In Pace-The Influence Of Plainsong

1. Blessed City, Heavenly Salem for chorus & orchestra/organ
Composed by Sir Edward Cuthbert Bairstow
with Peter Wright

2. Christe qui lux es (a 4), motet for 4 voices (SATB)
Composed by William Byrd
with Peter Wright

3. Work(s)
Composed by Tomas Luis de Victoria
with Peter Wright

4. In pace
Composed by William Blitheman
with Peter Wright

5. Motets (4) on Gregorian Themes for chorus, Op 10
Composed by Maurice Durufle
with Peter Wright

6. Te lucis ante terminum (Procul recedant somnia) (I), motet for 5 voices, P. 214
Composed by Thomas Tallis
with Peter Wright

7. All Wisdom Cometh from the Lord
Composed by Philip Moore
with Peter Wright

Product Description

Amazon.com
One of the more inspired activities of 20th-century composer Maurice Duruflé was to create four motets based on ancient plainsong melodies. Their beauty comes from their melodic simplicity combined with a modern harmonic idiom. Other composers ingeniously and effectively used plainchant, albeit in other ways, and this disc includes some stellar examples, from Byrd and Victoria to Tallis and Bairstow. Guildford's rendition of Duruflé's Ubi caritas is exquisite. --David Vernier

Tracks:

Blessed City, Heavenly Salem
Christe Qui Lux Es Et Dies
Magnificat, VII Tone
In Pace
Ubi Caritas
Tu Es Petrus
Tota Pulchra Es
Tantum Ergo
Tele Lucis Ante Terminum
All Wisdom Cometh From The Lord

Amazon.com

One of the more inspired activities of 20th-century composer Maurice Duruflé was to create four motets based on ancient plainsong melodies. Their beauty comes from their melodic simplicity combined with a modern harmonic idiom. Other composers ingeniously and effectively used plainchant, albeit in other ways, and this disc includes some stellar examples, from Byrd and Victoria to Tallis and Bairstow. Guildford's rendition of Duruflé's Ubi caritas is exquisite. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

Most interesting.......2002-05-22

This rare CD features the Choir of Guildford Cathedral, the youngest such group of singers in the UK. The Cathedral was consecrated in 1960, and this recording was directed by Philip Moore, who was only the second Organist and Choirmaster at Guildford.

It is an interesting programme, showcasing music that makes use of plainchant in polyphonic contexts. Composers of sacred choral music have been attracted to plainchant for centuries, hence there is a variety of styles, although the works are not grouped chronologically.

The opening item is a celebrated anthem by Edward Bairstow: "Blessed City," which was written for a dedication festival and is inspired by plainchant rather than making a point of quoting it in a recognisable form. Although less than ten minutes long, it has the sweep and dramatic colours of a cantata, ending with a ravishing treble solo over hushed chords from the rest of the choir. This is very sensitively executed. The work as a whole provides an introduction to the peculiar sound world of Guildford Cathedral: since it was not originally designed for music, it has a drier acoustic than older churches (although since this recording was made, the acoustics have become larger due to the decaying ceiling plaster) and the choir is slightly 'fatter' than most (as the organ was installed between the choir and nave, there had to be more than the usual complement of boys and men to be heard clearly enough by the congregation).

Three works represent the Tudor period, often described as a Golden Age in English Cathedral Music, when composers often turned to plainchant to provide them with ideas. Tallis and Byrd were close friends, and their settings of "Christe qui lux es et dies" and "Te lucis ante terminum" are very well known and widely used, each mixing actual chant melodies with 'fauxbourdon' choral adaptations. The effect is wonderful, and the unaccompanied choir gives very stylish and poised performances here. William Blitheman's "In Pace" is perhaps less memorable, but it shares the soothing and meditative qualities of the other two (apart from giving the disc its title...) and is as well performed. Another area of Renaissance polyphony is handsomely demonstrated with one of Victoria's Magnificat settings - this one on the seventh tone - and gives the men of the choir a chance to shine.

The programme returns to the twentieth century for some of the finest of all church music to be based on plainchant: Duruflé's "Four Motets on Gregorian themes." These are gems of polyphonic writing, each one shedding new light on both the text and the chant and etching themselves onto the memory. One would expect a twentieth-century choir to be at home with twentieth-century music, and the Guildford Choir seems just that: the celebrated "Ubi caritas" is lovingly sung, and the short "Tu es Petrus" is excitingly built up, making the acoustic ring out for once. "Tota pulchra es" is a little less securely done - it sounds timid rather than vibrant - and "Tantum ergo sacramentum" doesn't flow as well as it might. Still, if you've not heard these fine pieces before, they are worth the price of this disc. The best performance is saved until the end, however: Philip Moore's own anthem "All wisdom cometh from the Lord," which in a sense has an affinity to the Bairstow in that it has sweep and imaginative scope, starts out boldly and goes through numerous dynamic contrasts before ending with a reflective section in which plainchant is woven into a modern backdrop. Moore is actually quite fond of plainchant and he uses it to his advantage in this piece, which the choir sing with relish - how could they not?

Throughout the programme, there is evidence of good blend, tone and musical committment. Complementing their work is Peter Wright's skillful and careful handling of the somewhat lumpy Guildford organ. If there's only one thing that lets the whole disc down, it's the running time of barely forty minutes - understandable, though, since this was originally an LP release and only so much could be fitted onto it.

In summary: an interesting selection given a mostly excellent performance. Worth a look, but only if you're a hardened devotee of Cathedral Music.

Track Listings: