Byrd - Assumpta est Maria
Despatch Information
This despatch estimate is based on information from both our own stock and the UK supplier's stock.
If ordering multiple items, we will aim to send everything together so the longest despatch estimate will apply to the complete order.
If you would rather receive certain items more quickly, please place them on a separate order.
If any unexpected delays occur, we will keep you informed of progress via email and not allow other items on the order to be held up.
If you would prefer to receive everything together regardless of any delay, please let us know via email.
Pre-orders will be despatched as close as possible to the release date.
Label: Hyperion
Cat No: CDA67675
Format: CD
Number of Discs: 1
Genre: Vocal/Choral
Release Date: 1st September 2009
Contents
Works
Assumpta est MariaAve Maria
Ave maris stella
Beata Viscera
Beata es, Virgo Maria
Benedicta et venerabilis
Ecce Virgo concipiet
Felix es, sacra Virgo
Gaudeamus omnes
Memento, salutis auctor
O gloriosa Domina
Optimam partem elegit
Propter veritatem et mansuetudinem
Quem terra, pontus, aethera
Salve Regina (antiphon for 4 voices)
Salve sancta parens
Salve sola Dei genetrix
Vultum tuum
Artists
Cardinall’s MusickConductor
Andrew CarwoodWorks
Assumpta est MariaAve Maria
Ave maris stella
Beata Viscera
Beata es, Virgo Maria
Benedicta et venerabilis
Ecce Virgo concipiet
Felix es, sacra Virgo
Gaudeamus omnes
Memento, salutis auctor
O gloriosa Domina
Optimam partem elegit
Propter veritatem et mansuetudinem
Quem terra, pontus, aethera
Salve Regina (antiphon for 4 voices)
Salve sancta parens
Salve sola Dei genetrix
Vultum tuum
Artists
Cardinall’s MusickConductor
Andrew CarwoodAbout
In this latest volume from The Cardinall’s Musick acclaimed Byrd series, the composer’s overtly Catholic agenda is clearly displayed. In an age when censorship was rife and spies were everywhere, it is not surprising that possession of the first volume of Gradualia should have been cited as one of the reasons for the arrest of a Jesuit priest called de Noiriche (although obviously the spies had other more compelling evidence to hand). Only one set of the 1605 partbooks remains intact, although they have had their introductory material removed and perhaps these volumes were considered too dangerous to own. This fear, whether real or perceived, was not enough to dissuade Byrd and his publisher from producing a second book of Gradualia in 1607, or from re-printing both volumes in 1610.
All of the music on this disc is drawn from the first volume of Gradualia published in 1605. The music is a world away from the dark broodings of the Cantiones Sacrae from 1589 and 1591 where Byrd is preoccupied with the melancholy which dominates his middle years. In the later publications, Byrd achieves a fusion of styles, mixing the energy, wordpainting and rhythmic vitality of the secular madrigal tradition with the spirituality and liturgical context of words from the Mass and Divine Office. The witty use of short bursts of melody often thrown from one voice to another, together with the energized rhythmic cells, suggests a man who is not obsessed with a hopeless cause. It may be that in the Essex countryside, surrounded by sympathetic folk, Byrd had found a real home away from the political maelstrom which raged in London.
These pieces show a glimpse of the man which is rather different from our more usual perception of the composer, racked with misery at the deprivation of Catholics in England. Here we see a man in the later stages of life, affected by the aftermath of the Reformation (as his earlier publications clearly show), yet who is now sufficiently relaxed and secure to be able to indulge his considerable wit and imagination, and who is confident enough to use the most up-to-date musical styles. Here there is no wringing of hands, nor downcast eyes but rather the musical embodiment of an unshakeable faith.
This product has now been deleted. Information is for reference only.
Error on this page? Let us know here
Need more information on this product? Click here