Welcome to Hyperion Records, an independent British classical label devoted to presenting high-quality recordings of music of all styles and from all periods from the twelfth century to the twenty-first.

Hyperion offers both CDs, and downloads in a number of formats. The site is also available in several languages.

Please use the dropdown buttons to set your preferred options, or use the checkbox to accept the defaults.

Click cover art to view larger version
Track(s) taken from SIGCD180

Ave verum corpus

composer
4vv; Gradualia I (1605)
author of text
Hymn to the Blessed Sacrament, Corpus Christi

Armonico Consort, Christopher Monks (conductor)
Recording details: October 2008
Saxon Sanctuary, Wootton Wawen, United Kingdom
Produced by Daniel Ludford-Thomas
Engineered by John Taylor
Release date: November 2009
Total duration: 4 minutes 43 seconds

Cover artwork: Girl with a pearl earring. Jan Vermeer (1632-1675)
Courtesy of the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague
 

Other recordings available for download

The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips (conductor)
The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips (conductor)
The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips (conductor)
Westminster Cathedral Choir, Martin Baker (conductor)
The Song Company, Antony Pitts (conductor)
The Gesualdo Six, Owain Park (director)
Westminster Cathedral Choir, James O'Donnell (conductor)
Winchester Cathedral Choir, David Hill (conductor)
Laudibus, Michael Brewer (conductor)
The Cambridge Singers, John Rutter (conductor)
The Cambridge Singers, John Rutter (conductor)
Jesus College Choir Cambridge, Mark Williams (conductor)
The Girls and Men of Canterbury Cathedral Choir, David Newsholme (conductor)
The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys, Fifth Avenue, New York, Jeremy Filsell (conductor)
King's College Choir Cambridge, Sir Stephen Cleobury (conductor)

Reviews

'The ‘Naked’ in the title refers to naked passion. The Armonico consort’s wide-ranging programme includes composers from Byrd to Górecki, united by their ‘tendency to wear their hearts on their sleeves and their ability to fix a sense of raw emotion’. Frustratingly, this live concert recording could have done with a bit more of the latter. Despite some lovely moments, the singing doesn’t always pick up on the meaning of the texts, some tempi are surprisingly slow and there are tuning glitches. Tallis’s Loqubantur variis linguis falls down on all three fronts with some dreay ‘hallelujahs’. However, Allegri’s Miserere Mei is well done' (Classic FM Magazine)

'Highly satisfying presentations … this is superb choral work' (Fanfare, USA)» More
Gradualia includes the four-voice motet Ave verum corpus, which sets words specified in the Catholic liturgy for use on the feast of Corpus Christi. Today no composition by Byrd is performed and recorded more often than this one, partly because it is such a gem, partly because it offers such rich opportunities for expressive singing, and partly because it is technically not hard for choirs to sing. Nonetheless this motet, like Byrd’s Masses, attained its popularity only in the modern era; being strictly a Catholic work, it was totally shunned by English church musicians until its revival by Catholic choirs late in the nineteenth century. In an age of greater religious tolerance its popularity quickly spread, and by a pleasing twist of fortune Byrd’s Ave verum corpus is now a staple not only of Catholic choral worship, but of Anglican too. Ave verum corpus at Evensong: again, Byrd would have been amazed.

from notes by John Milsom © 2014

Le cycle de Gradualia comprend le motet à quatre voix Ave verum corpus, qui met en musique le texte que la liturgie catholique assigne à la fête de Corpus Christi. De nos jours, aucune composition de Byrd n’est plus jouée, plus enregistrée que celle-ci—il faut dire que c’est un joyau, se prêtant abondamment au chant expressif, et qui n’est pas techniquement trop difficile pour les chœurs. Néanmoins, comme les messes de Byrd, ce motet ne fut pas populaire avant l’époque moderne; strictement catholique, il fut totalement boudé par les musiciens d’église anglais jusqu’à sa résurrection par des chœurs catholiques, à la fin du XIXe siècle. Dans cet âge de plus grande tolérance religieuse, il gagna rapidement en popularité et, par un plaisant coup du sort, il fait désormais partie intégrante du culte choral et catholique, et anglican. Un Ave verum corpus à l’Evensong: là encore, Byrd en eût été stupéfait.

extrait des notes rédigées par John Milsom © 2014
Français: Hypérion

In den Gradualia findet sich die vierstimmige Motette Ave verum corpus, in der der Text vertont ist, der in der katholischen Liturgie für Fronleichnam vorgegeben ist. Heute wird kein Werk Byrds öfter aufgeführt und eingespielt als dieses—einerseits ist es ein besonders gelungenes Werk, andererseits bietet sich hier reichlich Gelegenheit für expressiven Gesang und schließlich ist der technische Anspruch für den Chor nicht sonderlich hoch. Trotzdem ist diese Motette, ebenso wie die Messen Byrds, erst in der modernen Zeit so populär geworden; als ausgewiesen katholisches Werk wurde es von den Kirchenmusikern Englands gemieden, bis katholische Chöre es im späten 19. Jahrhundert wieder in ihr Repertoire aufnahmen. In einem Zeitalter größerer religiöser Toleranz erfreute sich dieses Werk zusehends großer Beliebtheit und dank einer erfreulichen Wendung in der Geschichte ist das Ave verum corpus heute nicht nur ein Standardwerk der katholischen, sondern auch der anglikanischen Chorliteratur. Ave verum corpus beim Evensong: Byrd wäre auch darüber überaus erstaunt gewesen.

aus dem Begleittext von John Milsom © 2014
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel

Other albums featuring this work

All in the April evening
CDH55243Download only
Byrd & Britten: Choral works
Studio Master: SIGCD481Download onlyStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
Byrd: Ave verum corpus & other sacred music
CSCD507Download only
Byrd: Mass for five voices
CDH55348Download only
Byrd: Mass for five voices & other works
Studio Master: CDA68416Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
Byrd: Motets
Studio Master: KGS0024-DDownload onlyStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
Byrd: Playing Elizabeth's Tune
Studio Master: CDGIM992Download onlyStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
Byrd: Sacred Works
SIGCD7762CDs Download only
Byrd: The Tallis Scholars sing William Byrd
CDGIM2082CDs for the price of 1 — Download only
Byrd: The three Masses
CDGIM345Download only
Byrd: The three Masses
Studio Master: CDA68038Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
Exultate Deo
CDA66850Download only
Faire is the Heaven
COLCD107Download only
Great Cathedral Anthems
Studio Master: SIGCD514Download onlyStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
Sacred Music in the Renaissance, Vol. 1
GIMBX3014CDs Boxed set (at a special price) — Download only
The music of Westminster Cathedral Choir
WCC100Super-budget price sampler
Tracks
Studio Master: 1EMTSCSuper-budget price sampler — Download onlyStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
Byrd: Playing Elizabeth's Tune
GIMDN902DeletedThis album is not available for download
Byrd: Playing Elizabeth's Tune
GIMDP901DeletedThis album is not available for download
Byrd: Playing Elizabeth's Tune
GIMSA592DeletedThis album is not available for download
Waiting for content to load...
Waiting for content to load...