The Sun Most Radiant Music from the Eton Choirbook Volume 4

John Browne (fl. c.1490) 1 Salve regina I a 5 (SATBarB) 15.01 2 Salve regina II a 5 (TTTBarB)* 18.47

William Horwood (c.1430–1484) 3 Gaude flore virginali a 5 (SATTB)* 14.56

William, Monk of Stratford (fl. late 15th – early 16th century) 4 Magnificat a 4 (TTBarB) 19.54

68.42

*world premiere recordings

The Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Stephen Darlington Director of Music

2 Introduction It is not a surprise that this fourth volume of Eton Choirbook compositions should be so appealing to the Choir of Christ Church, Oxford. After all, we fulfil much the same function as the Eton College Chapel Choir did at the beginning of the 16th century, singing the daily offices with huge commitment and skill. A superficial glance at the structure and musical language of these four works might lead one to suppose that they are all written in a generic style, but each composer has a striking and distinctive voice, ranging from the consummate technical command of John Browne to the rhythmical ingenuity of William Horwood and the energetic imitative vocal interplay of William Stratford. The challenge for us is to revive not only the text but also the spirit of this music which is so glorious in its variety and complexity. Ꭿ Stephen Darlington, 2016

The Sun Most Radiant Of the 25 composers represented in the Eton Choirbook, one name stands out above the others: that of John Browne. He is widely acknowledged to be the finest composer of the collection, and his monumental eight-part antiphon O Maria salvatoris mater (recorded on Choirs of Angels, the second release in this series), has pride of place as the opening piece in the Choirbook. Not only did Eton originally contain more works by him (15) than by any other man, they exhibited a greater variety in their scoring: there were votive antiphons for four, five, six and eight voices and settings of the Magnificat for four, five and seven. A number of these have now unfortunately been lost, but of those that survive, no two employ exactly the same combination of voices. Frank Harrison, the first scholar to study the repertory in any detail, wrote in his magisterial study Music in Medieval Britain that ‘Browne’s technical command, the deeply penetrating quality of his imagination, and his capacity for strikingly dramatic expression place him among the greatest composers of his age.’ Although Browne used the full range of expressive gestures afforded by the florid votive antiphon style, his polyphony is tightly controlled and, unlike many of his contemporaries, he avoids note-spinning and cliché. If the style and character of the music of the Eton Choirbook can be said to be encapsulated in the work of any one man, then that man is surely John Browne. Frustratingly little evidence survives concerning Browne himself. Only one source other than the Eton Choirbook contains any of his church music; this manuscript, which transmits just the bass part of his Stabat mater, refers to him as ‘Johannes Browne Oxoniensis.’ No one of that name is known to have been employed by any of the choral foundations in Oxford at the time, but a John Browne was one of the chaplains to the household of the Earl of Oxford, John de Vere, and it has been suggested that this was the composer. Another of Browne’s compositions indicates that he may have had some royal connections. His remarkable six-part antiphon for men’s voices, Stabat iuxta Christi crucem, has as its cantus firmus the lowest voice of From stormy windes, a carol by Edmund Turges that was composed in 1501 to mark the journey of Prince Arthur, son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, to Ludlow to undertake new duties as Prince of Wales. The text of Stabat iuxta, which describes the Virgin Mary mourning the death of Jesus, is taken from the Use of York, and Hugh Benham has suggested that the work was written in 1502 for Queen Elizabeth following the untimely death of Prince Arthur, her own son and the great hope of the new dynasty.

