The Schola Cantorum of the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School, despite its traditional-sounding Latinate name, stands a bit apart from other boy choirs of the U.K. It is a large group, with an unusually sizable treble section, but individual voices nevertheless stand out in all sections; the blend is completely different from those of groups of collegiate boy singers. The Schola Cantorum has been around for decades, but the group rarely recorded prior to this loosely organized collection of sacred music. Its distinctive ...
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The Schola Cantorum of the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School, despite its traditional-sounding Latinate name, stands a bit apart from other boy choirs of the U.K. It is a large group, with an unusually sizable treble section, but individual voices nevertheless stand out in all sections; the blend is completely different from those of groups of collegiate boy singers. The Schola Cantorum has been around for decades, but the group rarely recorded prior to this loosely organized collection of sacred music. Its distinctive feature is that the program is organized around the choir's varied functions. The group sings for services like other youth choirs but has also attracted the attention of film producers and has been heard in several hit films: three of those, The Lord of the Rings, Life of Pi, and 1492: Conquest of Paradise, are represented here, and the choir has an especially fresh, innocent sound in these that's quite appealing. Elsewhere, there are choral standards from the Renaissance to the...
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