This album, "A Tudor Christmas," combines carols, consort songs, verse anthems, In Nomines, and Pavanes from the Tudor and early Stuart periods.
Interpretation
This recording embraces the pragmatic musical practices of the Tudor era by using varied accompaniments and freely switching between instrumental and choral renditions.
Recording & Production
Much of the music on this album was performed in a Christmas concert in the Tudor Chapel at Ightham Mote in Kent, with musicians arranged on the altar side of the rood screen.
Historical Context
During the 16th century, the Tudor monarchs, like Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, oversaw England's break from Rome and the establishment of the Protestant Church of England.
Historical Context
Christmas was enthusiastically celebrated during the Tudor period, with both old traditions like the yule log and new ones like decorating spinning wheels with flowers.
Compositional Technique
The 'In Nomine' form, a popular consort music genre, originated from a melody in John Taverner's Missa Gloria Tibi Trinitas, with composers later disguising the well-known tune in ingenious ways.
Instruments
Despite the prominence of foreign viol players in England, the viol was introduced into the curriculum of London's choir schools during Henry VIII's reign, leading to choirboys performing as both singers and instrumentalists.
