to make this well worth adding to a collection. An amateur recording (i.e. burned onto CD on a computer), but a very professional performance from Keys. Not available from Amazon, but you can buy the CD direct from us at this page, or buy individual tracks as emailed MP3s or burned to CD here

Kerll - Capriccio "Cucu", J. S. Bach - Toccata & Fugue in D minor BWV 565, J. S. Bach - Kyrie, Gott Vater in Ewigkeit BWV 669

J. S. Bach - Christe, aller Welt Trost BWV 670, J. S. Bach - Kyrie, Gott Heiliger Geist BWV 671,

Mendelssohn - Sonata in C minor Op. 65 No 2, Lefebure-Wely - Sortie in E flat

Great Cathedral Anthems VII - Choir of Chichester Cathedral   

Chichester is a good cathedral choir, and they give an excellent performance in this set of anthems, but whoever chose them needs a bit of a talking to, because frankly some of them are dire. The headline Goss piece, The Wilderness, all nine minutes of it, is sort of overblown, melodramatic piece that gives Victorian music a bad name. There is some good stuff in there though (Ouseley's O Saviour for one and Clarke's Purcellish I will love thee for another) - so check the anthem listing. Actually they appear to have taken the 'great' in the title too literally with 4 anthems over 9 minutes, including the positively monumental O Lord, thou art my God at just under 20 minutes.   

Goss - The Wilderness, Goss - If we so believe, Clarke - I will love Thee, S. S. Wesley O Lord, Thou art my God

Mendelssohn - Say where is he born, There shall a Star, Ouseley - O Saviour of the World. Schubert - Where Thou reignest

S. S. Wesley - The Wilderness, Parry - Sunset

Hail, Gladdening Light - Cambridge Singers 

 Subtitled "music of the English church", this is an excellent and eclectic collection. Like most of the more modern Cambridge Singers recordings it lacks the heavy footedness of their early attempts - clear and well sung. There are too many anthems, motets and more to mention them all but worthy of note are the anonymous (sometimes attributed to Redford) setting of Rejoice in the Lord Alway that knocks spots of Purcell's over-fussy version, Bairstow's darkly moving I sat down under his shadow, the Goss standard These are they that follow the Lamb, a couple of Tavener's shorter pieces (and just to add confusion a Taverner anthem too) and Stone's definitive setting of the Lord's Prayer. A great introduction to church music, but also an excellent addition to a collection with much that doesn't appear elsewhere.

Miserere   

The Allegri Miserere, probably the most famous piece of this period is usually coupled with other well known pieces. This recording has the advantage of including a couple of less-known, but stunning works (okay, the Palestrina is quite popular, but even so...). As usual, the Tallis Scholars give a polished performance. Altogether, it's a great recording, reasonably priced as it dates back to 1980.  

Allegri - Miserere mei Deus, Mundy - Vox patris caelestis, Palestrina - Missa Papae Marcelli

More Sweet to Hear - Choir of Gonville & Caius, Cambridge/Magnus Williamson   

A period piece, subtitled 'organs and voices of Tudor England,' this CD provides a pure illustration of the organ sound expected by Tudor composers using two reconstructed Tudor organs. Voices are provided by the not particularly well known, but fine, choir of Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge. The CD splits into three, starting with early Tudor choral pieces where the organ is the prime interest, then a mixed batch of pure organ and choral secular pieces, followed up by a collection of later Tudor works. The first set, including the opening Burnett Te Deum, are perhaps the least interesting and will probably appeal more to period specialists or organ enthusiasts than choral fans - the fauxbourdons in the Burnett, for instance, give the organ a lot more interesting things to do than the singers. In the second set there are some intriguing organ sounds reminiscent of the conventional instrumental music of the period (the bouncy The trowmppettus for example), and some surprises from the great church musicians of the time, notably Sheppard (if rather boringly non-clashing for this most innovative composer) and Tallis.

In the third section, Byrd and Morley probably provide the most satisfying music from the delicate organ piece Ut re me fa sol la to the more familiar sounds of Teach Me O Lord and the Magnificat from the Second Service. I particularly liked Morley's Out of the Deep, which while rarely unpredictable was an excellent and relatively rarely heard piece. It was only really in this section that the Caius choir could be judged. The sound was good, if a little dull on top - it's odd that having gone to the effort of using period organs, a choir with a very obvious mixed sound was used here. For those used to more modern organs, the instrumental sound is a little thin to begin with, but the CD certainly provides a fascinating insight into the bridge between the early tradition and the church music most of us are familiar with. Recommended.

Ave Virgo Sanctissima: a garland for our lady - Choir of the London Oratory

I’m never quite sure about collections that wander across time because they’re themed on something other than the music - in this case the Virgin Mary. Here we have music from plainsong through to Elgar and Howells, but I have to admit the excellently controlled voices of this choir that I hadn’t heard before makes the mix very attractive. Joan Cererols, by the way, was a 17th century male composer.

O viridissima virga - Hildegard of Bingen, Quasi cedrus - Jacob Handl, Vidi speciosam - Tomas Luis de Victoria, Salve Regina a 6 - Peter Philips, Virgo prudentissima - Gregorian chant, Magnificat primi toni - Palestrina, Ave virgo sanctissima - Francisco Guerrero, Ave Maria - Edward Elgar, Salve Regina - Herbert Howells, Alleluia: Virge Jesse floruit - Gregorian chant, Ego flos campi - Clemens non Papa, Regina caeli a 8 - Joan Cererols, Ave regina caelorum - Joan Cererols, Alleliuia: Assumpta est Maria - Gregorian chant, Dulcissima Maria - Sebastian de Vivanco, O Maria mater gratiae - Giovanni Battista Crivelli, Tota pulchra es Maria - Bruckner, Ave Maria a 8 - Victoria

An Eternal Harmony - the Sixteen  

An unusual collection, combining plainsong and Tudor music with a modern piece (by James Macmillan). In fact, the Macmillan is probably the most striking of the compositions, evoking the same sort of awed 'he can't do that!' response for some of the harmonies that an early composer like Sheppard does. Also includes Carver's 19 part motet, in itself a striking example of bold composing, rivalling Tallis' 40 parter in some of its complexity. A fascinating CD!  

Plainsong: Dum sacrum mysterium, Credo from Mass 'Dum sacrum mysterium' - Robert Carver (c1487-1566), O bone Jesu - James Macmillan, When David heard - Robert Ramsey (d1644), In monte Olivetti - Robert Ramsey (d1644), O vos omnes - Robert Ramsey (d1644), How are the mighty fall'n - Robert Ramsey (d1644), Salve regina - William Cornysh (d 1502), Ave Maria mater Dei - William Cornysh (d 1502), O bone Jesu a 19 - Robert Carver (c1487-1566)