The music for the consort of viols reached its peak during the first quarter of the 17th century, with hundreds of compositions existing primarily in manuscript copies.
Recording & Production
The recording venue, the Chapelle Notre-Dame de Centeilles, provided a "wondrous acoustic" that revealed a full palette of colors and the profound essence of the music.
Instruments
The viols used in this recording were custom-made by Arnaud Giral between 2012 and 2017, with specific string lengths for each instrument type (bass, tenor, treble).
Composer's Artistic Vision
Gibbons' Fantasies for viols show a move away from traditional English Renaissance dances towards 'absolute' music, allowing for various experiments.
Compositional Technique
The 'In Nomine' is a type of fantasy based on a melodic line from John Taverner's Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas, written in long note values like a Gregorian cantus firmus.
Composer Biography
Orlando Gibbons, an organist for the Chapel Royal, suffered an attack of apoplexy and could not participate in the celebration of Charles I's new wife in 1625.
Interpretation
The Achéron ensemble uses a consort of six English viols, built to specific proportions based on 17th-century treatises and surviving instruments, to achieve an authentic sound.
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Gibbons, O.: Organ Music (Complete) / Anthems (Wooley, St. John's College Choir, Cambridge)
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