Tomkins: Cathedral Music

Amazon.com
This generous collection of anthems by Thomas Tomkins shows only a small portion of his vast output in this genre. The quality of the music is consistently very high, reflecting Tomkins's early studies with William Byrd, his respected position as a member of the Chapel Royal, and his long residency at Worcester Cathedral. Fortunately, much of Tomkins's music survives in manuscripts from the composer's time, so questions of authenticity and accuracy are largely nonexistent. Tomkins composed a large quantity of verse anthems, in which solo voices alternate with full choir, accompanied by organ. Since Tomkins was an accomplished organist, many of the organ parts are quite demanding. Several of these appear on this program, interspersed with full choir anthems and a beautiful Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis. The highlight of the disc is a Tomkins's masterpiece--"When David Heard"--whose melodious harmony overwhelmed contemporary listeners and has the same power today. --David Vernier

Tomkins: Cathedral Music,Andrew Wickens,Colin Cartwright,Rory Waters,Simon Rendell,Henry Wickham,John Heighway,Trevor Craddock,John Amner,Thomas Tomkins,Christopher Robinson,Roger Judd,Alan Dodson,David Lowe,James Oxley,Stuart Wright,Hyperion,Choral,Choral Music,Classical,Classical Music,Miscellaneous,Miscellaneous Music,Part Song/Glee/Music for Unaccompanied Voices,Vocal

Average customer rating: Brilliant Recordings A- for effort What can you say?

Psalms of David Complete Choir of St Paul's Cathedral , and Scott Manufacturer: Hyperion UK ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Psalms of David from Kings Choir of Kings College, Cambridge, Vol. 1 Psalms For The Soul Treasures of English Church Music The Oxford Guide to The Book of Common Prayer: A Worldwide Survey Praise to the Lord - Hymns From St. Paul's Cathedral ASIN: B00006GO6J Release Date: 2002-10-08

Amazon.com

This complete 12-disc survey of The Psalms of David from St. Paul's Cathedral is both a remarkable historical record of Anglican chant at its finest and an astonishing musical experience. Contained here are all 150 psalms in their traditional English garb from the 1549 Book of Common Prayer, with revised or entirely new musical settings as published in The New St. Paul's Cathedral Psalter, edited by the choir's musical director John Scott, itself a revision of the 1875 Cathedral Psalter. As such, these recordings represent the very backbone of the Anglican liturgy, but even a casual listener will be in no doubt that they also offer music that is both contemplative and richly varied when removed from its liturgical context.

The art of "pointing"--or setting--psalm texts has been essayed by many English composers, from William Croft through the Wesleys and William Boyce in earlier times to the great flowering in the late 19th century under Stainer and Barnby, with further contributions from Parry, Stanford, Elgar, Howells, and a host of choirmasters and organists, including Sir David Willcocks and John Scott himself. All are represented here. Recorded throughout in the vast acoustic of their cathedral, the St. Paul's choristers enunciate the words precisely, backed by inventive though unobtrusive organ accompaniment. Taken individually, it's possible to isolate moments when the choir seem to drag their feet or fail to give due weight to the words (Psalm 125, "They that put their trust in the Lord," seems far too subdued, for example), and the massive Psalm 119 is awkwardly split across discs 10 and 11, but overall this set is nothing less than a document of invaluable cultural and musical significance. --Mark Walker

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant Recordings.......2007-06-11

In our view the changes in pointing, and excellent selection of chants, give deeper meanings to the Psalms than those achieved in the "standard?" Parish Psalter.

We found great Spirituality and a wonderful sense of Worship whilst listening to this set. This is often sacrificed for brilliance of musical performance in other recordings.

Unfortunately the "St.Paul's Psalter" is not available (June 2007) but we are told that a new print run may happen within 12 months. This would be a most valuable companion to the recordings when and if it becomes available.

A- for effort.......2006-02-23

This grand undertaking deserves high praise, and I'm struck, listening to chant after chant, how much Anglican chant as it used to be until the changes of the 70s was one of the great Victorian contributions to English life and art. For anyone who wants to hear almost the entire repertoire of Anglican chant deployed in singing the whole book of Psalms, this is an unrivalled source. It is wonderful, too, to hear the Coverdale translation: you realize what the churches have lost by abandoning the proper & regular singing of the Psalms. So one is immensely grateful to Hyperion for putting out this recording. It's not perfect, though.

