Samuel Pepys, a famous diarist and contemporary of Humfrey, described the composer as 'an absolute Monsieur, as full of form and confidence and vanity'.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Humfrey's travels influenced his music, spurring him to write more ambitious string parts and assimilate the solo declamatory style rooted in Italy, particularly from Giacomo Carissimi's work.
Composer Biography
Pelham Humfrey, the composer of these Symphony Anthems, was a child chorister in the Chapel Royal, selected by Henry Cooke, who was tasked with rebuilding the royal choir.
Recording & Production
The conductor, Edward Higginbottom, prepared the editions of the anthems recorded here, prioritizing the earliest manuscripts, notably Cambridge Fitzwilliam Museum MSS 88 and 117.
Compositional Technique
Humfrey's Symphony Anthems were conceived for the intimate royal chapel at Whitehall, which measured only 75 x 30 feet, ideal for his declamatory style.
Composition History
Pelham Humfrey was sent on an extended trip to the Continent by King Charles II, during which he visited France and Italy and received a sum of £450 (over £30,000 today) for expenses.
Composer Biography
At just 27 years old, Pelham Humfrey's promising career at the English Court was cut short by his premature death in 1674.
You might also enjoy...
Durante: Psalms & Magnificat
Lost Music of Early America: Music of the Moravians
Emanuel Kirschner - Synagogue Chants
Handel: Laudate Pueri, Nisi Dominus
Hasse: Sacred Works
Rosenmüller: 17th Century Instrumental and Vocal Music
Hindemith: Das Marienleben (1948 Version)
Rossini: Stabat Mater
Hindemith: Das Marienleben (Revised Version, 1948)
