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Track(s) taken from CDA68076

Mass for four voices

composer
4vv ATBarB; Gyffard Partbooks
author of text
Ordinary of the Mass

The Cardinall's Musick, Andrew Carwood (conductor)
Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
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Recording details: November 2013
Fitzalan Chapel, Arundel Castle, United Kingdom
Produced by Jonathan Freeman-Attwood
Engineered by Martin Haskell & Iestyn Rees
Release date: January 2015
Total duration: 23 minutes 29 seconds

Cover artwork: A young lady aged 21 (possibly Helena Snakenborg, later Marchioness of Northampton) (1569).
16th-century British School / © Tate Gallery, London
 

Other recordings available for download

Chapelle du Roi, Alistair Dixon (conductor)

Reviews

‘This very enjoyable series continues its sequence of motets and hymns, with a Mass as the centrepiece—this time the setting for four voices, the most direct and pared down of Tallis's output … The Cardinall's Musick give a very well-judged account of one of Tallis's most economical works … for the rest, there are splendid performances here: with O salutaris hostia, Laudate Dominum and Euge caeli porta the composer is in his essential idiom, to which The Cardinall's Musick respond with poise and precision, and they are equally at home in the settings from Archbishop Parker's Psalter, where a forthright unanimity is required. A very welcome issue, then; and it's always nice to known that there's more to come’ (Gramophone)

‘The Cardinall's Musick is vastly experienced in English repertory of the sixteenth century, and this is its fourth disc devoted entirely to Thomas Tallis … the wonderful 'Ave, rosa sine spinis' with its missing sections in the cantus part [is] admirably reconstructed here by Nick Sandon’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More
PERFORMANCE
RECORDING

‘Not only are the performances unimpeachable in intonation and general ensemble discipline, but they unfold with an impressive coherence of phrasing that does not rely on the imposition of artificial dynamic shadings. They are performances that are engaging but not either excessively subjective or coldly dispassionate. Listeners who have been collecting the series will not be disappointed’ (American Record Guide)

‘As in the first three issues, the quality continues—if you are collecting, no time to stop!’ (Audiophile Audition, USA)» More

‘Well-judged, vigorous singing flares up in the Gloria from the Mass for Four Voices. In that work, incredibly stellar chordal writing is intelligently balanced: a clear hierarchy in chordal notes is reflected in the tuning and volume of each note’ (Limelight, Australia)» More

‘As always with Hyperion the notes contribute considerably to the overall excellence … the new recording can hold its head high in [other labels'] company. Carwood takes all but the Sanctus and Benedictus faster than Summerly without sounding at all hurried … Even if you already have the complete Signum/Brilliant Classics set or many of the individual albums from it, the new Hyperion and its predecessors should be on your wish list. The four volumes issued to date cover almost half of Tallis’s extant output. Roll on the rest’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘The music is … very fine and full of interest. The singing is as excellent as we’ve come to expect from this ensemble. The ambience of the Fitzalan Chapel in Arundel Castle and the singing itself has been beautifully captured in the recorded sound’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘The Cardinall's Musick deliver a crystalline purity and direct aural sound from the 13 singers on this recording … an exemplary recording’ (The Toronto Early Music Newsletter, Canada)» More

«Dans la clarté des intentions, l'assurance des phrasés, cette lecture apparait efficace et rend pleinement justice à chacun des styles représentés que Thomas Tallis a pratiqués avec un égal génie» (Classica, France)» More

The Reformation movement throughout Europe was not a sudden event, nor was it confined to political and ecclesiastical legislation. Discussions had been taking place hand-in-hand with the rise of humanism for some years before Henry set to work in earnest, and some liturgical and musical experiments can be seen during his reign. Tallis’ Mass for four voices is an interesting example of this process. The Mass is in Latin, but compared with earlier settings of the Ordinary (Nicholas Ludford’s Missa Videte miraculum, for example) the style is radically different. The composition is shorter in length and the Gloria and Credo are rigorously syllabic throughout. Gone are the meandering melismas and the clarity of the text is now paramount. Only in the Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei does Tallis allow himself a little more freedom. Gone also is the high treble voice which had been such a feature of music in the previous generation. Tallis does use a head-motif (with variations), but a new and unusual feature is the repetition of several sections from the Gloria in other movements: the music for ‘Deus Pater omnipotens’ reappears in the second Agnus Dei; ‘Domine Fili unigenite’ is used at the ‘in nomine’ of the Benedictus; ‘Domine Deus, Agnus Dei’ is the same as ‘Et incarnatus est’ in the Creed; and ‘Quoniam tu solus sanctus’ is the ‘Pleni sunt caeli’ from the Sanctus. The source for this Mass is the Gyffard Partbooks.

