A recording was issued in 1979, Tudor Anthems (OUP 153), featuring 13 anthems from the Oxford Book of Tudor Anthems sung by the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford and conducted by Simon Preston.[2][3]
Contents
The collection encompasses 34 motets and anthems by 14 different composers who were active during the Tudor Period, sometimes referred as "the Golden Age of English church music", which spans from around 1500 to the end of the reign of King James VI and I in 1625.[4] This period in English history was especially marked by the religious upheaval of the English Reformation, which was advanced by King Edward VI. With competing demands over the language of Church of Englandliturgy, composers of this era variously set both Latin and English texts to music,[5] and this is reflected in the range of works presented in this book. The later anthems in English take their texts from the King James Bible of 1604, but words from earlier Bible translations such as the 1526 Tyndale Bible and from prayer books such as the 1549 Book of Common Prayer are also included.[6] A variety of musical styles is represented in the collection, from simple four-part harmony to more elaborate polyphonic motets for up to eight voices, including both a cappella pieces and anthems requiring instrumental accompaniment.[2][4]
^ abKucharski, J.A. (7 January 1979). "Books: A Golden Age Bargain". The Living Church. 178. Morehouse-Gorham Company: 81. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
^Fallows, David (February 1990). "Tudor Anthems". Gramophone. Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
^ abDavid Willcocks in his preface to Morris, Christopher (1978). The Oxford book of Tudor anthems: 34 Anthems for Mixed Voices. Oxford: Music Department, Oxford University Press. ISBN978-0193533257.
