Est 1923

Sheppard English & Latin Church Music

Record and Artist Details

Composer or Director: John Sheppard

Label: Nimbus

Media Format: CD or Download

Media Runtime: 67

Mastering:

DDD

Catalogue Number: NI5480

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
(The) Lord's Prayer John Sheppard, Composer
Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford
John Sheppard, Composer
Stephen Darlington, Conductor
Second Service, Movement: Magnificat John Sheppard, Composer
Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford
John Sheppard, Composer
Stephen Darlington, Conductor
Second Service, Movement: Nunc dimittis John Sheppard, Composer
Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford
John Sheppard, Composer
Stephen Darlington, Conductor
Gaude, gaude, gaude Maria virgo John Sheppard, Composer
Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford
John Sheppard, Composer
Stephen Darlington, Conductor
Filiae Jerusalem venite John Sheppard, Composer
Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford
John Sheppard, Composer
Stephen Darlington, Conductor
Reges Tharsis et insulae John Sheppard, Composer
Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford
John Sheppard, Composer
Stephen Darlington, Conductor
Spiritus Sanctus procedens II John Sheppard, Composer
Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford
John Sheppard, Composer
Stephen Darlington, Conductor
Laudem dicite Deo John Sheppard, Composer
Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford
John Sheppard, Composer
Stephen Darlington, Conductor
Haec dies John Sheppard, Composer
Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford
John Sheppard, Composer
Stephen Darlington, Conductor
Impetum fecerunt unanimes John Sheppard, Composer
Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford
John Sheppard, Composer
Stephen Darlington, Conductor
Libera nos, salva nos II John Sheppard, Composer
Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford
John Sheppard, Composer
Stephen Darlington, Conductor
This enjoyable recording opens with two works in English which were probably written within days of John Sheppard’s early death, as Roger Bowers’s introductory essay explains. The hypothesis is an intriguing one, for The Lord’s Prayer and the Second Service largely lack the wayward dissonances that play an integral (and controversial) part in this composer’s style. Whether the difference is due to the switch to the vernacular is a moot point, for the Latin Responds that make up most of the disc show off the older style more conspicuously. The most impressive of these is undoubtedly the elaborate Gaude, gaude, gaude Maria, but the piece that most clearly enunciates its composer’s idiosyncrasies has to be the concluding Libera nos (Sheppard wrote two identically scored settings of this text, but neither the programme details nor Bowers’s essay makes clear which one is given here). Long-time Gramophone readers will know something of the controversy that Sheppard’s music continues to generate among music critics. I don’t propose to join that argument here, but merely observe that the works on this disc strike a fine balance between eccentricity and conservatism.
Speaking of controversies in the pages of Gramophone, Roger Bowers’s involvement in this project serves notice that the Christ Church Cathedral Choir do things authentically or not at all. Sheppard’s special predilection for high voices makes the participation of boy trebles here particularly appropriate. In such traditional choral establishments, unanimity of ensemble is crucial given the number of boys involved. From that standpoint this choir is difficult to fault, although towards the end of the recital a certain tiredness is just perceptible. If anything, the sound is a shade top-heavy at times (as in Filie Ierusalem), but a couple of the Responds dispense with trebles altogether (for practical reasons carefully explained by Bowers), providing a welcome contrast. Finally, Bowers’s accompanying essay is exactly that. Whether such a lengthy disquisition will be welcomed by the lay reader I’m not sure, but those with the patience to plough through it will learn a great deal about the relationship between the works and the circumstances of their composition. All in all, an attractive issue.'

Sheppard English & Latin Church Music

(The) Lord's Prayer

Second Service, Movement: Magnificat

Second Service, Movement: Nunc dimittis

Gaude, gaude, gaude Maria virgo

Filiae Jerusalem venite

Reges Tharsis et insulae

Spiritus Sanctus procedens II

Laudem dicite Deo

Haec dies

Impetum fecerunt unanimes

Libera nos, salva nos II

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