Customer Reviews

The King's Singers: English Renaissance

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This CD is absolutely essential. These guys know their music inside and out, and the dynamic levels they are able to achieve should be the envy of any ensemble.

The album contains an exceptional recording of Tallis's "The Lamentations of Jeremiah" which are virtually unperformed in the music world, but are exquisite pieces of vocal polyphony. I highly recommend this album for that reason alone.

Listen to it as an activity in and of itself, with no background noise if possible. You will be rewarded! Also, it is a great album to help you fall asleep, if you use music to relax.

If you like Early music, you MUST acquire this CD! End of story!

The King's Singers are one of the best small vocal ensembles in the world today. With beautiful, strong, clear voices, they sing new life into some of the loveliest melodies of the two wonderful English composers. Their voices seem perfectly suited to this music, and indeed their performance itself is essentially perfect--I cannot find a single significant fault with anything on this recording. The quality of singing is absolutely first-rate. In particular, the sound of the male contralto is wonderfully pure. If you like Byrd and Tallis, then you are in for a wonderful treat with a purchase of this CD. If you are not very familiar with the composers, or the Singers, then I am sure this CD will make you quite a fan of both! This is very, very lovely music.

I own several other King's Singer CDs, but this one is definitely my favorite. Every track is a gem! It is amazing that only six vocalists are able to produce such beautiful harmonies. My favorite tracks are:
-"Te Lucis Ante Terminum (I)" This begins with Gregorian chant done in the way that God intended for it to be sung. When I am listening to this, I imagine it being performed in an English cathedral, and I imagine the entire building resonating with the music. After the opening unison Gregorian chant, the music changes into a polyphonic and harmonic style that is a very interesting textural contrast. Wonderful!
-"The Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah" This is a wonderful example of the highest form of English polyphony. I have a CD that has the Choir of King's College performing the "Lamentations", however, the King's Singers' version on this CD is much clearer and richer.

If you like this type of music, then this album is for you. Even if you are not sure if you like this kind of music, I would still recommend purchasing this recording. You won't regret it.

William Byrd. Thomas Tallis. Both were common copmosers in the Renaissance era that were sure to offer up a challenge to anyone who dared. The King's Singers were up there to challenge the music of Byrd and Tallis. What an interesting choice of composers too. Byrd was known to be the most respected composer of his time in England (1543-1623), which may also be the reason he got away with composing music for both the banned Catholic church and the new Angelican church.

I honetly do not know much about Tallis, but I think that "Te Lucias ante Termnium I" shows well defined and blended harmonies while focusing on an excellent bass line. "Haec Dies" sounded like two different SATB choirs copying each other while actually the music is only SSATTB; they made a masterpiece out of a song that only consists of: 'Haec dies, quam fecit Dominus, Exultemus, et laetemur, inea, Alleluia'. The melodies were bouncy and fizzed with intense pop and curiosity to what was coming up, how the style format was going to suprise you next. "Beata Viscera Maria Virgins" demonstrated brilliant sections as well as dramatic dynamics. "Ave Verum Corpus" drifted me into a daze with beautiful melody lines to relax to. "Viqilate" created a sea of harmonies using the basic lyric line while brilliantly intensifying with each word.

The King's Singers have once again proved they are serious singers by tackling a new challenge: music that invloes dramatic dynamics and does not always have smooth transitions. Not only did they manage to pull it off, they also perfected the music and performed it with such eloquency it almost sounds easy. Almost. I have personally performed some music composed by William Byrd, and it is not easy. That is all part of brilliance. '-English Renaissance' has definitly proved that the King's Singers can overcome obsticles with grace and purify the rest, such as "You Are the New Day", with their beautiful sound. This is one album that is worth the trouble to understand.