Search - John Browne, Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips :: John Browne: Music from the Eton Choirbook

A Remarkably Beautiful Recording

Sator | Sydney, Australia | 08/02/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I must confess that when the English Oxbridge choirs release yet another recording by an early English composer of various degrees of obscurity I tend to get a little overwhelmed - Fayrfax, Mundy, Ludford, Dunstable, Lamb, Sheppard, Tye, White, Merbecke, Cornysh, Frye, Sturgeon, Parsons, Lambe, Davy, Plummer, Wylkynson, Taverner, Philips, not to mention the more internationally recognized Byrd and Tallis. The list begins to read rather like a phone book, and I generally find Paul van Nevel and the Huelgas Ensemble's search through the wider geographic area of Europe to be much more fruitful grounds to uncover forgotten gems. So it is a pleasant surprise to hear forgotten English music as beautiful as that presented by the Tallis Scholars.



Particularly beautiful is the sheer commitment and the huge sonority that the ensemble produce - it almost sounds orchestral in its breadth and impact. Whether this music sounded anything like this originally is open to debate - it fact it probably sounded totally different - but I wonder if this music ever sounded so sonorous in its day. Whether the cultivation of such 'sonority' really originally belonged to the music, however, seems rather irrelevant compared to the sheer beauty of the sound that the Tallis Scholar make these days. They certainly take full advantage of Browne's writings, here represented in the form of five motets, with their rich scoring in up to a then hitherto unprecedented eight parts - Peter Phillips describes Browne's textures as being 'colossal'.



Little is known about John Browne - even his dates are unknown. He was active in the late 1400's - although scholars have further discovered he was employed in the household of John de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, who kept a grand private chapel at the time, and where Browne was one of the chaplains. It is also known that his contemporaries held him in high regard. The only reason for the survival of any of Browne's music is due to the Eton Choirbook, which lists 93 works by different composers copied at the turn of the 16th century for use at Eton College. All the music on this recording originate from the earlier folios of the Eton Choirbook, dating from about 1490 to 1500, whose index reveals that there were originally ten more pieces by Browne in the collection. Of these, five have been sadly lost, two more are incomplete, and three are too long to include on this disc.



If like me you tend to be tentative in exploring the relatively over-represented early English choral music coming out then at least in this instance the sheer power of the singing here overcomes any such concerns. The spectacular recorded sound quality sets new standards amongst Gimell recordings with an added dimension of sound characterized by wider soundstaging, remarkable dynamic range, plus more refined detail and transparency compared to any of their previous releases. In fact this is thoroughly audiophile quality sound.



Recommended."

Exceptionally beautiful

Alfonso | Baltimore, MD, USA | 09/27/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I own almost every recording the Tallis Scholars have produced (I started buying their music on record and tape twenty years ago), and this recording stands out as one of the best in the collection. Browne's music--like most of what's in the Eton Choirbook--is exceptionally rich and complex. The vocal textures are broad and varied beyond those of most other choral literature of the period, and the singers' flawless vocal production and their commitment to the music makes listening to this recording a compelling and rewarding experience. The quality of the Scholars' recordings has always been extremely high--they have really set the standard in the vocal early music business. But the group's sound has also matured over the years, and this recording of John Browne's music represents one of its highest achievements. It's a masterpiece for composer, singer, and conductor alike, and an indulgent pleasure for the listener. Highly recommended."

Sublime polyphony

Sid Nuncius | London England | 06/04/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a sublime disc. There are five expansive pieces lasting the best part of 15 minutes each, and the long, flowing melodic lines are given real space to breathe. The performance by the Tallis Scholars is of the superlative standard we have come to expect from them with their characteristic scholarship, precision, fluency and emotional engagement, so that you can either listen carefully to the perfectly clear, crafted polyphony or simply lie back and wallow in the wonderful sonorities as wave after wave after wave of the most beautiful sound washes over you.



The Tallis Scholars have been one of the world's greatest choirs for twenty-five years and more. This is one of their very finest discs - and that is really saying something. An absolute gem."