Howells dedicated his three sets of Clavichord Pieces to his musical friends, and in particular to harpsichord maker Herbert Lambert. They are written in recognition of the style of English Tudor musicians who had influenced Howells' writing, not as pastiches of the compositional styles of his composer friends. The first book was written in 1927, the second in 1941, the third in 1961.

For the first book "Lambert's Clavichord", Lambert's Fireside was written at Lambert's Fireside in Somerset, Fellowes's Delight for Edmund Fellowes, Hughes's Ballet for Herbert Hughes, Wortham's Grounde for H E Wortham, Sargent's Fantastic Sprite for Sir Malcolm Sargent, Foss's Dump for H.J. Foss, My Lord Sandwich's Dreame for George Montagu, 9th Earl of Sandwich, Samuel's Air for Harold Samuel, De La Mare's Pavane for poet Walter de la Mare, Sir Hughes's Galliard for conductor Hugh Allen, H H His Fancy for himself, and Sir Richard's Toye for Sir Richard Terry.

Sir Hughes's Galliard:
[YouTube Video]

The 2nd and 3rd sets were written after Thomas Goff had taken over from Herbert Lambert as instrument maker. Many of their dedicatees can be identified from the titles, with full details in the notes written by producer Paul Spicer.

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The choice of the brutal image for the cover illustration of this record is explained by the text of Cantos Sagrados (sacred Songs). "Identity" is about finding unidentified mutilated bodies on a river bank, and is an appropriately violent musical setting.
The text was written by contemporary Chilean poet Ariel Dorfman, being about the killings in the coup when Pinochet's forces overthrew Allende, and the subsequent disappearances.
The illustration is El Tres De Mayo by Francisco Goya, portraying the Spanish resistance to Napoleon's occupation of Madrid, May 1808.

The two composers complement each other in style and quality on this compilation, MacMillan having studied under Leighton in Edinburgh. None of the tracks is yet on YT, but you can find a recording of Identity, made by Christopher Bell and the National Youth Choir of Scotland, which makes this recording by Spicer sound very slow by comparison.

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Joshua Rifkin describes how, as a young music graduate, he found himself writing the complete set of parodies of the Beatles hits which were taking the USA by storm in 1965, and being rewarded by the hiring of some of the best session players in town; I would love to know a few of their names.

This starts with an attractive Baroque Ouverture:
[YouTube Video]

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This is somewhat of a 'Greatest Hits' compilation of tracks previously released on Deutsche Grammophon and Decca, as for example with this Gabrieli Consort recording of O Magnum Mysterium under Paul McCreesh.
[YouTube Video]

I expect I will find others of these tracks which I already have on the original labels.

As with all good 'Greatest Hits' records, the choice is from some wonderful performances. classical-choice.de describes the series as "an inexpensive series for classical music beginners and the curious".

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Peter Dijkstra here conducts the Bavarian Radio Choir in acapella performances of Schnittke and Pärt, two deeply religious composers. The booklet explains that both were born in states that did not tolerate religious worship, but Schnittke came from Jewish and Russian Orthodox families, and both Schnittke and Pärt eventually converted to Russian Orthodoxy.

The choice of the Pärt at first seems somewhat out of place, initially being rather jolly and secular until it settles into a more profound style. Schnittke's Stimmen Der Natur is vocalese for the women only.

The entire Concerto For Choir can be found on YouTube:

[YouTube Video]

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Tenebrae have chosen the juciest acapella choral pieces from the repertoire of these nine composers; all are compelling performances, as in this example from John Tavener:

[YouTube Video]

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Peter Dijkstra was inducted into choral singing as a boy treble by his father, who ran a boys' choir in Drenthe. After his conservatory studies he formed The Gents before working with other European vocal ensembles and orchestras including the BBC Singers. The Gents is an all-male choir, and here they work through several pieces from the English Renaissance repertoire. Unfortunately the singers are not individually credited except on the two "Eliza" songs, but their mastery of English Plainsong is exemplary, and the countertenor on this example is beautiful.

