The Eton Choirbook
Ian Partridge (tenor), Christopher Keyte (bass)
Choristers of All Saints, Margaret Street, London
Elizabethan Consort of Viols
Purcell Consort of Voices/Grayston Burgess
rec. 24-27 July 1967, Decca Studio 3, London; 19-22 October 1970, St John’s, Smith Square, London. ADD/stereo
ELOQUENCE 4840250 [63:46 + 57:23]
The title of this Eloquence release “The Eton Choirbook” is somewhat deceiving in that only approximately half of the CD contents derive from the Choirbook which is held in the library of Eton College. This release is a compendium of three early music LP albums that appeared on the Argo label from 1968 to 1971.
The Eton Choirbook was assembled in the late 1400’s and is remarkable for being both a music and illuminated manuscript combined. The Choirbook is also notable for being one of the few such works which survived the burnings of English Catholic relics of the 1500s.
The 1967 recording of Richard Davy’s St Matthew’s Passion has not been released on CD previously so it is most welcome to see it finally receive some attention for new generations of listeners. The performing style of the Passion seems almost quaint now when compared to more recent practices in early choral music. Here the soloists and choir seem almost “spirited” in their rendition of the music. There is a sense of ebullience and liveliness in the air that I don’t come across in the more sedate and serious performance style of more recent recordings of works from the choirbook. The soloist team in this work are the really outstanding Ian Partridge and Christopher Keyte. Their fervent plainchant singing is quite a high point of the recording. Similarly the Purcell Consort of Voices provide some splendid crisp singing for the adult portion of the choir, but the boys choirs have occasional patches of charmingly suspect intonation which are rather highlighted by the beautifully judged engineering.
The rest of the contributions that derive from the choirbook are all brief works from the pens of a series of authors from the latter half of the 15th century. However, none of them are as substantial or as memorable as Davy’s Passion. The rest of the CD is comprised of a 1971 recording of the music of Des Près and Dunstable, which is a mixture of secular and sacred compositions. I did quite enjoy a lovely reading of the Des Près Ave Maria including the very distinctive sound of the young Felicity Palmer peeking out from among the soloists. All the chosen pieces are quite diverting and more than ably performed even though nothing quite equals the thrill of the Davy Passion.
The recording quality is excellent and the transfers to CD have been beautifully managed. The Davy Passion in particular benefits from one of the widest soundstage perspectives that I have ever noticed in any recording. The soloists and choirs seem to be constantly shifting their positions across the auditory spectrum. Some listeners may find this unduly distracting but to me it seems to go hand in glove with the general ebullience of the performance and I found the entire thing to be most enjoyable on every level. I would recommend playing this recording for those who want to test of the positioning of the speakers in their living space. The other recordings on this set have a more traditional straightforward sound production.
Mike Parr
Previous review: Brian Wilson
Contents
Richard DAVY (c.1465-1507)
St Matthew Passion (a 4)* No 92 [41:47]
Josquin DES PRÈS (c.1440-1521)
Petite camusette [1:39]
Cœurs désolés [2:14]
La déploration sur la mort de Johan Okeghem [4:03]
Vive le roy [1:00]
El Grillo [1:28]
La Bernardina [1:12]
Baisiez moy [1:36]
Fortuna desperata [1:36]
Ave Maria [6:24]
Walter LAMBE (1450/1?-1504)
Nesciens mater (a 5)* No 52 [4:29]
John BROWNE (fl. 1490)
Stabat Mater (a 6)* No 5 [14:00]
John NESBETT (d.1488)
Magnificat (a 5)* No 70 [8:15]
Robert WYLKYNSON (c.1450-c.1515)
Salve Regina (a 9)* No 15 [11:57]
William CORNYSH (d. 1523)
Ave Maria, Mater Dei (a4)* No 65 [3:34]
Richard FAWKYNER (fl. late C15)
Gaude rosa sine spina (a 5)* No 50 [14:31]
John DUNSTABLE (c.1390-1453)
O rosa bella [4:24]
Ave maris stella [3:38]
Alma Redemptoris Mater [4:00]
Sancta Maria succurre miseris [2:57]
Veni Sancte Spiritus [5:40]
Works from the Eton Choirbook are marked *