3 Browne’s first setting of the Salve regina is the only one of his surviving works to employ what might be called the ‘standard’ five-part choir of the pre-Reformation period, consisting of treble, mean, countertenor, tenor and bass (the countertenor and tenor have much the same range). It uses as its cantus firmus the plainsong antiphon Maria ergo unxit pedes, which describes how Mary Magdalene washed and anointed the feet of Jesus. In the Use of Sarum this text was sung during the Pedilavium, or foot-washing ceremony, on Maundy Thursday, but the Use of Hereford, like many Continental rites, assigned it to the feast of Mary Magdalene (22 July). The cantus firmus is sung twice, and the two statements are carefully balanced so that the first, in triple time, lasts for 45 breves, while the second, in duple time, takes 45 longs. (The number 45 is an interesting one mathematically: it is the product of three, three and five, which are all prime numbers; it is also a triangular number, being the sum of the integers from one to nine, and the sum of 36 and nine, which are both square numbers.) The use of two statements of a cantus firmus, of the same or similar length, is common to many of the Eton antiphons. Of the nine works by Browne that survive completely or almost intact in Eton, five are for men’s voices. These include his second setting of Salve regina, which is recorded here for the first time. It has as its cantus firmus the melody Venit dilectus meus, the antiphon to the sixth psalm at Matins on the Feast of the Assumption (15 August). This would have made the work ideal for performance at Eton, where Henry VI had sought to create a ‘church in honour of her incomparable festival in which Holy Mother Church might commemorate her reception into the heavenly bridal-chamber.’ Although the idea of word-painting, at least as applied to the later form of the madrigal, was essentially foreign to composers of the 15th century, they did nevertheless have some means at their disposal to illustrate certain passages of text, and Browne highlights the word exsules (exile) by having the cantus firmus fall temporarily silent. William Horwood is among the earliest composers represented in Eton. He was appointed informator choristarum (instructor of the choristers) at Lincoln Cathedral in March 1477 and was required to teach them plainsong, the standard methods of improvising upon it (faburden, discant and counter) and composed polyphony (pricksong). One of the more old-fashioned features of his Gaude flore virginali, which also receives its first recording on this release, is the ‘under-third’ cadence, where the melody falls by step from the leading-note before rising to the tonic. This figure, beloved of older composers such as John Dunstaple, can be heard in the top part at the very end of the work. Like the music of Dunstaple (one of whose pieces was copied into, but later lost from, Eton), Horwood’s Gaude was circulated and performed long after its composer’s death: in 1529 ‘Horwods Gaude’ was listed in an inventory of music books used at Eton’s sister foundation of King’s College, Cambridge. The Eton Choirbook originally contained 24 settings of the Magnificat. Only six now exist in a performable state, and the one in four parts by William, monk of Stratford, is his only surviving work. Prominent use is made of imitation, together with some vigorous counterpoint. Ꭿ Timothy Symons, 2016 The author would like to express his thanks to Dr Magnus Williamson for his assistance with the preparation of these programme notes.

4 Salve regina Gaude flore virginali 1/2 Salve regina, mater misericordiae: Hail queen, mother of mercy; our life, 3 De septem gaudiis deiparae virginis Of the .vii. spirituall joyes of our Lady vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve. our sweetness, our hope, all hail. Unto spiritualibus Ad te clamamus, exules, filii Evae. thee do we cry, which are the banished Ad te suspiramus, gementes et children of Eve. Unto thee do we sigh, Gaude flore virginali, Rejoice, O flower of virgins all, flentes in hac lacrimarum valle.† weeping and wailing in this vale of Honoreque speciali In thine honour and grace especial Eia ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos lamentation. Come, therefore, our Transcendens splendiferum Exceeding a thousandfold misericordes oculos ad nos converte. patroness. Cast upon us those pitiful eyes Angelorum principatum The principality of angels eminent Et Jesum, benedictum fructum of thine. And after this our banishment, Et sanctorum decoratum And the dignity of saints refulgent, ventris tui, nobis post hoc exilium show unto us the blessed fruit of thy Dignitate numerum. More than can be told. ostende. womb, Jesu. Virgo mater ecclesiae, Virgin mother of the congregation, Gaude sponsa cara dei, Rejoice, O spouse of God most dear, Aeterna porta gloriae, Gate of glory that never is done [closed], Nam ut clara lux diei For as the light of the day so clear Esto nobis refugium Be for us a reconciliation Solis datur lumine, Comes of the sun most radiant, Apud patrem et filium. Unto the father and the son. Sic tu facis orbem vere Even so dost thou cause questionless O Clemens. O merciful. Tuae pacis resplendere The world to flourish in quietness Virgo clemens, virgo pia, Virgin merciful, virgin holy, Lucis plenitudine. Through thy grace abundant. Virgo dulcis, O Maria, O sweet virgin, O blessed Mary, Exaudi preces omnium Hear their prayers graciously Gaude splendens vas virtutum, Rejoice, O vessel of virtue splendent, Ad te pie clamantium. Which cry and call unto thee. Cuius pendens est ad nutum At whose beck and commandment O Pia. O holy. Tota caeli curia. All the heavenly consistory Funde preces tuo nato, Pray for us unto thy son, Te benignam et felicem Thee, most gentle, and also happiest, Crucifixo, vulnerato, Wounded and crucified for us all, Jesu dignam genitricem The worthy mother of Jesu Christ, Et pro nobis flagellato, And sore tormented with flagellation, Veneratur in gloria. Do worship with much glory. Spinis puncto, felle potato. Crowned with thorn, and fed with gall. O dulcis Maria, salve. O sweet Mary, hail. Gaude nexu voluntatis Rejoice in the bond of charity Et amplexu caritatis And in the liege of dignity, †Salve regina II reads ‘valle Thys prymer in Englyshe and in Laten is Juncta sic altissimo, Thou art coupled with God so near, lacrimarum’ newly tra[n]slated after the Laten texte Ut ad votum consequaris That thou mayst at thy desire (Rouen, Nicholas le Roux, 1536; STC Quicquid virgo postularis Obtain all that thou wilt require 15993), ff. 77v–78v A Jesu dulcissimo. Of Jesu, thy son most dear.

5 Magnificat Gaude mater miserorum, Rejoice, O mother of wretches all, 4 Magnificat anima mea dominum. My soul magnifyeth the Lord. Quia pater saeculorum For the Father, that is eternal, Et exsultavit spiritus meus in deo And my spirit rejoiced in God Dabit te colentibus To them that do thee reverence salvatore meo. my Saviour. Congruentem hic mercedem In this world gives them wages Quia respexit humilitatem For he hath looked on the poor degree Et felicem poli sedem And a place in the heavenly stages ancillae suae: of his handmaiden: Regnis in caelestibus. In the kingdom of excellence. ecce enim ex hoc behold, now from henceforth beatam me dicent omnes generationes. shall all generations call me blessed. Gaude virgo mater Christi, Rejoice, O mother of Jesu Christ, Quia fecit mihi magna qui potens For he that is mighty hath done to me Quia sola meruisti, Which wast alone most worthiest, est: great things: O virgo piissima, O virgin immaculate, et sanctum nomen eius. and blessed is his name. Esse tantae dignitatis To be of such high dignity Et misericordia eius in progenies et And his mercy is always on them that Quod sis sancte trinitatis That next to the blessed Trinity progenies: fear him: Sessioni proxima. In place thou art now collocate. timentibus eum. throughout all generations. Fecit potentiam in brachio suo: He hath shewed strength with his arm: Gaude virgo mater pura, Rejoice, O mother maiden pure, dispersit superbos he hath scattered them that are proud Certa manens et secura, And of this be certain and sure, mente cordis sui. in the imagination of their hearts. Quod haec septem gaudia That these joys seven Deposuit potentes de sede: He hath put down the mighty from their Non cessabunt nec decrescent Shall neither minish, nor also cease, seats: Sed durabunt et florescent But still continue and ever increase et exaltavit humiles. and hath exalted them of low degree. Per aeterna secula. While the Father is in heaven. Esurientes implevit bonis: He hath filled the hungry with good things: Amen. Amen. et divites dimisit inanes. and hath sent away the rich empty. Suscepit Israel puerum suum: He hath remembered mercy: Thys prymer in Englyshe and in Laten is recordatus misericordiae sue. and hath holpen his servant Israel. newly tra[n]slated after the Laten texte Sicut locutus est ad patres nostros, Even as he promised to our fathers, (Rouen, Nicholas le Roux, 1536; STC Abraham et semini eius in saecula. Abraham and to his seed for ever. 15993), ff. 79v–80v Gloria patri, et filio, Glory be to the Father, to the Son, et spiritui sancto. and to the Holy Ghost. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, As it was in the beginning, as it is now et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. and ever shall be. So be it.

Thys prymer in Englyshe and in Laten is newly tra[n]slated after the Laten texte (Rouen, Nicholas le Roux, 1536; STC 15993), f.69v

6 Einleitung Es überrascht nicht, dass der Christ Church Choir, Oxford, von diesem vierten Band mit Kompositionen aus dem Eton Choirbook so angezogen ist. Immerhin erfüllen wir fast die gleiche Funktion wie der Eton College Chapel Choir zu Beginn des 16. Jahrhunderts, indem wir die täglichen Offizien mit großem Engagement und Können singen. Ein oberflächlicher Blick auf Struktur und Musiksprache dieser vier Werke könnte zu der Annahme führen, dass sie alle in einem gemeinsamen Stil geschrieben sind, doch jeder Komponist hat eine bemerkenswerte und unverkennbare Stimme, von der vollendeten technischen Meisterschaft John Brownes bis zum rhythmischen Einfallsreichtum William Horwoods und dem dynamischen, imitierenden Wechselspiel der Stimmen bei William Stratford. Die Herausforderung für uns besteht darin, nicht nur den Text, sondern auch den Geist dieser Musik wiederaufleben zu lassen, die in ihrer Vielfalt und Komplexität so herrlich ist. Stephen Darlington, 2016