The rhythmic pacing, though a little slow for my taste, is steady and sensitive, the diction clear, and the organ accompaniment superb (Providing an expressive accompaniment to a choir singing in 4-part free rhythm, and improvising descants to the melody at the same time, isn't easy). And of course there's the cavernous acoustic of St. Paul's, very impressive in the more thunderous psalms. Unfortunately, though, the "forward" style favored for the St. Paul's boys produces a sound that's unpleasantly chesty in the lower registers and reedy in the higher ones. The poorly integrated choral sound caused by this kind of voice-production can be downright unpleasant for anyone used to, or trained in, the classic English choral style. In fact, one has to wonder why this choir was chosen for such a huge project: even allowing for the near-universal decline in standards of vocal training for boys in England, better sounds than this can still be heard.

What can you say?.......2003-01-03

I almost hate to criticize this terrific thing. After all, where else can you get all 150 Psalms in a single collection sung by one of the world's great choirs?

How much do I like it? I bought it *twice*. I originally bought all the CDs separately, before they came out with a single boxed set. They were stolen from my car (and, God willing, maybe they converted some poor thief to Anglican Cathedral Music and got him into church). After they were stolen, I immediately bought them again.

One of the great pleasures of life is listening to the Morning and Evening Psalms while driving to and from work, and making listening a regular feature of Morning and Evening Prayer.

So what's the criticism? The sound is a bit muddy, so the words can be rather difficult to understand without reading along (which is a real problem when driving), and personally, I prefer the Psalter from the 1979 BCP instead of the old one, from the Great Bible. But that's unreasonable. They ARE a British choir after all. Those are the only criticisms.

Anyhow, if you have a taste for choral cathedral music, this is genuinely indispensible. St. Paul's has given the world a great blessing.

Average customer rating: Excellent music, secure performances Excellent music, secure performances

Cathedral Music by Thomas Tomkins Windsor Choir of St. George's Chapel , and Christopher Robinson Manufacturer: Hyperion UK ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Glory of St. George's ASIN: B00005QITL Release Date: 2001-11-13

Customer Reviews:

Excellent music, secure performances.......2002-04-17

I would give this five stars, but I think I would save that for something extraordinary, and this isn't. While it wouldn't be the first disc I would add to my collection, this is fine and underrated music. Tomkins is a fine composer, with a very unique style and sometimes great works. Christopher Robinson, now retiring from St. John's College, Cambridge, is a superb musician. Ensemble and phrasing are evident, and musicality bursts out at every moment. The boys have a different sound from his Cambridge boys, more direct and traditional English, and pleasing and effective in this music throughout. The men aren't perhaps as strong as some other top choirs, but the countertenor soloist is marvelous.

If I could say Tomkins reminded me of one composer, it would probably be Tomas Luis de Victoria. The same romanticism and word painting is there in Tomkins music that is so loved in that of the Spanish composer, though Tomkins' music includes many harmonic elements characteristic of the music of Tallis, such as false relations to aid expression.

All in all, this is a fine disc, with some delicious music, ideal for the classical music lover already well versed in the rightly better known music of Tallis, Byrd, Palestrina, Victoria and Josquin des Pres.

Excellent music, secure performances.......2002-04-17

I would give this five stars, but I think I would save that for something extraordinary, and this isn't. While it wouldn't be the first disc I would add to my collection, this is fine and underrated music. Tomkins is a fine composer, with a very unique style and sometimes great works. Christopher Robinson, now retiring from St. John's College, Cambridge, is a superb musician. Ensemble and phrasing are evident, and musicality bursts out at every moment. The boys have a different sound from his Cambridge boys, more direct and traditional English, and pleasing and effective in this music throughout. The men aren't perhaps as strong as some other top choirs, but the countertenor soloist is marvelous.

If I could say Tomkins reminded me of one composer, it would probably be Tomas Luis de Victoria. The same romanticism and word painting is there in Tomkins music that is so loved in that of the Spanish composer, though Tomkins' music includes many harmonic elements characteristic of the music of Tallis, such as false relations to aid expression.

All in all, this is a fine disc, with some delicious music, ideal for the classical music lover already well versed in the rightly better known music of Tallis, Byrd, Palestrina, Victoria and Josquin des Pres.

