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.
CDs of Wedding Music
See our wedding music page for more information on choosing music for a wedding. We also have a total of three CDs of wedding voluntaries and hymn accompaniments in our Wedding 2 CD set and Organ Miscellany.
In the UK:
- Love Divine: The Complete Guide to Music for a Church Wedding
- World of Wedding Music
- The Complete Wedding Album
- Music for a Civil Wedding - don't be put off by the title: although may not be played by organ, the selection of music is entirely appropriate for a church wedding too
- Music for a Civil Wedding volume 2 - don't be put off by the title: as above, may not be played by organ but the selection of music is entirely appropriate for a church wedding too - in fact this CD has more traditional church wedding music on it than the first one
- Wedding Hymns - Queen's College, Cambridge with a wedding-oriented hymn CD featuring 22 of the most popular hymns for weddings
- A Bride's Guide to Wedding Music - a strange CD in that most of the music on it is very rarely heard at weddings, but would go down well - so worth a listen, but don't expect your local church choir to perform the Bluebird (for instance)
In the US: