CORO The Sixteen Edition Other Sixteen Edition The Voices of Angels Music from the Eton Choirbook, Volume V recordings available on Coro cor16002 Iste Confessor "Foreigners were astonished at the quality The Sacred Music of of English choirs. Theirs Domenico Scarlatti cor16003 were "the voices of angels", a tribute which "Outstanding... astonishing The Sixteen deserves no stylistic and expressive range." less today." bbc music magazine classic cd

The Flowering of Genius The Fairy Queen Guerrero, Tallis, Purcell Byrd, Victoria 2cd set cor16001 cor16005 "The Sixteen's sound is "A performance like this distilled, ethereal - shows dimensions of hard to imagine a more Purcell's genuis that are all sublime performance." too rarely heard on disc." bbc music magazine gramophone

Gramophone magazine said of The Sixteen's recordings "This is what recording should be about...excellent performances and recorded sound...beautiful and moving."

Made in Great Britain For details of discs contact The Sixteen Productions Ltd. 00 44 1869 331544 or see www.the-sixteen.org.uk; e-mail [email protected] N TheThe Sixteen Sixteen InEver December since I was 1977, a boy, as a Imember have had of BENJAMINcq PreludeBRITTEN (1913-1976) cs Two Chinese Women thea passion choir offor Westminster the music of Abbey, Henry I Britten was above all a composer for the voice. If AldeburghAnd Hymen Parish Church. A Hymn of St. sangPurcell at Britten’sbut there memorial was one particular service; choralcr Hymen music is not(Richard quite asSuart) central to his output as Columba, for four-part choir with organ, starts off theperiod Antiphon of my waslife thatthe anthemmade me and opera or solo song, it nonetheless occupies a withThey firm shall unison be as happywriting, as like they’re both fair; the Festival Te See, see I obey. Walteraware of Hussey, his real who greatness. commissioned consistently important place, from the work that Deumlove shalland fillthe all Jubilate the places. It was of composedcare. in 1962 to Blest My torch has long been out. I hate The Fairy RejoiceSoon in theafter Lamb I left, gaveuniversity, the first made him famous, , to his last celebrateAnd every the time 1,400th the sunanniversary shall display of Columba’s On loose dissembled vows to wait, Address.I was lucky I never enough had to the become privilege a completed composition, Welcome Ode (he was voyagehis rising from light, Ireland to Iona off the west of QueenCecilia ofmember meeting of BenjaminEnglish Music Britten Theatre, but I workingWhere on hardly another love choral outlives piece, the Praise We Great Scotland.it shall be Hymn to them to St.a new Peter wedding, which sharesday, the Soprano felt I knew him through his music. Menwedding, when night;he died). In his operas and in his counterpointand when he ofsets, English a new and nuptial Latin night. with Hymn to AN OPERA IN 5 ACTS successor to the disbanded English Fiona Clarke, Libby Crabtree, It had taken England many orchestralFalse flames, song love’scycles, meteors, Britten was yield something my of a the Virgin, was written for the quincentenary of BY HENRY PURCELL (1659-1695) Opera Group, which was the A Chinese man and woman dance. Ruth Dean, Micaela Haslam, centuriesbrainchild to of produce conductor, such Steuart a pioneer,torch no creating light. a national tradition for opera the Church of St Peter Mancroft, Norwich, in Carys Lane, Rebecca Outram, distinctive musical personality. Libretto by an anonymous Bedford and producer, Colin whereSix China none properlyorange trees, existed. growing In his in choral large porcelainmusic, 1955. The words are from the Gradual of the Feast *Sophie Daneman, *Nicola Jenkin, Indeed there would be many that would agree with me ct author after William Shakespeare’s Graham under the presidency of . onvases the otherand laden hand, with he was glowing working fruit, within rise from an of StChaconne Peter and St Paul, and the music is based on *Nicola-Jane Kemp that he was the first of such stature since Henry Purcell. established tradition; for voices in chorus, from the plainsong ‘Tu es Petrus’, which is sung at the A Midsummer Night’s Dream It was to prove an exciting existence and one under the stage. cu Alto production,Having insung particular, most of thatthe works delighted on this audiences disc as alla boy amateur madrigal groups to cathedral choirs, have end, Chorus to its Latin text, by a solo soprano, while the chorister and as a rather indifferent tenor, I found it THEDeborah SIXTEEN Miles-Johnson, over the world was Purcell’s Fairy Queen. I knew then always been the foundation of British musical life, chorusThey shall chants be theas happy same words… in English. most refreshing to look over these scores from a TWO CHINESE WOMEN ThePhilip Symphony Newton, of Christopher Harmony Royall, that one day I wanted to perform this opera myself. and the masterpieces of British music, at least In the Antiphon, which Britten wrote for the conductor’s viewpoint. I am always astounded how years Turn then thine eyes upon those glories there, andNigel Invention Short, *Helen Templeton, Purcell’s use of the English language is second to before the twentieth century, have mostly been centenary of St Michael’s College, Tenbury, the of misguided interpretation lead to the composer’s And catching flames will on thy torch appear. End *Caroline Trevor none but it is the magic, wit and sensuality of his music choral. Britten’s own choral music grows naturally first lines of George Herbert’s poem, ‘Praised be Conductor intentions being flagrantly ignored and then termed Tenor that captured my imagination. And so we spent the out of these past traditions, to which he was the God of Love / Here below / And here above’, Harry Christophers “tradition” but I didn’t really expect it in performances HYMEN Simon Berridge, Philip Daggett, happiest week of our recording life in St Bartholomew’s strongly attached and of which he had a deep suggestedRecording Producer: to him three Mark Browntypes of contrasting music: of more recent composers’ works. And so it was doubly Recording Engineer: Antony Howell Neil MacKenzie, Matthew Vine, Orford (a church often used by Britten on his beloved knowledge.My torch Itsindeed novelty will and from freshness such results from a florid unison phrase for the first line, deep refreshing to attempt to be faithful to Britten’s requests. pianissimoRecorded at St.triads Bartholomew’s for ‘Here Church, below’ Orford, and a Suffolksoprano *Peter Burrows, Suffolk coast), resulting in this recording of Purcell’s Britten’sbrightness brilliantly shine; imaginative response to the texts Recorded from the Novello Purcell Society edition His music is never easy but it is always challenging solo for ‘And here above’, which Britten directs to *Duncan MacKenzie, Fairy Queen. For everyone concerned with this project, heLove chose ne’er to set had (choices yet such which altars were so divine.always original at pitch A=415 for performers, be they singers or instrumentalists. and inventive) and especially his exploitation of beDesign: sung Richard if possible Boxall from Design a Associatesgallery. This antiphonal *Nicolas Robertson fond memories abound. However, and take note all budding composers, he never their dramatic potential. writingCover photograph: continues Matthew throughout, Power with a final Bass sets impossible tasks! Cover image: Reflection of the Mercury Fountain Hymn to the Virgin was written in 1930 when repeatedin Tom Quad, alternation Christ Church, of a highOxford. F major ‘one’ and a Simon Birchall, Robert Evans, Britten was a schoolboy and revised for publication low ascending ‘two’, which come together in the Timothy Jones, Jeremy White, CORO The Sixteen Edition in 1934. He had found the text in The Oxford Book last The bar. Sixteen Productions 2002 *Michael Bundy, *Roger Cleverdon of English Verse, which he had received as a school © TheThe Sixteen early Productions Te Deum 2002of 1934, very much in C Organ prize. The writing for eight-part unaccompanied major,www.thesixteen.com is a straightforward piece, obviously written Margaret Phillips For translations of the texts, choir is antiphonal throughout, a semichorus of withplease due contact regard [email protected] for the capabilities of the church soloists echoing each of the main choir’s phrases. choiror telephone (St Mark’s, 00 44 1869 North 331 544 Audley Street in London) *HYMN TO ST. CECILIA ONLY The hymn was sung at Britten’s funeral service in who commissioned it. Britten set the 2 319

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PMS PMS 000 000 01 text in 1961 at the request of HRH The Duke of were written in a succession of changing metres 1 A HYMN TO THE VIRGIN 2 A HYMN OF SAINT COLUMBA Edinburgh, who had suggested that he should - 5/8, 7/8, 4/4 - quite independent of the organ’s write some music for St George’s Chapel, constant 3/4. Closer inspection, however, would 1930, REV.1934. TEXT: ANON. C.1300 1962. ATTRIB. TO ST COLUMBA (521-597) Windsor Castle: this was the only piece that have revealed that the apparent difficulties had Of one that is so fair and bright ENGLISH SETTING BY JOHN ANDREWES resulted. Britten designed it to follow his 1934 Te practical solutions: Britten always challenged his Velut maris stella, Deum, with which it shares the key of C major performers, but never set them impossible tasks. Brighter than the day is light Regis regum