This release is part of a series on the Avie label devoted to the Eton Choirbook , a collection of about 60 pieces (of an original 93) compiled at the beginning of the 16th century, and reflecting the various styles of the preceding decades. During this period, large polyphonic spaces gave way to the adoption of Continental cantus firmus and point-of-imitation techniques, with the process nicely illustrated on this group of four substantial pieces. The series has focused on lesser-known composers about whom in many cases ...
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This release is part of a series on the Avie label devoted to the Eton Choirbook , a collection of about 60 pieces (of an original 93) compiled at the beginning of the 16th century, and reflecting the various styles of the preceding decades. During this period, large polyphonic spaces gave way to the adoption of Continental cantus firmus and point-of-imitation techniques, with the process nicely illustrated on this group of four substantial pieces. The series has focused on lesser-known composers about whom in many cases little is known, and those here range from the vaguely familiar (John Browne) to the completely obscure (William Horwood and the elusive William, Monk of Stratford). The motet Gaude flore virginali by Horwood and the all-low-voice Salve Regina II of Browne have never been recorded before. The four pieces are broadly similar in style, with use of what later ages would think of as striking harmonic clashes, but let the individual pieces sink in a bit, and distinctions begin to...
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