Of all the polyphonic repertoires that survive in fragmentary state, that of the Eton Choirbook is among the most challenging to reconstruct. About a third of the manuscript is lost, and fewer than a dozen antiphons can be confidently restored. The young Oxford-based choir Selene presents several works in reconstructions by Russell Blacker. There is something touching about this aural glimpse into the unknowable, particularly as the Choirbook is practically the sole witness to two generations of English polyphonists. Anyone who holds its music dear can only be intrigued.

But there are caveats. One has the impression of familiarity, even of recognition; the contrapuntal detail shows knowledge of the style, but often a plausible phrase seems in the wrong place or voice. Errors Eton composers avoided (like consecutive fifths or octaves) occur too often. There must be doubt about basic decisions – for example, how many voices to add. (In Davy’s Gaude flore virginali, the surviving duo surely needs at least one more part.)

Finally, these young singers are not yet fully equal to the music’s challenges, in technical security or ensemble. Perhaps the promised second volume will show their growth; meanwhile, one’s admiration for the dexterity of those boy trebles 500 years ago only grows.

★★