The background to this disc is that of an entertainment. Deborah
MacKay, who along with conductor Andrew MacKay, wrote the booklet
essay, had the idea of illustrating the Queen’s ‘progress’
across England with a night’s musical and dramatic entertainment.
A contemporary quote at the start of the essay tells us what
that might have been like. The full text is available through
the Naxos website.
The Sarum Consort have been around since 1992 and consists of
about ten voices all experienced but generally young. Now I
know what you’re thinking: ‘not another disc of
miscellaneous Elizabethan music!’ You might even baulk,
as I have done to a certain extent, at having such a large group
singing madrigals although in fact it works out to only two
voices per part. However some of these are quite big. I did
feel at times that the approach was a little heavy and lacking
in subtle dynamics. In addition they are not helped by a rather
close and airless recording despite the church acoustic. That
was certainly a view I took early on with the first track: Weelkes’
brilliant madrigal As Vesta was from Latmos Hill.
However the way conductor - yes a conductor for madrigals -
Andrew Mackay builds the climax in this wonderfully exhilarating
piece is captivating. So it was that I began to feel a little
more at home. However the problem seems to me to be even more
acute in the Morley madrigal Hard by a Crystal Fountain,
which is surely too heavy.
Weelkes’ madrigal and those by Hunt, East (his Hence
Stars - which is surely taken here at too fast a tempo)
and Morley come from the famous ‘Triumphs of Oriana’
published under Morley’s guidance in 1601. Other madrigals
derive from general collections of the period. The three by
Wilbye come from his superlative 2nd Set of 1609,
Tomkins’ madrigal from his only collection of 1622 and
that by Ferrabosco from his sole publication of 1609. Incidentally
this means that they are all Jacobean. How these fit into a
1590s celebration of the Queen’s progress I’m not
sure. Surely other, more historically appropriate pieces could
have been selected. Never mind. It’s good to have the
Hunt piece, Hark! Did you ever hear is a strongly imitative
and quite complex madrigal. It seems that Hunt was organist
at Wells Cathedral so perhaps his musical world was mainly sacred
and polyphonic. Also not well known are the songs of Alfonso
Ferrabosco II. So beauty on the waters stood with words
by his friend Ben Jonson was probably written for a court masque.
There are two sacred works: Gibbons’ joyous O Clap
your hands and, an unusual choice this, a sensitively
performed Latin motet Laboravi in gemitu meo a setting
of Psalm VI by Philippe Rogier. He’s a composer not much
recorded but of late to be discovered on Linn recorded spectacularly
by His Majesty’s Sagbutts and Cornetts. This motet was
published by Morley - hence its inclusion.
Sometimes the Sarum Consort sing just one voice per part and
this is quite pleasing as in Wilbye’s Oft have I vowed.
To add variety the choral items are broken up by lute solos
as with the delightful Robin - a set of simple variations
on a tune quoting by the mad Ophelia in Hamlet. There’s
also the lute song, Dowland’s magical Time, Stands
Still. Good things here. However the slightly measly playing
time is something of a disappointment. Also a disappointment
is the lack of texts. For those we must go to the Naxos web
site (just type the CD number) - an all too common occurrence
nowadays. The Sarum excel in diction so you might not need to
bother.
The songs are pleasingly done by soloists Alison Hill in the
Ferrabosco and Duncan Byrne in the Dowland. Both can however
tend to sound expressionless.
The highlights: I especially enjoyed the longest track, the
motet by Rogier, and the last track: Wilbye’s famous Draw
on Sweet night. This gives the wonders of Jacob Heringman’s
lute a chance to weave a counterpoint discreetly around the
ten voices, balancing well.
There are some pleasing moments on this CD. There are several
well-known sources and composers to be tapped into. If you are
new to this repertoire then this is a good place from which
to begin your journey of exploration.
Gary Higginson
see also review by John
Sheppard
Full Contents
Thomas WEELKES (c.1575-1623) As Vesta was from Latmos Hill descending
[3:43]
Thomas HUNT (1580-1658) Hark! Did ye ever hear? [3:18]
William BYRD (c.1540-1623) O Lord, make thy servant Elizabeth
[2:56]
Orlando GIBBONS (1583-1625) O clap your hands [5:11]
ANON Robin is to the greenwood tree [2:13]
Alfonso FERRABOSCO (c.1575-1628) So beauty on the waters stood
[1:42]
Philippe ROGIER (c.1561-1596) Laboravi in gemitu meo [6:04]
Michael EAST (c.1580-1648) Hence, stars, too dim of light [1:55]
John WILBYE (1574-1638) Oft have I vow’d [3:53]; Ye that
do live in pleasures [2:40]; Draw on, sweet night [5:22]
John DOWLAND (c.1563-1626) Time stands still [3:27]; The Right
Honourable the Lady Rich, her galliard [1:48]
Thomas TOMKINS (1572-1656) Adieu, ye city-prisoning towers [2:23]
Thomas MORLEY (1558-1603) Hard by a crystal fountain [4:07]
The Sarum Consort/Andrew Mackay 