rectissimi and a central, more contemplative middle section, Much of the choral writing of the Te Deum is in Parens et puella: Prope et dies domini, in E major in the Jubilate, in A in the Te Deum. unison, and recalls the hymn settings from the I cry to thee, thou see to me, Dies irae et vindicate, Britten’s last collaboration with W.H.Auden ‘Sunday Morning’ scene in : Britten Lady, pray thy Son for me, Tenebrarum et nebulae, was in his setting of three linked poems, *Hymn to was scoring the opera while he was composing Tam pia, Regis regum rectissimi. St. Cecilia, completed as the composer sailed back the Te Deum. That I may come to thee, Maria ! Diesque mirabilium from America in 1942. All three settings draw on is one of the most All this world was forlorn Tonitruorum fortium. the luminous major-third relationships and the engaging and delightful of all Britten’s choral Dies quoque angustiae, melodic shapes summarized in the closing works. It dates from 1943, and was Eva peccatrice, Till our Lord was yborn Maeroris ac tristitiae. invocation they share, ‘Blessed Cecilia’. The broad commissioned by the vicar of St Matthew’s Regis regum rectissimi. sweep of the first poem gives way to nervous Church, , Walter Hussey, for the De te genetrice. delicacy in the central scherzo, ‘I cannot grow’, 50th anniversary of the church’s consecration. With ‘ave’ it went away In quo cessabit mulierum but its pattering scales become a heavy undertow Mr Hussey had already commissioned a Darkest night, and comes the day Amor et desiderium in the last and most complex setting. Minor Madonna and Child from Henry Moore and a Salutis; Nominumque contentio tonality progressively darkens until the sudden mural from Graham Sutherland, and was to The well springeth out of thee. Mundi hujus et cupido. release of ‘O dear white children’, where Britten continue his enlightened patronage of the arts Virtutis. Regis regum rectissimi. moves into that A major with sharpened fourth when he became Dean of Cathedral. Lady flow’r of ev’rything that colours many of his most visionary contexts. Rejoice in the Lamb sets part of the long poem Rosa sine spina 3 HYMN TO ST. PETER The innocence is destined to be smirched, but the Jubilate Agno by the 18th-century poet thou bare Jesu, Heaven’s King OPUS 56A 1955 potently isolated solo lines, realizing vocally Christopher Smart, written while he was Gratia divina: Auden’s instrumental images, achieve a brave confined to an asylum suffering from a form of Of all thou bear’st the prize, Thou shalt make them Princes over all the earth: moral in the trumpet’s ‘O wear your tribulation religious mania. Smart called his poem ‘My Lady Queen of paradise They shall remember thy name, O Lord; like a rose’. A final refrain dissolves to a distant Magnificat’; he has the mystic’s vision of the Electa: Thou shalt make them Princes. radiance the cycle’s opening music. unity of all creation in God, albeit from a Maid mild, mother es Instead of thy fathers, Sons are born to Thee: The Festival Te Deum, Britten’s second strangely-angled perspective. He appealed to Effecta. Therefore shall the people praise Thee, Alleluia. setting of this text, was composed in 1944 for the Britten both as an outsider and as an innocent. centenary of St Mark’s Church, Swindon. One Britten set the text as a miniature Purcellian can imagine the choir’s first shocked reaction on cantata in ten short sections. opening of the score and seeing the vocal parts Notes by Peter Evans* and David Matthews. 4 5 King of kings and of lords most high, Us did make for us was sold. The Holy Church throughout the world O Lord have mercy upon us, Comes his day of judgement nigh: He our foes in pieces brake, doth acknowledge Thee O Lord let Thy mercy lighten upon us, Day of wrath and vengeance stark, Him we touch and Him we take. The Father of an infinite majesty. As our trust is in Thee. Day of shadows and cloudy dark. Wherefore since that he is such, Thine honourable, true and only Son; O Lord in Thee have I trusted, King of kings and of lords most high. We adore and we do crouch. Also the Holy Ghost, the Comforter. Let me never be confounded. Lord, thy praises should be more, Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ. Thunder shall rend that day apart, We have none and we no store. Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father. 