The Sun Most Radiant (Die strahlendste Sonne) Von den 25 im Eton Choirbook vertretenen Komponisten überragt ein Name die anderen: John Browne. Er gilt weithin als der beste Komponist der Sammlung, und seine gewaltige achtstimmige Antiphon O Maria salvatoris mater (die Einspielung findet sich auf Choirs of Angels, der zweiten Veröffentlichung dieser Serie), hat einen Ehrenplatz als Anfangsstück im Eton Choirbook. Darin waren ursprünglich nicht nur mehr Werke von Browne (15) als von jedem anderen enthalten, sondern diese zeigten auch eine größere Vielfalt ihrer jeweiligen Vertonung: Es waren Votiv-Antiphone für vier, fünf, sechs und acht Stimmen und Magnificat-Vertonungen für vier, fünf und sieben Stimmen. Einige von ihnen sind nun leider verloren, aber von denen, die sich erhalten haben, verwendet keine genau die gleiche Stimmenkombination. Frank Harrison, der erste Wissenschaftler, der das Repertoire bis ins Detail erforscht hat, schrieb in seiner meisterhaften Untersuchung Music in Medieval Britain, dass „Brownes technische Meisterschaft, seine überaus intensive Imagination sowie seine gekonnte, auffallend dramatische Ausdruckskraft ihm einen Platz unter den größten Komponisten seiner Zeit sichern“. Obgleich Browne die ganze Bandbreite ausdrucksvoller Gesten genutzt hat, die der verzierte Stil der Votiv-Antiphon bot, ist seine Polyphonie streng kontrolliert, und er vermeidet, anders als viele seiner Zeitgenossen, Wiederholungspassagen und Klischees. Wenn es einen Komponisten gibt, dessen Werk Stil und Eigenart der Musik des Eton Choirbook verkörpert, dann ist dies sicherlich John Browne. Leider haben sich zu Browne nur wenige Zeugnisse erhalten. Außer dem Eton Choirbook enthält nur noch eine Quelle Kirchenmusik von ihm; dieses Autograph, das bloß die Bassstimme seines Stabat mater wiedergibt, weist ihn als „Johannes Browne Oxoniensis“ aus. Es gibt sonst niemanden dieses Namens, der damals bei einer der Choreinrichtungen in Oxford beschäftigt war, doch ein John Browne war einer der Kaplane im Haushalt des Earl of Oxford, John de Vere, und dies soll der Komponist gewesen sein. Eine andere Komposition von Browne deutet darauf hin, dass er königliche Verbindungen gehabt haben könnte. Seine außergewöhnliche sechsstimmige Antiphon für Männerstimmen, Stabat iuxta Christi crucem, hat als Cantus firmus die tiefste Stimme aus From stormy windes, einem Lied von Edmund Turges, das 1501 anlässlich der Reise nach Ludlow von Prinz Arthur, dem Sohn von Henry VII. und Elizabeth von York, komponiert wurde; er sollte dort neue Aufgaben als Kronprinz übernehmen. Der Text von Stabat iuxta, der die um ihren Sohn Jesus trauernde