Average customer rating:

Tomkins: Cathedral Music Manufacturer: Hyperion ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music ASIN: B000002ZLX Release Date: 1993-11-16

Amazon.com

This generous collection of anthems by Thomas Tomkins shows only a small portion of his vast output in this genre. The quality of the music is consistently very high, reflecting Tomkins's early studies with William Byrd, his respected position as a member of the Chapel Royal, and his long residency at Worcester Cathedral. Fortunately, much of Tomkins's music survives in manuscripts from the composer's time, so questions of authenticity and accuracy are largely nonexistent. Tomkins composed a large quantity of verse anthems, in which solo voices alternate with full choir, accompanied by organ. Since Tomkins was an accomplished organist, many of the organ parts are quite demanding. Several of these appear on this program, interspersed with full choir anthems and a beautiful Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis. The highlight of the disc is a Tomkins's masterpiece--"When David Heard"--whose melodious harmony overwhelmed contemporary listeners and has the same power today. --David Vernier

Average customer rating:

The Great Cathedral Anthems, Vol. 12 Manufacturer: Priory Records UK ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Elgar | Elgar, Sir Edward | ( E ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music ASIN: B00005NNIK Release Date: 2001-08-28

Tracks:

1. Great Is The Lord
2. When David Heard That Absolom Was Slain
3. Abide With Me
4. O Hearken Thou
5. When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
6. There Is None That Can Resist Thy Voice
7. My Heart Is Fixed, O God
8. Light Out Of Darkness
9. For The Fallen
10. Sacerdotes Domini
11. O Sing Unto The Lord
12. If Ye Then Be Risen With Christ
13. Turn Back, O Man

Average customer rating:

My Spirit Rejoices Manufacturer: Gothic Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Howells, Herbert | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tallis | Tallis, Thomas | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Magnificats | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music ASIN: B00004T927 Release Date: 2000-06-27

Average customer rating:

Winchester Cathedral Organs Manufacturer: Herald ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Franz Joseph Haydn | Haydn, Franz Joseph | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rutter | Rutter, John | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Saint-Saëns, Camille | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Tone Poems | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B000002GU0 Release Date: 1997-10-07

Tracks:

1. Vars On An Easter Theme
2. A Fancy For Two To Play
3. Son in D
4. Duet For Eliza
5. Fant in f and F, K 596: Adagio
6. Fant in f and F, K 596: Allegro
7. Fant in f and F, K 596: Adagio
8. Sym Musicali No.1, 'La Cremonese'
9. Adagio, WoO 33 No.1
10. Con in B flat: Spiritoso
11. Con in B flat: Allegro
12. Fugue in g, K 401
13. Minuet From 'Eight Pieces For Musical Clocks': No.1 Tempo Di Menuetto
14. Minuet From 'Eight Pieces For Musical Clocks': No.4 Tempo Di Menuetto
15. Minuet From 'Eight Pieces For Musical Clocks': Menuett Allegretto
16. Danse Macabre

Average customer rating:

English Cathedral Classics Manufacturer: Crd ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Boyce | Boyce, William | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Byrd, William | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Gibbons, Orlando | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tallis | Tallis, Thomas | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Taverner | Taverner, John | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Sacred & Religious | Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music ASIN: B00000G5BR Release Date: 1999-01-25

Average customer rating:

Magnificat: Classical Music for Reflection and Meditation Manufacturer: Naxos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Howells, Herbert | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Rheinberger, Joseph | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatinas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Magnificats | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music CDs Under $7 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music ASIN: B000056CFR Release Date: 2001-03-27

Tracks:

1. Magnificat - Mozart
2. Magnificat - Howells
3. Nunc Dimittis - Howells
4. Magnificat - Geoffroy
5. Andante From Organ Sonata No. 1 - Rheinberger
6. Magnificat - Willaert
7. Magnificat - Tomkins
8. Adagio From Organ Sonata No. 2 - Rheinberger
9. Magnificat From Vesperae Solennes de Dominica - Mozart
10. Magnificat In Secondo Tono - Merulo
11. Nagnificat From Vesperae Solennes de Confessore - Mozart

Music Review:

1. Verdi/Strauss: String Quartets
2. Weber: Piano Sonatas 2 & 3
3. William Boyce: Solomon, A Serenata
4. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quartets K458 "The Hunt" & K468 - The Salomon String Quartet
5. 12 Fantasias
6. Bach: Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1-3/Violin Concertos
7. Bach Cantatas: 54; 169; 170
8. Bach, Mendelssohn: Organ Works
9. Bach: The Violin Concertos / Concerto for Violin and Oboe
10. Balletti Correnti Gighe E Sarabande Op 1

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