The Binchois Consort presents a disc which demonstrates the beauty and grandeur of the music performed daily in princely chapels of fifteenth-century England. It illustrates the sheer variety of types of singing, some of it virtuosic in its brilliance. Specifically it offers sacred ceremonial pieces written either for Henry V himself, as King, or to invoke the saintly patron of the House of Lancaster, John of Bridlington, as well as a selection of intricate motets.
Scholarly notes by Philip Weller place this music firmly in its historical context, and the Binchois performances represent the highest standard of early music singing of the present day. Every nuance is considered and each phrase is relished in this immaculately polished disc.
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anon.: |
The Office for St John of Bridlington Asperges me, Domine Missa Quem malignus spiritus Ave regina caelorum Richard Butler (tenor) Gloriosae virginis Christopher Watson (tenor) Ite missa est – Agimus tibi gratias Lucca Choirbook Tota pulchra es Timothy Travers-Brown (countertenor) |
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Cooke, John: |
Alma proles |
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Damett: |
Salvatoris mater / O Georgi Deo care |
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Frye: |
Ave regina coelorum |
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Henry V: |
Gloria |
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Power, L: |
Ave regina cælorum Gloriose virginis |
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Sturgeon: |
Salve mater Domini / Salve templum Domini |