Vital Spark of Heav'nly Flame
Music of Death and Resurrection from English Parish Churches and Chapels, 1760-1840

This is a recording of Georgian music for Holy Week, Easter and funerals ranging from the simple psalmody associated with the galleries of rural parish churches to elaborate orchestral anthems written for the groups which developed into the Victorian choral society tradition. While the composers' names will not be familiar, this is nonetheless music of a striking and vigorous nature, here performed by the choir Psalmody—the experts in the field.

CDA67020  65 minutes 37 seconds
‘Once again Peter Holman's scholarship offers a fascinating glimpse of a neglected repertoire’ (BBC Music Magazine)
‘An infectious CD bringing to life a neglected period and its forgotten music. What fun parish music must have been for the likes of Jane Austen, William Wordsworth, Blake or Thackeray’ (Classic CD)