The Spirits of England & France, Vol. 4
Missa Caput and the story of the Salve regina

The English anonymous fifteenth-century Missa Caput at the centre of this disc is probably the most significant work from the period. It was copied all across Britain and the Continent and was largely responsible for the universal adoption of the 'parody Mass' technique and of today's standard four-part choir arrangement. It is a work of great stature and beauty, in this performance interspersed with a curious Latin poem which describes how two small boys composed the Salve regina antiphon while languishing in Hell.

Also represented here are six fifteenth-century carols, and an exquisite Agnus Dei from the Old Hall Manuscript.

CDH55284  67 minutes 30 seconds
GRAMOPHONE EDITOR'S CHOICE
‘A very special achievement … music of the very highest order, seldom recorded. Essential listening!’ (Gramophone)
‘A fascinating disc with superbly informative and enticing notes by Christopher Page’ (BBC Music Magazine)
‘At last, for the first time in over thirty years, we can hear this glorious work … as always, the booklet material is an absolute model of what these things should be; a self-contained lesson in ...