The works in this repertoire often feature motivic integration, with short passages of imitation, canon, or repetition surrounding a slow-moving cantus firmus, or borrowed melody.
Compositional Technique
This repertoire is notable for its rhythmic displacements, using canonic writing, metrical modulation, and contrasts of motivic material to create creative energy.
Composition History
English organists of the early 16th century created about a hundred polyphonic keyboard works based on liturgical plainsong, which survive in manuscript copies.
Compositional Technique
Many of these early keyboard works were likely conceived for alternatim performance, where the organist and choir would alternate verses of a single hymn.
Recording & Production
This recording uses two organs of modest size, chosen for their suitability to the general style of the music and the specific requirements of individual pieces.
Composer Biography
Thomas Tallis, a composer featured on this album, served in the Chapel Royal under four monarchs: Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary Tudor, and Elizabeth I.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Thomas Mulliner, an English organist and collector, compiled the Mulliner Book, a central collection of this repertoire, demonstrating an aesthetic interest in collecting the best individual pieces.
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