7 Jungfrau Maria schildert, stammt aus dem York-Usus, und Hugh Benham hält es für naheliegend, dass das Werk 1502 für Königin Elizabeth nach dem frühen Tod ihres eigenen Sohnes Prinz Arthur geschrieben wurde, der die große Hoffnung der neuen Dynastie war. Brownes erste Vertonung des Salve regina ist das einzige seiner erhaltenen Werke, in dem der sozusagen „übliche“ fünfstimmige Chor der Vor-Reformation verwendet wird, der aus Sopran, Mittelstimme, Countertenor, Tenor und Bass besteht (Countertenor und Tenor haben weitgehend den gleichen Umfang). Als Cantus firmus wird die Choralantiphon Maria ergo unxit pedes verwendet, in der geschildert wird, wie Maria Magdalena die Füße von Jesus wusch und salbte. Im Sarum-Usus wurde dieser Text während des Pedilavium (Fußwaschungs-Zeremonie) am Gründonnerstag gesungen, doch der Hereford-Usus ordnete ihn, wie viele kontinentale Riten, dem Gedenktag von Maria Magdalena (22. Juli) zu. Der Cantus firmus wird zweimal gesungen, und die beiden Themenaufstellungen sind sorgfältig aufeinander abgestimmt, so dass die erste (im Dreiertakt) 45 breves dauert, die zweite indes (im Zweiertakt) 45 longae. (Die Zahl 45 ist mathematisch interessant: Sie ist das Produkt aus 3x3x5, alles Primzahlen; es ist auch eine Dreieckszahl, als Summe der Ganzzahlen von 1 bis 9; sowie die Summe von 36+9, beides Quadratzahlen.) Die Verwendung von zwei Themenaufstellungen eines Cantus firmus von gleicher oder ähnlicher Länge ist in vielen Eton-Choirbook- Antiphonen üblich. Von den neun Werken Brownes, die sich vollständig oder nahezu intakt im Eton Choirbook erhalten haben, sind fünf für Männerstimmen. Dazu gehört seine zweite Vertonung des Salve regina, die hier erstmals aufgenommen wurde. Ihr Cantus firmus ist die Melodie Venit dilectus meus, die Antiphon zum sechsten Psalm bei der Frühmesse an Mariä Himmelfahrt (15. August). Damit war das Werk ideal für die Aufführung in Eton geeignet, wo Henry VI. versucht hatte, eine „Kirche zu Ehren des unvergleichlichen Festes zu schaffen, damit die Heilige Mutter Kirche ihrer Aufnahme in das himmlische Brautgemach gedenken könne“. Obgleich die Wortmalerei, wenigstens so wie sie für die ältere Form des Madrigals angewandt wurde, den Komponisten des 15. Jahrhunderts im Grunde fremd war, standen ihnen doch einige Mittel für die Illustrierung bestimmter Textpassagen zur Verfügung, und Browne hebt das Wort exsules (Exil) hervor, indem er den Cantus firmus vorübergehend verstummen lässt. William Horwood gehört zu den frühesten im Eton Choirbook vertretenen Komponisten. Er wurde im März 1477 zum informator choristarum (Musikdirektor) an der Lincoln Cathedral berufen und musste dort Choralgesang und die üblichen dazugehörigen Improvisationsarten (Fauxbourdon, Diskant und Gegenstimme) sowie komponierte Polyphonie (notierter Gesang) unterrichten. Eines der eher veralteten Merkmale von Gaude flore virginali (auch erstmals für diese Veröffentlichung aufgenommen) ist die Unterterzklausel, bei der die Melodie Schritt für Schritt vom Leitton absteigt, bevor sie zur Tonika aufsteigt. Diese bei älteren Komponisten wie etwa John Dunstaple beliebte Figur kann man in der höchsten Stimme ganz am Schluss des Werkes hören. Wie die Musik von Dunstaple (eines seiner Werke wurde in das Eton Choirbook übernommen, ging später aber verloren) wurde Horwoods Gaude noch lange nach dem Tod des Komponisten verbreitet und aufgeführt: „Horwods Gaude“ war in einem Verzeichnis von Musikbüchern 1529 aufgeführt, die am King’s College, Cambridge, der Schwestergründung von Eton, verwendet wurden. Das Eton Choirbook enthielt ursprünglich 24 Magnificat-Vertonungen. Inzwischen gibt es nur noch sechs in einem aufführbaren Zustand, und die vierstimmige von William, Mönch aus Stratford, ist das einzige erhaltene seiner Werke. Imitation wird zusammen mit kraftvollem Kontrapunkt markant eingesetzt. Timothy Symons, 2016 Der Autor möchte Dr. Magnus Williamson für seine Unterstützung bei der Erstellung dieser Programmanmerkungen danken. Übersetzung: Christiane Frobenius 8 Introduction Il n’est pas surprenant que ce quatrième volume de compositions de l’Eton Choirbook soit si attrayant pour le Choir of Christ Church d’Oxford. Après tout, nous assumons à peu près les mêmes fonctions que le Chapel Choir d’Eton College au début du XVIe siècle, chantant les offices quotidiens avec beaucoup d’engagement et de talent. Un coup d’œil superficiel à la structure et au langage musical de ces quatre œuvres pourrait inciter à penser qu’elles sont toutes écrites dans un style générique, mais chacun des compositeurs a une voix frappante et caractéristique, qui va de la parfaite maîtrise technique de John Browne à l’ingéniosité rythmique de William Horwood ou à l’énergique interaction vocale imitative de William Stratford. Le défi pour nous est de ressusciter non seulement le texte, mais aussi l’esprit de cette musique si splendide dans sa diversité et sa complexité. Stephen Darlington, 2016

The Sun Most Radiant (Le soleil très radieux) Parmi les vingt-cinq compositeurs représentés dans l’Eton Choirbook, un nom se distingue de tous les autres : celui de John Browne. Il est largement reconnu comme le meilleur compositeur de l’anthologie, et sa monumentale antienne à huit voix, O Maria salvatoris mater (enregistrée sur Choirs of Angels, le deuxième album de cette série), occupe une place de choix en tant que première pièce du manuscrit. Non seulement l’Eton Choirbook comportait à l’origine plus d’œuvres de lui (quinze) que de quiconque, mais celles-ci témoignaient d’une plus grande variété dans leur effectif : il y avait des antiennes votives à quatre, cinq, six et huit voix, et des Magnificat à quatre, cinq et sept voix. Un certain nombre de ces œuvres sont malheureusement perdues, mais parmi celles qui subsistent il n’y en a pas deux qui emploient exactement la même combinaison de voix. Frank Harrison, premier musicologue à étudier le répertoire en détail, écrit dans sa magistrale étude Music in Medieval Britain que « la maîtrise technique de Browne, la qualité profondément pénétrante de son imagination, et sa capacité à trouver une expression remarquablement dramatique le placent parmi les plus grands compositeurs de son temps ». Bien que Browne utilise toute la palette des gestes expressifs offerte par le style fleuri des antiennes votives, sa polyphonie est soigneusement contrôlée, et, à la différence de bon nombre de ses contemporains, il évite le remplissage et les clichés. S’il fallait citer un seul compositeur qui incarne le style de l’Eton Choirbook, ce ne pourrait certainement être que John Browne. Les documents sur Browne lui-même sont d’une rareté frustrante. En dehors de l’Eton Choirbook, une seule autre source comporte de la musique d’église de lui ; ce manuscrit, qui transmet uniquement la partie de basse de son Stabat mater, le nomme « Johannes Browne Oxoniensis ». Pour autant qu’on sache, personne de ce nom ne fut employé par aucune des fondations chorales d’Oxford à cette époque, mais un certain John Browne était l’un des chapelains de la maison du comte d’Oxford, John de Vere, et on a pensé qu’il pouvait être le compositeur. Une autre des compositions de Browne indique qu’il pourrait avoir eu des liens avec la maison royale. Sa remarquable antienne à six voix d’hommes, Stabat iuxta Christi crucem, a comme cantus firmus la voix la plus grave de From stormy windes, un carol d’Edmund Turges composé en 1501 à l’occasion du voyage du prince Arthur, fils de Henri VII et d’Élisabeth d’York, à Ludlow, pour y assumer de nouvelles fonctions en tant que prince de Galles. Le texte du Stabat iuxta, qui dépeint la Vierge Marie pleurant la mort de Jésus, est tiré de l’usage d’York, et Hugh Benham pense que l’œuvre fut écrite en 1502 pour la reine Élisabeth après la mort prématurée du prince Arthur, son propre fils et le grand espoir de la nouvelle dynastie.

