John Sheppard - Cantate Mass: The Sixteen
Two discs and only 4 of 20 tracks are the Cantate mass - there's also a good range of motets including many of Sheppard's best known pieces, such as the Christmas motet Verbum caro factus est and the beautiful Libera nos. If you need convincing of Sheppard's genius, just listen to the Amen of Jesu salvator saeculi, redemptis - taken individually some of the lines sound positively 20th century in their modernity, and in combination it takes your breath away - it's hard not to say 'he can't do that!' - but he does. Perhaps the only criticism is that the Sixteen underplay the clashes so they aren't quite as shocking as they could be. Even so, probably the best introduction to Sheppard now on the market.
Psalters and chant books
A Manual of Plainsong - quite simply the book to have if you intend to introduce a spot of plainsong, whether it's to give some variety in Lent or Advent or simply because of the hypnotic beauty of plainchant. There are detailed directions on singing the music, plus a good collection of psalms, canticles, litany and communion responses. Recommended.
Want to sing psalms well? Here’s the place to start.
The New Cathedral Psalter Chants (81) - the older version of the compact chant book, based on the St Paul's chants of 1878. This the 'one star' version is only worth going for if you are making up an existing set - the '82' version (red) below is cheaper and has a better range of chants.
The New Cathedral Psalter Chants (81) - the older version of the compact chant book, based on the St Paul's chants of 1878. This the 'one star' version is only worth going for if you are making up an existing set - the '82' version (red) below is cheaper and has a better range of chants.
Various Editions of the Parish Psalter... are available from Amazon.co.uk (often from the Marketplace section). Click here to see the possibilities. Although there are listings on Amazon.com they are mostly very expensive - buy from .co.uk - shipping to the US doesn't cost much more.
The Anglican Psalter - Renamed version of the New St Paul’s Cathedral Psalter. Some settings not suitable for congregations, but an excellent psalter for choirs, with some stunning chants, which is well worth having a copy of.
