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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. - New 19 July 2007 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. - New 16 February 2000 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.  - New 9 May 2006 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- New 23 April 2004 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 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. - New 2 March 2002   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 - New 16 February 2000, updated 10 June 2004 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?  - New 6 June 2000 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 - New 7 March 2006 Muffat - Toccata duodecima et ultima 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.   New 23 April 2004 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.  New 4 January 2005       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.  - New 16 February 2000 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. - New 5 March 2007   Looking for a particular type of music or a CD with a particular piece on? Drop us an e-mail and we'll try to help. Do let us know also if you can recommend on online resource and we'll add it to our lists. Copyright © Creativity Unleashed Limited 2006 Last update 19 July 2007 THE CHURCH MUSIC SITE Home Anthems CDs Hymns Carols Info Sheet Music Weddings Baptisms Funerals  Hymn Accompaniment CDs

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