When David heard - Sacred Choral Works
When David heard that Absalom was slain, full anthem a 5 [5:28]
Almighty God, which has knit together, verse anthem a 8 and organ [5:09]
Sixth Service:
Magnificat a 5 and organ [5:40]
Nunc dimittis a 5 and organ [2:49]
Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, full anthem a 5 [7:14]
A sad pavan for these distracted times for keyboard [3:30]
My shepherd is the living Lord, verse anthem a 4 and organ [3:51]
Behold, I bring you glad tidings, verse anthem a 10 and organ [3:39]
Voluntary in a minor for organ [3:32]
Third ('Great') Service:
Jubilate a 10 and organ [7:09]
Clarifica me Pater for organ [2:25]
Third ('Great') Service:
Te Deum a 10 and organ [11:45]
Choir of St John's College, Cambridge/Andrew Nethsingha; Freddie James (organ)
rec. 16-18 July 2013, St John's College Chapel, Cambridge, UK. DDD
CHANDOS CHAN0804 [62:21]
English composers of the mid-16th century had to deal with the political
and religious tribulations associated with Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary
Tudor and Elizabeth I. These had considerable effects on their composing
of music for the liturgy. Even a hundred years later composers enjoy little
peace and quiet either as they felt the consequences of the political
upheaval which resulted in the Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell. It
led to Thomas Tomkins losing his position as organist of Worcester Cathedral.
In 1646 the city surrendered to the Parliamentary forces, and as a result
cathedral services were almost completely discontinued.
It was a matter of good fortune that this happened when Tomkins was already
at an advanced age. In the decades before he had been a most respected
composer and organist who was mainly connected to Worcester Cathedral
as well as the Chapel Royal. Some of his more ambitious compositions may
have been written for the latter institution. One example is the Te
Deum & Jubilate for ten voices and organ which is recorded here.
Little is known about his early years, and that includes his musical education.
However, it seems certain that William Byrd was one of his teachers: one
of the madrigals in the collection of 1622 was dedicated to him. He also
studied carefully Thomas Morley's treatise A Plaine and Easie
Introduction to Practicall Musicke of 1597. In his vocal music the
influence of Thomas Tallis is clearly discernible whereas in his keyboard
works he is not only inspired by Byrd but also by John Bull. This disc
includes three specimens of his keyboard style. The most famous of them
is A Sad Pavan for these distracted times written under the impression
of the defeat of the Royalists by the Parliamentarians.
Tomkins was a versatile composer who was respected by his peers. He composed
madrigals which were printed in 1622; another madrigal was included by
Morley in the collection The Triumphes of Oriana of 1601, dedicated
to Queen Elizabeth I. The influence of contemporary Italian composers
which is notable in many madrigals of the time is absent in Tomkins's
madrigals. That is further evidence of his conservatism which also comes
to the fore in many of his sacred works. The Sixth Service, from
which the Magnificat and the Nunc dimittis are taken,
is an example of this conservative tendencies. This Service, scored for
five voices and organ, is considerably more modest than the Third
('Great') Service from which we hear the Te Deum
and the Jubilate, strangely enough in reverse order and divided
by the organ piece Clarifica me Pater.
That said, there are some pieces with notable text expression. The most
famous example is the opening item, When David heard that Absalom
was slain which has traces of the sacred madrigal. Another striking
example of Tomkins's skills in setting a text is Almighty God,
the fountain of all wisdom which includes remarkable dissonants on
the name Jesus Christ which is clearly inspired by the previous text episodes.
Behold, I bring you glad tidings is another impressive piece
with a remarkable florid organ part and an eloquent dotted rhythm on the
first phrase of the doxology.
This disc delivers an interesting and useful survey of Tomkins's
sacred and keyboard music reflecting the most important parts of his oeuvre.
Most items have probably been recorded before, although I could not find
other recordings of Almighty God, which hast knit together and
Behold, I bring you glad tidings. Even so, this is a very attractive
disc, not only because of the choice of music, but also because of the
performances. The singing is excellent, not just by the plenary choir
but also by its individual members who take care of the solo passages
in the verse anthems. Only now and then is a slight vibrato in the lower
voices noticeable but that hardly spoils the overall result. In this respect
this disc is considerably better than the Purcell/Humfrey disc which I
reviewed some time ago elsewhere.
The expressive elements come off very well. The organ pieces are nicely
played by Freddie James.
Jeremy Summerly wrote the useful liner-notes, but could have given a little
more biographical information about Tomkins.
Johan van Veen
http://www.musica-dei-donum.org
https://twitter.com/johanvanveen
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