Taverner to Tavener

On this CD:

1. Kyrie for 4 voices "LeRoy"
Composed by John Taverner
Performed by Stephen Farr

2. Pastyme with Good Companye for 3 voices
Composed by King of England Henry VIII
Performed by Stephen Farr

3. Ave Maria for 5 voices
Composed by Robert Parsons
Performed by Stephen Farr

4. Factum est Silentium for 6 voices & continuo
Composed by Richard Dering
Performed by Stephen Farr

5. Hosanna To the Son of David for 6 voices
Composed by Orlando Gibbons
Performed by Stephen Farr

6. Salvator Mundi for chorus
Composed by John Blow
Performed by Stephen Farr

7. Jehova, quam multi sunt, sacred song for tenor, bass, chorus & continuo, Z. 135
Composed by Henry Purcell
Performed by Stephen Farr

8. Lord, Let Me Know Mine End, anthem for chorus
Composed by Maurice Greene
Performed by Stephen Farr

9. How Dear Are Thy Counsels, anthem
Composed by William Crotch
Performed by Stephen Farr

10. A Litany, for chorus ("Drop, Drop Slow Tears")
Composed by William Walton
Performed by Stephen Farr

11. Introit: A Prayer of King Henry VI
Composed by Henry George Ley
Performed by Stephen Farr

12. Love of Love, Light of Light
Composed by William H. Harris
Performed by Stephen Farr

13. The Universe
Composed by Harper
Performed by Stephen Farr

14. Hymn to the Holy Spirit, for chorus
Composed by John Tavener
Performed by Stephen Farr

Tracks:

Rejoice In The Lord
Remember Not, Lord, Our Offences
Come, Let's Rejoice
When David Heard
I Sat Down Under His Shadow
These Are They That Follow The Lamb
Christe Jesu, Pastor Bone
O Beatum Et Sacrosanctum Diem
Nunc Dimittis
O Vos Omnes
Factum Est Silentium
Justorum Animae
Hail, Gladdening Light
A Hymn To The Mother Of God
Hymn For The Dormition Of The Mother Of God
They Are At Rest
A Litany
Nolo Mortem Peccatoris
O Nata Lux
Loving Shephard Of Thy Sheep
The Lord's Prayer
In Manus Tuas
Bring Us, O Lord God

Customer Reviews:

One of the basics, plain and simple........2005-10-17

I can hardly ever seem to find any choral CD anywhere that truly hits the spot, and the reason is clearly that this was one of my very first. Nobody who loves English cathedral music or English choral singing in general should be without this disc, it is a basic. Aside from the approaching the highest possible standards of choral singing and being an exemplar of the stereotypical English choral sound (straight-tone sopranos, not straight-tone EVERYONE, clear and floating tenors, etc.), most of the tracks on this recording are total gems.

Of particular note are the Howells and Vaughan Williams, several of the Renaissance pieces, probably the best rendition of Tavener's Hymn to the Mother of God out there, "A Litany" by Walton, and Harris' "Bring Me, O Lord God" is a stunningly gorgeous end to the CD that will give you chills.

Eternal light.......2005-09-23

Recorded in the Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral, the Cambridge Singers under the direction of John Rutter produced a duo of discs dedicated to Music of the English Church with this title, 'Hail, Gladdening Light', and its companion piece, 'Faire is the Heaven'. The title of this disc derives from modern hymn (Charles Wood, in the early twentieth century) set to a more ancient text - a good example of the pairing of the ancient and the modern, the traditional and the timely.

--Music--
This is all unaccompanied music, sung in a cathedral chapel acoustically suited for such music. There are six Latin motets, set by composers such as Taverner, Howells, Stanford, Vaughan Williams, Philips and Dering. Anthens and Introits include notables Tomkins and Purcell, and lesser-known composers such as Amner, Bairstow and Goss. Hymns span the range from old to modern, including a hymn by John Rutter himself. The disc ends with three prayer settings, including one by the underappreciated John Sheppard, and another from William Harris, whose hymn serves as the title to the companion disc. These anthems and hymns show a powerful range of music, yet show a consistent tone also that makes it rather distinctive of the music of the English church.

The group's power and grace is second to none, particularly when singing this kind of music in a place such as Ely Cathedral, arguably the most natural of settings possible.

--Liner Notes--
The notes for this recording include the titles and words of each anthem or hymn. The notes for each piece also includes brief biographical information of the composer, and unique information about each work, when particular composers are represented more than once. One thing conspicuously missing is any biographical information about John Rutter, or any descriptive information about the Cambridge Singers apart from the most basic of information (only two sentences!).

--John Rutter--
Rutter was born in London and educated at Clare College, Cambridge. This was where his career as a composer, arranger and conductor began. His early work was with groups at King's College Chapel at Cambridge as well as the Bath Choir and Philharmonic Orchestra. He has worked for the BBC providing music for educational series such as 'The Archaeology of the Bible Lands', until in 1979 he began forming the Cambridge Singers, and has continued a remarkable career of performance and recording as their director ever since.

--The Cambridge Singers--
The Cambridge Singers are a mixed choir of voices, many of whom were members of choir of Rutter's college, Clare College, Cambridge. While they specialise in English and Latin liturgical pieces, they have a wide range of recordings that span from modern compositions (including a remarkable requiem by Rutter) to English folk songs of the Middle Ages. Many are former members of the choir of Clare College and other Cambridge collegiate choirs (hence the name, Cambridge Singers). In the quarter-century since the founding, the Cambridge Singers have produced an impressive body of recordings.