After the instrumental version, they sing Christe qui Lux es et Dies:

[YouTube Video]

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These piano miniatures are based on L.M. Lindeman's "Aeldre og nyere norske fjeldmelodier" (Old and New Norwegian Country Melodies).

1. "Spring Dance" is a spirited, lilting melody in 3/4 with a skip on the last beat played over changing accompaniments: (1) a rhythmic drone, (2) contrasting accents (beats 1 and 3 in the first measure, 2 in the second), (3) chromatic descents, and (4) strong, thrilling bass chords for the last verse.
2. "The Young Man Asked His Maiden" states a question in a rhythmic minor which receives a sweet major-key reply interspersed with two more short, hesitant questions.
3. This "Spring Dance" has quite a different feeling from number 1. The spinning, cycling melody proceeds from quiet, sometimes sharp harmonies toward a wilder and abandoned double-speed coda.
5. The "Dance from Jølster" contains many coloristic effects, such as crystalline staccatos, offbeat accents, high treble woodwind-like parts, fast triplets over enthusiastic string-like open fifths, as well as extended endings, surprising sudden halts in the rhythm, and switches from duple to triple meter.
6. The "Wedding Tune" is a sweet, lyrical Allegretto pastorale which begins in C major and ends in A minor mixing happy and romantic (or, perhaps slight uncertainty about the future) emotions.
8. "Oh, the Pig Had a Snout" is a brief tune, in a combined comical and "cantabile" mood in G minor in triple meter.
9. "When My Eyes" is a touching spiritual song harmonized with beautiful modal harmonies.
10. "Ole Once in Anger" is a courting song with a jerky, drinking song rhythm to its wide-ranging minor-key melody that concludes in a deep, perhaps apologetic, baritone register.
12. "Solfager and the Snake King," played in a moody Andante tempo, has a haunting minor-key melody with "snaky" chromatics that tells a tale even without words.
14. "I Sing With a Sorrowful Heart" is introduced by a distant minor third echoed three times in the high treble. The warm, middle register melody then begins with that same interval harmonized in rich but almost funeral chords played at a piano dynamic. The coda suddenly sings forth in a compelling cry that quickly calms into a resigned minor cadence.
17. In "The Gadfly Said to the Fly," the first timid, thin-voiced (even insectile) statement is met with a full-voiced loud answer harmonized chromatically. The first voice inquires again twice, and the answers are more measured and simple.
21. The melody of "The Woman from Setesdal" is built on a simple two-measure rolling gesture that is treated as a very interesting imitative canon, the imitating voice sounding like a flute or birdsong in the higher registers.
23. "Did You See Anything of My Wife?" is a curious two-part song with a dotted, questioning, backbeat rhythm at the start, followed by quiet reply in longer tones and then a loud, aggressive version of that reply.

(from allmusic.com)

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Cathleen Ferrier's Blow The Wind Southerly is sampled on the track Oppenheimer, with Aharon Habshush and Melanie Pappenheim, fading in and out with 'Requiem Aeternam'. I was reminded of this marvellous record while visiting the cinema to see the film Oppenheimer.

[YouTube Video]

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Magnificent piano solo by Peter Katin in the Fantasia, with occasional restrained choral and orchestral backing, leading up to the final RVW exultation:

[YouTube Video]

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The CD is an aid to vocal studies for 'high' and 'low' voice (female and male), the study scores and related advice being given in the book Vaccaj: Metodo Pratico Di Canto

The mezzo Nuccia Focile uses a pronounced vibrato which detracts from my enjoyment when listening to the CD as a non-participant, whereas baritone Lucio Gallo and pianist Erik Battaglia work very nicely in these short pieces; even the piano on its own is enjoyable.