from notes by Andrew Carwood © 2015

La Réforme qui gagna toute l’Europe fut tout sauf un mouvement soudain et borné à la législation politico-ecclésiastique. Des discussions avaient été entamées parallèlement à l’essor de l’humanisme, quelques années avant qu’Henry ne se mît sérieusement au travail; son règne connut d’ailleurs plusieurs expérimentations liturgico-musicales—un processus dont la Messe à quatre voix de Tallis nous offre un exemple intéressant. Elle est en latin, mais dans un style radicalement différent de celui des précédentes mises en musique de l’ordinaire (telle la Missa Videte miraculum de Nicholas Ludford), et plus courte, avec le Gloria et le Credo strictement syllabiques de bout en bout. Finis les mélismes méandreux: désormais la clarté du texte passe avant tout. C’est seulement dans le Sanctus, le Benedictus et l’Agnus Dei que Tallis s’autorise un peu plus de liberté. Envolée aussi la voix de treble aigu qui avait tant marqué la génération passée. Tallis utilise bel et bien un motif de tête (avec variations), mais ce qui est nouveau et inhabituel, c’est la répétition de plusieurs sections du Gloria dans d’autres mouvements: la musique de «Deus Pater omnipotens» réapparaît dans le second Agnus Dei; «Domine Fili unigenite» sert à l’«in nomine» du Benedictus; «Domine Deus, Agnus Dei» est identique à l’«Et incarnatus est» du Credo; et «Quoniam tu solus sanctus» est le «Pleni sunt caeli» du Sanctus. La source, pour cette messe, est le Gyffard Partbooks.

extrait des notes rédigées par Andrew Carwood © 2015
Français: Hypérion

Die Reformationsbewegung in Europa war kein plötzliches Ereignis und sie beschränkte sich auch nicht auf politische oder kirchliche Gesetzgebung. Entsprechende Diskussionen hatten bereits Hand in Hand mit dem Aufkommen des Humanismus stattgefunden, bevor Heinrich die englische Reformation ernsthaft einleitete, und während seiner Herrschaft zeichnen sich einige liturgische und musikalische Ereignisse ab. Tallis’ Messe für vier Stimmen ist ein interessantes Beispiel in diesem Prozess. Die Messe hat einen lateinischen Text, jedoch im Vergleich zu früheren Vertonungen des Messordinariums (wie etwa Nicholas Ludfords Missa Videte miraculum) unterscheidet sich der Stil geradezu radikal. Das Werk hat eine kürzere Dauer und das Gloria und Credo sind durchweg rigoros syllabisch gehalten. Sich windende Melismen kommen nicht mehr vor: Textverständlichkeit ist nun vorrangig. Nur im Sanctus, Benedictus und Agnus Dei erlaubt Tallis sich etwas mehr Freiheit. Die hohe Treble-Stimme, die in der Musik der vorangehenden Generation ein so wichtiges Charakteristikum war, ist ebenfalls gestrichen. Tallis macht Gebrauch von einem Kopfmotiv (mit Variationen); ein neues und ungewöhnliches Merkmal allerdings ist die Wiederholung mehrerer Abschnitte des Gloria in anderen Sätzen: die Musik von „Deus Pater omnipotens“ erscheint im zweiten Agnus Dei wieder, „Domine Fili unigenite“ wird bei „in nomine“ im Benedictus verwendet, „Domine Deus, Agnus Dei“ deckt sich mit „Et incarnatus est“ aus dem Credo und „Quoniam tu solus sanctus“ ist das „Pleni sunt caeli“ des Sanctus. Die Quelle dieser Messe sind wiederum die Gyffard Partbooks.

aus dem Begleittext von Andrew Carwood © 2015
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel

Other albums featuring this work

Tallis: The Complete Works, Vol. 2
SIGCD002Download only
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