6 JUBILATE DEO (Psalm 100) Wonder amaze each fearful heart. Praised be the God alone, When Thou tookest upon Thee to deliver man, Anguish and pain and deep distress O be joyful in the Lord, all ye lands, Who hath made of two folds one. Thou didst not abhor the Virgin’s womb. Serve the Lord with gladness Shall mark that day of bitterness. When Thou hadst overcome the sharpness King of kings and of lords most high. And come before his presence with a song. 5 TE DEUM IN C of death, Be ye sure that the Lord he is God: That day the pangs of lust will cease, We praise Thee, O God, Thou didst open the Kingdom of Heav’n It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves, Man’s questing heart shall be at peace; We acknowledge Thee to be the Lord to all believers. We are his people and the sheep of this pasture. Then shall the great no more contend All the earth doth worship Thee, Thou sittest at the right hand of God O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving, And worldly fame be at an end. The Father everlasting. In the Glory of the Father. And into his courts with praise; King of kings and of lords most high. To Thee all Angels cry aloud We believe that Thou shalt come to be Be thankful unto Him, and speak good of The Heav‘ns and all the Powers therein. our judge. His Name. We therefore pray Thee help Thy servants, 4 ANTIPHON To Thee Cherubim and Seraphim For the Lord is gracious and His truth endureth Continually do cry, Whom Thou hast redeemed with From generation to generation. OPUS 56B 1955. GEORGE HERBERT Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord God of Sabaoth! Thy precious blood. His mercy is everlasting. Praised be the God of Love, Heav’n and earth are full of the majesty Make them to be numbered with Thy Saints Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, Here below and here above, Of Thy Glory. in glory everlasting. And to the Holy Ghost; Who hath dealt his mercies so The glorious company of the O Lord, save Thy people and bless As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever To his friend and to his foe: Apostles praise Thee. Thine heritage. shall be, That both grace and glory tend The goodly fellowship of the Govern them and lift them up for ever. World without end. Amen. Us of old and us in th’end. Prophets praise Thee. Day by day we magnify Thee, and we worship The great shepherd of the fold The noble army of Martyrs praise Thee. Thy name ever world without end. Vouchsafe O Lord to keep us this day without sin.

6 7 7 HYMN TO SAINT CECILIA II III O bless the freedom that you never chose. OPUS 27. 1942. W.H. AUDEN I cannot grow; O ear whose creatures cannot wish to fall, I have no shadow O calm of spaces unafraid of weight, I To run away from, Where Sorrow is herself, forgetting all O trumpets that unguarded children blow About the fortress of their inner foe. In a garden shady this holy lady I only play. The gaucheness of her adolescent state, With reverent cadence and subtle psalm, Where hope within the altogether strange O wear your tribulation like a rose. I cannot err; From every outworn image is released, Like a black swan as death came on There is no creature Poured forth her song in perfect calm: And Dread born whole and normal like Blessed Cecilia, appear in visions Whom I belong to, a beast To all musicians, appear and inspire: And by ocean’s margin this innocent virgin Whom I could wrong. Constructed an organ to enlarge her prayer, Into a world of truths that never change: Translated Daughter, come down and startle And notes tremendous from her great engine I am defeat Restore our fallen day; O re-arrange. Composing mortals with immortal fire. Thundered out on the Roman air. When it knows it O dear white children casual as birds, 8 ESTIVAL TE EUM Can now do nothing Playing among the ruined languages, F D Blonde Aphrodite rose up excited, By suffering. Moved to delight by the melody, So small beside their large confusing words, SEE TEXT FOR TE DEUM IN C White as an orchid she rode quite naked All you lived through, So gay against the greater silences In an oyster shell on top of the sea; Dancing because you Of dreadful things you did: O hang the head, REJOICE IN THE LAMB Impetuous child with the tremendous brain, At sounds so entrancing the angels dancing No longer need it OPUS 30. FROM ‘JUBILATE AGNO’ O weep, child, weep, O weep away the stain, Came out of their trance into time again, For any deed. CHRISTOPHER SMART And around the wicked in Hell’s abysses Lost innocence who wished your lover dead, The huge flame flickered and eased I shall never be Weep for the lives your wishes never led. 9 CHORUS Different. Love me. their pain. O cry created as the bow of sin Rejoice in God, O ye Tongues; give the glory to the Lord, and the Lamb. Blessed Cecilia, appear in visions Blessed Cecilia, appear in visions Is drawn across our trembling violin. Nations, and languages, and every Creature, To all musicians, appear and inspire: To all musicians, appear and inspire: O weep, child, weep, O weep away the stain. in which is the breath of Life. Translated Daughter, come down and startle Translated Daughter, come down and startle Let man and beast appear before him, Composing mortals with immortal fire. Composing mortals with immortal fire. O law drummed out by hearts against the still and magnify his name together. Long winter of our intellectual will. Let Nimrod, the mighty hunter, That what has been may never be again. bind a Leopard to the altar, and consecrate his spear to the Lord. O flute that throbs with the Let Ishmael dedicate a Tyger, thanksgiving breath and give praise for the liberty Of convalescents on the shores of death. in which the Lord has let him at large. 