As Good As It Gets.......2003-05-27

What a beautiful CD of English sacred music. I can't imagine a more perfect group of musicians than John Rutter and the Cambridge singers to capture the full range of emotional and spiritual expression in these selections. This is as good as sacred music performance gets.

Wonderful!.......1999-05-08

This CD is the most touching and beautiful collection of music from my homeland: it moves me beyond words.

Rutter's Cambridge Singers at their best.......1998-09-12

Spanning the centuries from Tallis to Tavener, this collection is well-chosen and shows off the skills of the choir and its conductor. If you are a devotee of the "straight-tone" choir (as the Cambridge Singers always are), any of their CDs would be delight. However, this one (and a similar one, "Faire is the Heaven") is almost like a good back-rub: leaving you relaxed, invigorated, and wanting more. (Assuming English church music is on your short list of favorite genres.)

Tracks:

Kyrie Le Roy
Pastime With Good Companye
Ave Maria
Factum Est Silentium
Hosanna To The Son Of David
Salvator Mundi
Jehova Quam Multi Sunt Hostes Mei
Lord Let Me Know Mine End
How Dear Are Thy Counsels
A Litany
Prayer Of King Henry VI
Love Of Love, Light Of Light
The Universe
Hymn To The Holy Spirit

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful and unique collection.......2005-10-17

This recording by the Christ Church Cathedral Choir of Oxford is a wonderful collection of music ancient and modern. It constitutes a recital of sorts that brings together pieces from different periods between the time of the founding of King's College and the present time, with composers of the modern era such as Ley, Harris, Harper and Tavener represented.

Some of these composers are well known - Taverner was a leading light of his generation, the time of Cardinal Wolsey and King Henry VIII. Tavener has traced his lineage back to Taverner, and shows both affinity for and distance from his ancestor's work - however, the pieces selected here show more of the affinity, as Tavener's piece 'Hymn to the Holy Spirit' and Taverner's 'Kyrie le Roy' are very complementary of each other in tone. Gibbons and Purcell are also very well known composers from the period; other composers here are lesser known, but have a connection with Christ Church Cathedral or the college (Dering took a degree from there, Blow was a chorister there, etc.)

All of this is sacred music, meant for church and worship. The choir of Christ Church, under the direction of Stephen Darlington, produces a stunning performance, flavoured by centuries of tradition and regular performances at the chapel. The choir still consists of sixteen boys and twelve men, as it has for the most part since the time of Taverner, with the same kind of distribution of voices. The sound is full and magnificent, and some of the best versions of some of these pieces I have in my collection. Darlington became organist and tutor in music at Christ Church, Oxford in 1985. Accompanying the choir in this setting is Stephen Farr on the organ.

This is a superb collection of music from the English choral tradition. It is also a very unique collection in that it is largely tied to the place of Christ Church Cathedral, with all of the pieces being in some ways attached to the place historically.

Spanning the centuries.......2000-10-28

The Tudor composer John Taverner, sometimes hailed as "the father of English church music," was the first director of music at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The twentieth century composer John Tavener lives primarily in Greece and is a member of the Orthodox Church. He claims to be a direct descendant of the Tudor composer (and the portraits on the cover of this CD certainly repay close study...). Five hundred years separate the two, and in those years a vast corpus of sacred choral music has been written. This disc explores a small fraction of that corpus, presenting motets and anthems that have particular connections with Christ Church.

It is in one way a disappointment. The selection appears to be haphazard, featuring plenty of Renaissance works (by such composers as Orlando Gibbons, Robert Parsons and Richard Dering) and a couple of Baroque works (by Purcell and Greene) before skipping forward to the twentieth century and presenting music by Walton, Ley and Harper (it could be argued that the music of William Harris carries overtones of Victorian music, so the nineteenth century is not exactly overlooked). Still, with a total running time of less than 60 minutes, I can't help but feel that more thought could have gone into the programme. And, whilst Andrew Carwood's notes are crisp and informative, it is a pity that only two texts are printed: those who do not know Latin may find it hard to focus upon most of the earlier works in the programme.

Having said that, it is an interesting programme, like a recital of the best in church music that gives equal weight to familiar classics (John Blow's "Salvator mundi" is an example) and less well-known works (including Edward Harper's "The Universe," a flavourful and dissonant Christmas carol based upon two unrelated texts). A particularly arresting addition is the secular song for three voices, "Pastyme with good companye" by King Henry VIII - I wonder how many people, including history students, are aware that this most famous of English monarchs was a gifted composer and performer... Of course, the bookends of the disc - Taverner's "Le Roy Kyrie" and Tavener's "Hymn to the Holy Spirit" - complement each other perfectly, providing a concise and telling glimpse into each composer's style.

Stephen Darlington clearly has no difficulties with choir training: the sound of the Christ Church Choir is unfailingly sharp and robust, and the balance of voices is magnificently achieved (except perhaps in the Tavener setting, which tests the choir's resources by dividing into several parts!). Stephen Farr provides perfunctory accompaniments on chamber organ where needed.

In short, this is a disc that works brilliantly in some ways and poorly in others. I'd recommend it most strongly to those with a serious interest in English choral music; even so, many may not choose to purchase it simply because a number of the items are available in other better-known collections.

Taverner to Tavener.......2000-06-15

If your a Tavener fan this is a good CD to buy. It has that Tavener feel to it. I just think its realy great.