Music of the Realm: Tudor Music for Men's Voices

Music of the Realm: Tudor Music for Men's Voices

Regular price £12.99
Total playing time [63:56]

Listen on Apple Music    Listen on Spotify
The Queen's Six 

The Queen’s Six releases their debut album with a sumptuous selection of music from the golden age of English polyphony.

Recorded in the extraordinary surroundings of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle – where each member of The Queen’s Six is a Lay Clerk – Music of the Realm features six composers associated with the royal court of Queen Elizabeth I, from whom the group gets its name.

For their first Resonus album the group have selected a programme of both well and lesser-known works by six composers who wrote music for and during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I – William Byrd, Thomas Tallis, Thomas Tomkins, Thomas Weelkes, Thomas Morley and Orlando Gibbons. The recording is accompanied by an essay from early music scholar and conductor, Peter Phillips.

Album Booklet (PDF)

Tracklist

William Byrd (c. 1540-1623)
1. O Lord, make thy servant
Elizabeth our Queen

Thomas Morley (c. 1557-1602)
2. Laboravi in gemitu meo

Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656)
3. Almighty God, the fountain
of all wisdom

Thomas Tallis (1505-1585)
4. Videte miraculum

William Byrd
5. Haec dies

Thomas Weelkes (c. 1575-1623)
6. O how amiable

William Byrd
7. Attend mine humble prayer

Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)
8. Almighty and everlasting God

Thomas Tomkins
9. When David heard

Thomas Weelkes
10. When David heard
11. O Jonathan, woe is me

Thomas Morley
12. Haec dies

Orlando Gibbons
13. O Lord in thy wrath

Thomas Tallis
14. O sacrum convivium

Thomas Morley
15. O amica mea

Thomas Tomkins
16. Turn unto the Lord

Orlando Gibbons
17. Lift up your heads

'They bring seamless blend and balance to music from the reign of Elizabeth I, from whom they take their name.'

- The Observer

'The close musical rapport that develops when six men sing together every day, as the Queen’s Six do, is very much in evidence on this, their impressive debut album, recorded at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, where they are lay clerks in the choir. They bring seamless blend and balance to music from the reign of Elizabeth I, from whom they take their name.'
The Observer

'[...] they sing it so beautifully - they're reverent and indulgent at the same time'
The Choir, BBC Radio 3

'The Queen's Six clearly have a great love for this repertoire, and allied to the bond that comes from working together several times each week this produces some glorious performances [...] The recording is excellent, too'
Early Music Today (five stars)

'The group’s distinctively smooth tones are well suited to contemplative music and to the less florid works composed after the Reformation'
MusicWeb International

'Though some of the works are familiar it is the range of rarer pieces, and the splendid quality of the singing, which makes this a valuable addition to the repertoire.'
Lark Reviews

Credits
© 2015 Resonus Limited
Ⓟ 2015 Resonus Limited
Catalogue No. RES10146
EAN: 5060262790502
Producer, engineer & editor: Adam Binks
Cover image: © Gill Aspel