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"Heraclitus" was the song I bought the CD for, here presented as a solo accompanied song. The record notes by Jeremy Dibble gives an explanation of how the song came about:

Heraclitus was originally composed as the fourth of Four Partsongs Op 110, completed in 1908 and published by Stainer & Bell in 1910. Later it was published by J B Cramer & Co. as a solo song arrangement in 1918. The famous text, taken from Ionica, a volume of poems by William Johnson Cory, is a translation from the Greek of an epigram by the finest of Hellenistic poets, Callimachus of Alexandria. The poem, an elegy, tells how bitter tears were shed at the news of the death of an old friend, Heraclitus of Hallicarnassus; yet, though long dead, his memory lives on in the mind of his friend. Cory’s translation is magnificent, as is Stanford’s limpidly diatonic setting, simple in its strophic design, yet full of deft harmonic turns and modal inflections; and, with the subtle ‘interjections’ from the piano, assumes a quite different identity in its solo guise.

[YouTube Video]

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This is a compilation of tracks from other labels, so I wonder how many of the original releases can be identified. Putting on CD1 we hear the most appallingly distorted and noisy rendition of what sounds like a very low bitrate MP3 of a dub made with a microphone from the original vinyl, quite unlistenable! Such a shame, as Karajan could not have been recording in Vienna before 1959. Can we find this on YT? Yes, here is the exact same distorted track, courtesy of Naxos America:
[YouTube Video]

The same recording, in moderately good quality, from Deutsche Grammophon:
[YouTube Video]

If you want to hear this in truly good quality you will have to look out for a vinyl copy on DG.

From the B_minor mass on, all tracks are in irreproachable quality. For example the short Choral "O Hilfe, Christe, Gottes Sohn", which YT tells us is conducted by Georg Christoph Biller:
[YouTube Video]

It is amusing to hear Kenneth Spencer sing Lowell Mason's famous hymn "Nearer My God To Thee" in impeccable German. Spencer moved to Germany in 1950 and made a number of recordings for Columbia Masterworks:
[YouTube Video]

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Contrabajissimo is the major work here, going through a typical series of Classical quintet movements, with some fine fugueing in the central section.

[YouTube Video]

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The monks sing Plainchant throughout, alternating between solo and unison passages. The organ adds harmony in tracks 3, 10, 11 and 17: on track 11 the "Gloria in Excelcis Deo" heralds a triumphant peal of bells.

Though not mentioned anywhere in the package, the CD player shows "Remastered" after every track. There must have been an earlier version produced. I assume that this was available only at the monastery for visitors.

[YouTube Video]

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These lesser-known works of Tchaikovsky's are quite unlike the tuneful works we know and love, being true to the Orthodox Church liturgical conventions, starting with declarations by a presenter and ending with a long Amen. The Cherubic Hymn No. 1 is a beautiful example of this style, and is more like what we have come to expect from Rachmaninov's Vespers, or contemporary composers in Eastern Baltic states.

The Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom was based on Tchaikovsky's 1875 publication “A short textbook of harmony, adapted to the reading of spiritual and musical compositions in Russia” which in 1881 was adopted as a textbook of church singing for theological seminaries and colleges.

[YouTube Video]

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The theme of Jesus' seven last pronouncements on Good Friday has been used by composers over the centuries; probably the best-known is Die sieben letzten Worte unseres Erlösers am Kreuze by Joseph Haydn, in which the final words are delivered in a slow triple time with the major key pointing to the ecstatic release from mortal suffering.

MacMillan's Seven Last Words From The Cross was commissioned by the BBC in 1993 with the seven pieces performed on consecutive days finishing on Good Friday. The sequence begins with a repeated figure which forms the basis for the whole series; it ends with the last words on the Cross, set to traditional Scottish lament music, after which the strings represent the failing breaths with a phrase which slowly grows slower and shorter, working through the keys Dorian on E, G major, and C♯ minor. One music critic describes a performance she attended where the finish of the work was followed not by applause but by silence, with members of the audience and the musicians quietly weeping, until they left in silence.

