Ave Verum Corpus: Motets & Anthems

Byrd (Artist), Cambridge Singers (Artist), Rutter (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 25, 2003)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Collegium
• ASIN: B00006O0OD
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #118,579 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

This recording presents a selection of fifteen of the 150 or so Latin motets and three of the dozens of English anthems that, between them, form the greater part of the life’s work of William Byrd (1543-1623), the greatest English composer of his era. The chosen motets and anthems represent just some of the many facets of Byrd’s sacred music, now recognized after three centuries of neglect as among the most glorious every written for choir.

‘Exceptional performances by this quite wonderful group of singers.’ Church Music Quarterly

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hail, true music..., January 17, 2006

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Ave Verum Corpus: Motets & Anthems (Audio CD)

--William Byrd--
William Byrd was a composer of grace and power. A staunch Catholic in an increasingly Protestant country, Byrd maintained his church loyalties at high cost. However, as a recognised genius at liturgical music, he had powerful admirers and friends, perhaps including Queen Elizabeth herself. Producing musical settings to Latin texts in a new-regime English-dominated church environment took courage. However, Byrd persevered all his life to produce music that remains timeless while being firmly rooted in its time.

--Ave Verum Corpus--
The Cambridge Singers named this collection after the 4-minute motet Ave Verum Corpus by Byrd. A motet is typically a choral composition sung at services other than masses (often at Vespers, although sometimes as anthem music). Byrd, together with Tallis (from whom this ensemble derives its name), was considered a master of the Flemish style of motet.

--Motets--
There are motets here for penitence and prayer, slow and somber sounding pieces. There are motets of praise and rejoicing, which have a very different energy and feel about them. Byrd did about 150 of these Latin settings, of which this collection contains 15. With regard to English Anthems, Byrd produced several dozen of these, and these were his best known works, the Latin-based pieces being overlooked in the new English, Protestant churches. Anthems were an English innovation to replace older, more Latin-Catholic elements in the services.

--Liner Notes--
The notes include an introduction to the CD with a generous biography of Byrd, a listing of the tracks with lyrics together with a brief paragraph about the history of the piece. Where lyrics are in Latin, an English translation is provided. There is no description of the group, nor biographical information about John Rutter.

--John Rutter--
Rutter was born in London and educated at Clare College, Cambridge. This was where his career as a composer, arranger and conductor began. His early work was with groups at King's College Chapel at Cambridge as well as the Bath Choir and Philharmonic Orchestra. He has worked for the BBC providing music for educational series such as 'The Archaeology of the Bible Lands', until in 1979 he began forming the Cambridge Singers, and has continued a remarkable career of performance and recording as their director ever since.

--The Cambridge Singers--
The Cambridge Singers are a mixed choir of voices, many of whom were members of choir of Rutter's college, Clare College, Cambridge. While they specialise in English and Latin liturgical pieces, they have a wide range of recordings that span from modern compositions (including a remarkable requiem by Rutter) to English folk songs of the Middle Ages. Many are former members of the choir of Clare College and other Cambridge collegiate choirs (hence the name, Cambridge Singers). In the quarter-century since the founding, the Cambridge Singers have produced an impressive body of recordings.

This is a wonderful CD, recorded at one of the Cambridge Singers' traditional recording venues, the Great Hall of University College School, London.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to Byrd's vocal music, November 18, 2009

By 

Chris Crumb (CA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Ave Verum Corpus: Motets & Anthems (Audio CD)

There is much to like about this disc. The choir sings an interesting variety of Byrd's vocal works, and the singing is at a high level with excellent pitch control (not easy in many of these pieces) and great balance across the parts. There are several pieces (eg Plorans Plorabit) that are exceptionally well defined, whereas others come across as slightly one dimensional. Overall however a very worthwhile addition.