9 Le premier Salve regina de Browne est la seule de ses œuvres qui subsistent à employer ce qu’on pourrait appeler le chœur à cinq voix « standard » de la période d’avant la Réforme : treble (dessus), mean (voix moyenne), countertenor (contre-ténor), tenor (ténor) et bass (basse) (le contre-ténor et le ténor ont à peu près le même ambitus). Il utilise comme cantus firmus l’antienne en plain-chant Maria ergo unxit pedes, qui relate comment Marie Madeleine a lavé et oint les pieds de Jésus. Dans l’usage de Sarum, ce texte était chanté lors du Pedilavium, la cérémonie de lavement des pieds du Jeudi saint, mais l’usage de Hereford, comme beaucoup de rites continentaux, l’affectait à la fête de Marie Madeleine (22 juillet). Le cantus firmus est chanté deux fois, et les deux énoncés sont soigneusement équilibrés pour que le premier, de mesure ternaire, dure 45 brèves, tandis que le second, de mesure binaire, dure 45 longues. (Le nombre 45 est intéressant du point de vue mathématique : c’est le produit de 3, 3 et 5, qui sont tous deux des nombres premiers ; c’est aussi un nombre triangulaire, étant la somme des entiers de 1 à 9, et la somme de 36 et 9, tous deux des carrés.) L’emploi de deux énoncés d’un cantus firmus, de même longueur ou de longueur similaire, se retrouve dans bon nombre d’antiennes de l’Eton Choirbook. Parmi les neuf œuvres de Browne qui subsistent complètement ou presque intactes dans l’Eton Choirbook, cinq sont pour voix d’hommes. Celles-ci comprennent son second Salve regina, enregistré ici pour la première fois. Il a pour cantus firmus la mélodie Venit dilectus meus, l’antienne du sixième psaume des matines pour la fête de l’Assomption (15 août). Cela aurait rendu l’œuvre idéale pour être exécutée à Eton, où Henri VI avait cherché à créer une « église en l’honneur de sa fête incomparable, où la Sainte Mère Église puisse commémorer sa réception dans la chambre nuptiale céleste ». Bien que la notion de figuralisme, du moins telle qu’elle était appliquée dans la forme plus tardive du madrigal, soit fondamentalement étrangère aux compositeurs du XVe siècle, ceux-ci avaient néanmoins à leur disposition quelques moyens pour illustrer certains passages du texte, et Browne souligne le mot exsules (exil) en faisant provisoirement taire le cantus firmus. William Horwood est parmi les plus anciens compositeurs représentés dans l’Eton Choirbook. Nommé informator choristarum (instructeur des choristes) à la cathédrale de Lincoln en mars 1477, il était tenu de leur enseigner le plain-chant et les méthodes traditionnelles d’improvisation sur celui-ci (faburden, discant et counter – faux-bourdon, déchant et « contre »), et composait de la polyphonie (pricksong). L’un des traits plus démodés de son Gaude flore virginali, qui est également enregistré pour la première fois sur cet album, est la cadence dite « Landini », où la mélodie descend conjointement de la sensible avant de monter à la tonique. Cette figure, qu’affectionnaient les compositeurs plus anciens comme John Dunstaple, s’entend à la voix supérieure tout à la fin de l’œuvre. Comme la musique de Dunstaple (dont l’une des pièces fut copiée dans l’Eton Choirbook, mais ensuite perdue), le Gaude de Horwood circula et fut exécuté bien après la mort du compositeur : en 1529, « Horwods Gaude » était cité dans un inventaire de livres de musique utilisé à la fondation sœur d’Eton : le King’s College de Cambridge. L’Eton Choirbook comportait à l’origine vingt-quatre Magnificat. Seuls six subsistent sous une forme qui puisse être exécutée, et celui de William, moine de Stratford, est la seule œuvre de lui qui ait survécu. Elle fait grand usage d’imitations, avec un vigoureux contrepoint. Timothy Symons, 2016 L’auteur aimerait exprimer sa reconnaissance à Magnus Williamson pour son aide dans la préparation de ce texte de programme. Traduction : Dennis Collins

