Faire is the Heaven - Music of the English Church

Benjamin Britten (Composer), William Byrd (Composer), Orlando Gibbons (Composer), Herbert Howells (Composer), Robert Parsons (Composer), Elizabeth Poston (Composer), Henry Purcell (Composer), Charles Villiers Stanford (Composer), John Rutter (Conductor), The Cambridge SIngers (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: The Cambridge SIngers
• Conductor: John Rutter
• Composer: Benjamin Britten, William Byrd, Orlando Gibbons, Herbert Howells, Robert Parsons, et al.
• Audio CD (September 11, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Collegium
• ASIN: B0000031H7
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #104,908 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #23 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( H ) > Howells, Herbert
  #32 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( G ) > Gibbons, Orlando
  #43 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( W ) > Walton, Sir William

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
There's no choir better than the Cambridge Singers for thoughtful, imaginative, cohesive programming, and for an ability to excel in performing music of various styles and periods. Here is a splendid example of this group's mastery of repertoire and choral technique, featuring some of the finest choral music ever written, from Tallis, Byrd, and Gibbons to Stanford, Howells, and Britten. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Treasures of English Church Music": same music, better buy, January 31, 2002

By	Alton Thompson (Taipei, Taiwan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Thinking of purchasing the "Faire" and "Hail" CDs together? You will save money if you buy them in another guise: "Treasures of English Church Music." This 2-disk set is a reissue that combines Rutter's "Faire" and "Hail" CDs into a single package. You get the same disks for $12-$15 less.

Whatever the package, the music is gorgeous. Highly recommended.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Far more than faire..., September 8, 2003

By	FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

Recorded in the Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral (the largest Lady Chapel in England), the Cambridge Singers under the direction of John Rutter produced a great work in this album. Originally produced as a vinyl album in 1982, it was remastered as a CD in 1988. The title derives from a hymn lyric, and the music consists of a sampling of the greatest English church music from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. The music is meditative, uplifting, and elegant in simplicity and stunning vocal quality.

--Music--
This is all vocal music, unaccompanied by instruments. The disc has four primary sections: Music of the Latin Rite; Music of the Reformation; Music of the Restoration; and Anglican Revival and the twentieth century. The most famous composers in English music history -- Tallis, Byrd, Gibbons -- combine with later masters such as Purcell, Stanford, Howells, Walton, Britten and Vaughan Williams to form a truly masterful collection. These are anthems, hymns and other liturgical pieces that have remained important in Anglican worship, and can be often heard in situ on Sundays around the world. However, the Cambridge Singers bring their special music talent to the task, producing a good standard bearer for music of the English Church.

--Liner Notes--
The notes for this recording include the titles and words, in both Latin and English, for each of the pieces recorded here. It has a brief paragraph of introduction to each piece of music, relating it to its historic and musical contexts. One thing conspicuously missing is any significant biographical information about John Rutter, or any descriptive information about the Cambridge Singers apart from the basic, one-sentence description.

--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 (about 28 voices for this recording), 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.

5.0 out of 5 stars The best!!!!!!!!!!, June 2, 2006

By	Benjamin Liscano (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am fond of sacred choral music, and I have listened to several groups and CDs. But I have yet to find any group with the superb quality of the Cambridge Singers! Under the direction of John Rutter their smooth, flawless music flows so seemingly effortlessly (though we know that much effort must be made for such angelic quality). The acoustics are awesome as the recording was recorded in an ancient cathedral. They say a whisper will resonate 5 seonds after the whisperer stops. And the selection of music as well is wonderful! There is a progression from the 1500s to the 1900s, and though all the music is nice the first portion is especially melodic, enchanting, relaxing, and inspiring!!! Therefore as the chorus, the recording sound, and the song selections are all EXCELLENT I would definitely recommend this CD to anyone! :)