The first movement is "Father, Forgive Them":
[YouTube Video]

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When I bought this I had little idea where Ukraine even was, let alone anything about its people and culture.
Dumka-shumka by Mykola Lysenko is a typically thoughtful and gentle piece:

[YouTube Video]

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Listening to the Nunc Dimittis Tertii Toni by George Malcolm on the radio last week I assumed I was hearing another of the choral works of Gregorio Allegri, so I was surprised to hear that it was by George Malcolm, whom I only knew previously from his clever "Bach"-style fugue on the Sailor's Hornpipe, first released on a 78 in 1953.

This track is like a Part II to the Allegri "Miserere Mei, Deus": the booklet notes are a wealth of analysis of the tracks, and in the case of the Nunc Dimittis they say:

"George Malcolm's harmonisation of the third-tone Nunc Dimittis is an object lesson in spiritual minimalism. The unadorned chanting of the lower voices is answered by upper voices in simple three-part homophony, the harmony resolving into a quiet unison as Simeon's soul slips gently into eternal rest"

Such a pity then that none of the individual tracks are currently on YouTube, but this video is a set of samples: track 1 (Plainsong), track 5 (Palestrina), track 7 (Plainsong), track 8 (Giovanni Croce), track 12 (Colin Mawby):

[YouTube Video]

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Ingegneri became maestro di capella to the Cathedral of Cremona in 1573 in response to the changes to the Catholic Church following the Council of Trent in 1593, itself a response to the growth of Protestantism around Europe.. Until that time the music of the cathedral was Gregorian chant with the singers led by the priest. The new requirement was for polyphonic music for choir and instruments, composed specifically for use in Services. The combination of Ingegneri's music and the artistic adornments made to the building brought Cremona to the forefront of Catholic worship in Northern Italy.

The main work on this CD is the Missa Laudate Pueri Dominum cum octo vocibus, which takes its theme from Palestrina's motet Laudate Pueri Dominum. The first track is Cantate et Psallite Dominum, a setting for three choirs (12 voices) and orchestra. This impressive work makes a good introduction to the style and performance of the CD as a whole.

[YouTube Video]

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Some adventurous and 'interesting' contributions by the contemporary composers, including the fine Fauxbourdon settings by Paul Christison Edwards composed in 1979.
[YouTube Video][YouTube Video]

Purcell's settings are always a delight, but the most compelling setting for me here is by Sir John Stainer.

[YouTube Video][YouTube Video]

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"Four Proverbs" has four movements for soprano and ensemble, the other pieces are instrumental. All are post-modernist and quite jolly. I like Torke's writing on the Proverbs in which he explains ".. (at twelve years old) I coincidentally made the dual discovery of girls and God - which at that time didn't seem in any way a contradiction.."

[YouTube Video]

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The first thing that will strike you when you listen to Florence Foster Jenkins is that none of the words are discernible. For this reason I have omitted the title details as to whether a song is being sung in German or English, which seems also to have defeated those printing the sleeve and labels, which disagree on these details.

The discerning listener may also notice some errors in temperament. I have to confess I do not rate her performances very highly, though Florence had, and continues to have, her admirers, and her nine recorded songs continue to sell steadily.

Der Hölle Rache (Queen of the Night aria) must be one of her better performances:

[YouTube Video]

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A charity shop find which turned out to be a little gem. In the same way as Ein Choralbuch Für Johann Sebastian, this compilation alternates between choral settings and organ solos for most of the titles. The Pilz Vienna Master Series is a budget line, without a booklet or any notes, but the recording quality is particularly good; the mastering has a slight bass roll-off which tends to hide the organ pedal stops.

Ppint has added helpful notes about the Pilz label and its distribution through 'remaindered' bookshops: this Pilz series, with CD *** catalogue numbers, may well be specifically for the UK, so the nationality may have to be changed if any further information comes to light.