10 Stephen Darlington Dr Stephen Darlington is one of the country’s leading choral conductors. He has been Director of Music and Tutor in Music at Christ Church since 1985. Previously he was Master of the Music at St Alban’s Abbey and artistic director of the world-famous International Organ Festival. He has established Christ Church as an acknowledged centre of academic musical excellence, and maintained the highest choral traditions of the Church of England in the Cathedral. He is renowned for his direction of choral music of the 16th century, and of modern sacred music, with an extensive discography including several award-winning recordings. Stephen has travelled worldwide with the Choir, performing with many great artists, and has also collaborated with distinguished contemporary composers such as Judith Weir, John Tavener, Howard Goodall and Robert Saxton. Stephen was previously President of the Royal College of Organists and is currently Choragus of the University of Oxford and the holder of a Lambeth Doctorate. He has recently been awarded Honorary Membership of the Royal Academy of Music and appointed a Lay Canon of Christ Church Cathedral.

The Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford The Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford has a special and distinctive place within the great English choral tradition. Historically it is set apart from all other collegiate and cathedral choirs, since it serves both an Oxford college and a diocese at once, as a unique and celebrated dual foundation. Musically it has become revered for the vibrancy of its collective sound and its artistic flexibility. Cardinal Wolsey founded the College in the 1520s and he set out to match the opulence and grandeur of the buildings with the finest virtuoso choir in the land. Its first musical director, John Taverner, was recruited by Wolsey’s agents and proved to be the most outstanding English composer of the period before Tallis and Byrd. This is reflected in the series of stunning liturgical works he composed to be

11 sung in the intimate surroundings of the college chapel, the building which later became Oxford’s cathedral under Henry VIII. The constitution of the choral forces, 16 boys and 12 men, remains to this day. There has been here a continuous, almost unbroken tradition of glorious music- making for nearly 500 years. Throughout that time a number of brilliant choral directors have nurtured the Christ Church sound (notably in recent years Simon Preston and Stephen Darlington), one which is open, vigorous and uninhibited. It is also compellingly allied to the transparent acoustic of the building. The Choir’s tonal quality has been praised and admired throughout the world from Sydney to Rio de Janeiro, from Tokyo to New York, from Helsinki to Paris, and from Beijing to Amsterdam. Over the years the Choir has provided a perfect platform for singers to progress to other award-winning choral groups such as the BBC Singers, The Sixteen, The King’s Singers, The Tallis Scholars and The Cardinall’s Musick as well as to solo careers in oratorio, opera and musical theatre. Director of Music Stephen Darlington engages the Choir in challenging collaborative initiatives in the UK and internationally. On recent tours, in addition to performing its own programme, the Choir has worked intensively alongside local community choirs in Portugal, Jamaica, Bermuda, China and the USA, culminating in successful and memorable joint concerts. Christ Church Cathedral Choir also boasts a lasting legacy of groundbreaking recordings which have excited the critics and the listening public over the last 30 years. Among many awards for its recordings under Stephen Darlington’s direction, the Choir secured a Grammy nomination for An Oxford Elegy by Vaughan Williams and, more recently, More Divine than Human: Music from The Eton Choirbook (Avie) was voted Vespers 1610 CD of the year and nominated for a 2010 Gramophone Award, and Howard Goodall’s Eternal Light: A Requiem with London Musici (EMI Classics) won a Classical Brit Award. The Treasures of Christ Church (Avie) was the highest new entry in the classical CD charts, as well as being BBC Radio 3 CD of the Week. Mendelssohn’s arrangement of Handel’s Acis and Galatea (Nimbus), Choirs of Angels: Music from The Eton Choirbook Vol. 2 (Avie), and Courts of Heaven: Music from the Eton Choirbook Vol. 3 (Avie) were released in 2012, 2013, and 2014 respectively, to critical acclaim. The latter two were nominated for Gramophone Awards, and Courts of Heaven was featured on Radio 3’s The Choir and CD Review. The astonishing versatility of this Choir has also given it a strong media profile, featuring in more than 15 documentaries in the last ten years including Howard Goodall’s BAFTA-winning Big Bangs. The Choir recently recorded Goodall’s Eternal Light: A Requiem with London Musici (EMI Classics). This has toured the UK with the Rambert Dance Company, with the Choir performing the London premiere week at Sadler’s Wells. In 2009 the Choir opened the Leipzig Bach Festival and in 2010 it performed Haydn’s Creation in Germany with the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2012 the Choir undertook its first tour to China, giving the opening concert in the prestigious annual choral festival in the National Centre for Performing Arts in Beijing; the Choir returned to China for another highly successful tour in the summer of 2015. In 2011 and 2014 the Choir undertook sell-out tours to the USA and Canada, during which concerts were broadcast by 17 radio stations across the USA, and the Choir revisited the USA and Canada for another tour in the spring of 2016. As well as tours further afield, the Choir gives concerts throughout the year around the UK. The Cathedral continues regular radio broadcasting of Evensong and other key services and concerts. And, of course, the Choir is heard regularly singing the Mr Bean and Vicar of Dibley theme tunes on TV, in addition to other incidental music for TV dramas and films. www.chchchoir.org

