A fairly random collection of the sacred music of three English composers from the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, each disc of this Harmonia Mundi three-disc set nevertheless has its attractive qualities. In the disc given to two masses and three motets by the celebrated William Byrd, the all-male Chanticleer sings with an austere warmth and an ardent severity that suit the music's stern sincerity. In the disc devoted to nine verse anthems by the far less known Pelham Humfrey, the combined forces of the ...
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A fairly random collection of the sacred music of three English composers from the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, each disc of this Harmonia Mundi three-disc set nevertheless has its attractive qualities. In the disc given to two masses and three motets by the celebrated William Byrd, the all-male Chanticleer sings with an austere warmth and an ardent severity that suit the music's stern sincerity. In the disc devoted to nine verse anthems by the far less known Pelham Humfrey, the combined forces of the Clare College Choir, Cambridge, directed by Timothy Brown, and the instrumental ensemble called Romanesca led by Nicholas McGegan plus five first-class English vocal soloists perform with the kind of dedicated enthusiasm and consummate musicianship that convincingly make the case for the unfamiliar music's greatness. And in the disc dedicated to the morning and evening Second Service plus related consort anthems by the great Orlando Gibbons, the combined forces of the Magdalen College...
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