8 9 13 CHORUS Let Balaam appear with an Ass, For there is nothing sweeter than his peace For I am under the same accusation with For the TRUMPET of God is a blessed and bless the Lord when at rest. my Saviour – intelligence and so are all the angels his people and his creatures For I am possessed of a cat, surpassing in For they said, he is besides himself. in HEAVEN. for a reward eternal. beauty, From whom I take occasion to bless For the officers of the peace are at variance For GOD the father Almighty plays upon the Let Daniel come forth with a Lion, Almighty God. with me, HARP of stupendous magnitude and melody. and praise God with all his might and the watchman smites me with his staff. For at that time malignity ceases and through faith in Christ Jesus. 11 ALTO SOLO For Silly fellow! Silly fellow! is against me, and the devils themselves are at peace. Let Ithamar minister with a Chamois, For the Mouse is a creature of great belongeth neither to me nor to my family. For this time is perceptible to man by and bless the name of Him, personal valour. For I am in twelve HARDSHIPS, but he that was a remarkable stillness and serenity of soul. that clotheth the naked. For – this a true case – Cat takes female mouse – born of a virgin shall deliver me out of all. Let Jakim with the Satyr bless God in Male mouse will not depart, CHORUS 14 the dance. but stands threat’ning and daring. RECITATIVE (BASS SOLO) AND CHORUS Hallelujah from the heart of God, Let David bless with the Bear – ...If you will let her go, I will engage you, For H is a spirit and therefore he is God. and from the hand of the artist inimitable, The beginning of victory to the Lord – as prodigious a creature as you are. For K is king and therefore he is God. and from the echo of the heavenly harp in to the Lord the perfection of excellence – For the Mouse is a creature of great For L is Love and therefore he is God. sweetness magnifical and mighty. Hallelujah from the heart of God, personal valour. For M is musick and therefore he is God. and from the hand of the artist inimitable, For the Mouse is of an hospitable disposition. For the instruments are by their rhimes. and from the echo of the heavenly harp in For the Shawm rhimes are lawn fawn moon sweetness magnifical and mighty. 12 TENOR SOLO boon and the like. Producer: Mark Brown; Arthur Johnson (track 7 only). Engineer: Mike Hatch, with Mike Clements (tracks 1-3, 6, 8). For the harp rhimes are sing ring string and 10 For the flowers are great blessings. Compilation taken from recordings on SOPRANO SOLO the like. Collins Classics 12862, 13702, 13432. For the flowers have their angels even the Music publisher: Tracks 5 & 6 Oxford University Press. For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry. words of God’s Creation. For the flute rhimes are tooth youth suit All other tracks Boosey & Hawkes. For he is the servant of the Living God, mute and the like. Design: Richard Boxall Design Associates For the flower glorifies God and the root Cover photograph: Matthew Power duly and daily serving him. parries the adversary. For the Bassoon rhimes are pass class and Cover image: St. Cecilia Stained Glass designed by For at the first glance of the glory of God the like. Edward Burne-Jones dated 1874, located in the Bell Chapel, For there is a language of flowers. Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. in the East he worships in his way. For flowers are peculiarly the poetry of Christ. For the dulcimer rhimes are grace place For this is done by wreathing his body beat heat and the like. CORO The Sixteen Edition The Sixteen Productions Ltd 2002 seven times round with elegant quickness. For the Clarinet rhimes are clean seen and © The Sixteen Productions Ltd 2002 For he knows that God is his Saviour. the like. www.thesixteen.com For God has blessed him in the variety of For the trumpet rhimes are sound bound For translations of the texts, please contact [email protected] his movements. soar more and the like. or telephone 00 44 1869 331 544.

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