12 13 Choristers Altos Tenors Basses Christian Chambers Michael Ash* William Anderson Tom Bennett Henry Hart Nicholas Cornforth Edmund Bridges Anthony Chater Tristan Hays Watson Henry Kimber Tim Coleman Will Gaunt* Sanuda Kariyawasam Frazer MacDiarmid David Condry* Henry Hawkesworth Daniel Kelly Eddie McMullan* Liam Connery Michael Hickman* Frederick Mulcahey Ben Durrant* Noel Li George Nicholls* Samuel Herman-Wilson Samuel Mitchell* Isaac Payne Edward Woodhouse* Nicholas Platt *(also soloist) Ivan Samuel Jamie Schulz Rufus Shanagher James Welch Alex White Louis Woolaghan

Recording: 14–16 March 2016, Chapel of Merton College, Oxford Producer: Jeremy Summerly Balance engineer and editing: Simon Fox-Gál Design and art direction: WLP Ltd. Cover image: From the Eton Choirbook – William Horwood: Gaude flore virginali (MS 178 no. 36 f. 74v) Image from the Eton Choirbook reproduced by kind permission of the Provost and Fellows of Eton College Choir photo: KT Bruce Photo of Stephen Darlington: Wiley Stewart for WDAV Editions: Timothy Symons With grateful thanks to the Friends of Christ Church Cathedral and Professor Magnus Williamson. The Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford and Stephen Darlington are represented by Val Fancourt Music Management. www.valfancourt.com ൿ 2016 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by Christ Church Cathedral Choir Ꭿ 2016 Christ Church Cathedral Choir www.chchchoir.org Marketed by Avie Records www.avie-records.com DDD The Choir of Christ Church Cathedral on AVIE Records

AV2167 More Divine than Human AV2184 Choirs of Angels Browne, Cornysh, Davy, Fawkyner, Lambe Browne, Cornysh, Davy, Lambe, Wylkynson

AV2215 Treasures of Christ Church AV2314 Courts of Heaven Hampton, Turges, Fawkyner, Browne, Wylkynson

AV 2359 CTP Template: CD_INL1 COLOURS Compact Disc Back Inlay CYAN MAGENTA Customer AVIE YELLOW Catalogue No. 2359 AV BLACK Job Title: ETON CHOIRBOOK VOLUME 4 Page Nos.

This fourth instalment of Music from the Eton Choirbook builds yet again upon a series that has been consistently lauded by Gramophone for ‘championing the performances of this repertory with boy trebles’ and focusing on ‘on previously unrecorded pieces’, with Darlington and his ensemble striking a remarkable ‘balance between intricate T T H H detail and overall sonority’. True to form, this volume boasts two world premiere recordings in another fine selection E E of early Tudor masterpieces of English sacred polyphony. S S U U N N T T H H M M E E O O C C The Sun Most Radiant S S T T H H O O R R Music from the Eton Choirbook Volume 4 I I A A R R D D O O I I A A F F (fl. c.1490) N N John Browne C C T T H H 1 a 5 15.01 – – Salve regina I R R I I M M 2 a 5* 18.47 S S T T Salve regina II U U C C S S I I H H C C U U (c.1430–1484) F F R R William Horwood R R C C O O 3 a 5* 14.56 H H M M Gaude flore virginali C C T T A A H H T T E E H H William, Monk of Stratford (fl. late 15th – early 16th century) E E E E D D T T 4 a 4 19.54 O O R R Magnificat A A N N L L C C · ·

H H D D 68.42 O O A A * world premiere recordings I I R R R R B B L L I I O O N N O O G G K K T T O O V V The Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford N N O O Director of Music L L Stephen Darlington U U M M E E STEREO DDD AV2359 4 4 Booklet enclosed · Mit deutscher Textbeilage · Brochure incluse ൿ A A 2016 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by Christ Church V V Cathedral Choir · Ꭿ 2016 Christ Church Cathedral Choir. www.chchchoir.org 2 2 3 3 5 5 Manufactured and printed in the UK 9 9 Marketed by Avie Records www.avie-records.com