The many faces of Tudor music

Abstract

These eleven recordings share a focus on music performed in Tudor England—both sacred and secular, vocal and instrumental, pre- and post-Reformation, and by English and continental composers. Almost all of the sacred vocal music here is Latin-texted, sung before the Reformation by all-male church choirs of varying size and afterwards by amateurs, including women, in a domestic context. Both of these types of ensemble are represented in this batch. Of the mixed adult choirs, some—Blue Heron, the Taverner Choir—are large enough to conceal the unique sound of each voice, approaching the effect of a church or cathedral choir. The smaller ensembles, with one exception, tend to have an earthier sound (though none of them achieve the high...