The Philadelphia-based early music ensemble Piffaro, which has been around since 1982, has recorded a variety of CDs of Renaissance instrumental music from France, Flanders, Italy, Germany, and Spain, and here turns its attention to English music of the period. The collection includes some instrumental dances and instrumental works by Byrd, John Mundy, Clement Woodcock, and Robert Jones, but consists largely of transcriptions of vocal works, particularly madrigals by Thomas Weelkes and sacred music by Byrd and Tallis. ...
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The Philadelphia-based early music ensemble Piffaro, which has been around since 1982, has recorded a variety of CDs of Renaissance instrumental music from France, Flanders, Italy, Germany, and Spain, and here turns its attention to English music of the period. The collection includes some instrumental dances and instrumental works by Byrd, John Mundy, Clement Woodcock, and Robert Jones, but consists largely of transcriptions of vocal works, particularly madrigals by Thomas Weelkes and sacred music by Byrd and Tallis. (There are also two vocal pieces, humorous ballads lustily sung by ensemble member Grant Herreid.) Whereas some early music groups take the received notation as a point of departure and improvise on the material, Piffaro is attentive to the conventions of informed period performance practice, but tends to stick closely to the scores. Listeners' responses to this CD are likely to reflect their attitude toward these two approaches. Those who prefer a looser, more improvisational performance...
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