I would like to know what 1990 release this was licenced from: playback in Win 10 Media Player shows a plain illustration of the famous portrait of JSB, while a search on YouTube or Amazon finds a couple of the dual tracks on a compilation called Die Weihnachtsgeschichte; unfortunately no label is credited, but the video does allow us to hear one very fine Chorale, and the noisy organ mechanism in the unnamed Church.

[YouTube Video]

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"Do not be afraid" is the most-repeated command in the Old Testament, and is usually followed by "for I am with you".

Every track here is a delight, with Stopford's composition style confounding expectations. Deeply rooted in the British Cathedral tradition but with his own contemporary voice.

[YouTube Video]

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This is his first of two recordings in which Andre Cluytens performed with two different orchestras,two different choir and two different soloists,both recorded in mono and stereo formats.This is my all-time favourite Faure`s best work,and my favourites are Agnus Dei and Libera Me,and I still like it now.

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This record has had several good reviews. "Choir & Organ" writes
"Merton’s new choral foundation aimed to combine tradition with bold innovation and they pull that off here with some daring. The programme alternates post- minimalist work by David Lang with more familiarly Anglican material by another contemporary Nico Muhly, including the wonderful The Revd Mustard His Installation Prelude, written for a London friend. The Merton singers are in great voice and Merton Brass could dep for the angels"

The youth of the Choir, Brass, and in particular the junior Choristers is evident in the photos, but the accomplishment of all under the direction of Benjamin Nicholas is exemplary, as can be seen from this live recording of one of the David Lang compositions

[YouTube Video]

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This collection of titles is centred around the theme of tranquility, and includes the work of many women composers. The adult choir sings to a very high standard, but the Girl's Choir under Anna Lapwood is quite remarkable for the standard it achieves.

[YouTube Video]

"Grandmother Moon" is a setting of a mystical Miꞌkmaq poem from Northeast Canada: the text describes the beauty and tranquility of a full moon on a clear night.

[YouTube Video]

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The first piece, The Message Of The Titmouse, starts in the manner of the whole album, with the choir building up complex vocalese chords with multiple glissandi, acapella, but breaks out into a text sung at full volume. The title piece is more typical, still the acapella vocalese, but introduced by a solo violin which also glissondoes before skittering about in all directions, followed by the solo soprano. The violin and cello then introduce a typical theme, "The" Vasks theme, upon which the choir part builds. A couple of 'false endings' has the choir start again quietly before building to a climax. The soprano can be heard very faintly in the background, going where no woman has gone before. The coda has a subito p. fading al niente. I find this all very beautiful.

[YouTube Video]

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Full of the joys of spring!

Zesty, Bouncy, Bumble-busy classi-bop... Perfect for a sunny day in the garden.

(Or wherever you can get to)

...Well, the first side is at least, and the second side continues this to the conclusion of Lieutenant Kije suite on that side. It gets a little more dramatic, and at the same time, with contrasting quiet spells which sounds very much like a film score thereafter, in the Love Of Three Oranges Suite, but altogether a well selected group of pieces that sit nicely together on this disc, and make for a very 'up' and lively listen.

You probably know this one:

(hum along if you do :)

[YouTube Video]

As for this issue / pressing, I've got say now, that while the big labels (Decca / HMV / Columbia etc.) certainly justify the noise about their sound quality and such, I can't see that these CBS records sound any less brilliant than those... certainly if there is a difference, it must be by a bare squeak, as these (along with my other recent favourite label: Philips) sound every bit as good. I think you've just got to put it down to snobbery in the end, as there is no reason why any of these shouldn't be included on that there Tas list for pure awesomeness.

...Full sweeping sound, lots of Oomph, detail, sound stage, separation, and all the other guff that audiophiles talk about is to be found here as readily as on any of those other labels.

So save yourself a few quid, and do not hesitate to buy Classical on CBS if you find one.

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