English music for a consort of viols presents a unique moment in the slow differentiation of vocal and instrumental genres. Viols played pieces drawn from the repertoire of vocal polyphony. In the Chapel Royal for which the composers represented here worked, such vocal pieces would have been sung unaccompanied. But when the music was performed outside of a church, in England's vigorous amateur musical culture, various things could happen. A singer might take the top line, which tied into stylistic forces already afoot in ...
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English music for a consort of viols presents a unique moment in the slow differentiation of vocal and instrumental genres. Viols played pieces drawn from the repertoire of vocal polyphony. In the Chapel Royal for which the composers represented here worked, such vocal pieces would have been sung unaccompanied. But when the music was performed outside of a church, in England's vigorous amateur musical culture, various things could happen. A singer might take the top line, which tied into stylistic forces already afoot in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, or an all-instrumental performance could be attempted. Furthermore, sacred and secular music might not be sharply differentiated. These options are explored on this attractive British release, which also offers the listener a chance to contrast the styles of the four "Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal": Thomas Tallis, Christopher Tye, William Byrd, and Thomas Tomkins; settings of the "In Nomine" tune by all four composers are included....
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