Philips's musical style, influenced by Roman music, features continuous subdivision of voices into various groupings, creating a kaleidoscope of textures within a single five-voice choir.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in the Chapel of Trinity College, Cambridge, in January 2002.
Compositional Technique
The motets on this album are all for two sopranos, alto, tenor, and bass, resulting in an overall brightness, often heightened by close spacing between the two sopranos.
Composer Biography
Peter Philips, a prominent English composer of the Elizabethan-Jacobean Age, fled England in 1582 to avoid persecution as a Roman Catholic.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Philips dedicated his 1612 Cantiones sacrae to the Virgin Mary, stating they were for the 'consolation and salvation of Christian people' and 'extirpation and confusion of heresy and heretics'.
Performer Biography
Richard Marlow, the director of the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, sang as a choirboy at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
Historical Context
Philips was accused of plotting against Queen Elizabeth I in 1593 and arrested, but was eventually exonerated.
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