Naxos
Tudor Organ Music - Tallis, Redford, Tomkins / Carl Smith
$19.99
Only 3 left
Details
- Composer
- VARIOUS
- Artist
- Carl Smith
- Format
- CD
- Label
- Naxos
- Released
- Oct 31, 2006
- Catalog #
- 8570142
- UPC
- 747313014279
About
Vanderbilt University-based organist Carl Smith takes us on a pleasant little tour of some Tudor-era church music, visiting works by important contributors to the period's organ repertoire, most importantly John Redford, Thomas Tallis, and Thomas Tomkins. The pieces are typically short (most less than two minutes) and highly refined in their use of imitation and other developmental, structural devices. Most organs in England during the 16th and 17th centuries contained two manual divisions; pedal keyboards were virtually non-existent. Resources were relatively limited regarding registral compass and stops, especially compared to, say, instruments available in northern Germany at the time, and thus most English organ music of this period is for manuals only, the forms basic and unelaborate. Which is not to say the music by these very accomplished composers is uninteresting or inelegant.
On the contrary, the pieces on this program show the same high level of invention and craft that we hear in these same composers' more lauded choral compositions. Beyond that, it's up to the organist to bring the music to life, to carefully measure and sensitively balance its melodic and harmonic elements relative to period style and the constraints of a given instrument. And for these reasons--and for this repertoire--the choice of instrument is very important. Which brings us to Carl Smith, who is a serious student of English keyboard music and who has selected two different yet entirely appropriate American organs (one of which is featured on the CD cover) for his performances. The first, which he uses for 21 of the disc's 30 tracks, is an organ of modest specifications, dominated by fundamental flue stops; the second is more varied in voices and colors, featuring a nice selection of mutations, mixtures, and reeds, in addition to the basic flue stops. Smith is quite adept at utilizing his resources, keeping things interesting by often subtle variations in color and texture. In other words, this recital is very easy to listen to--and it's expertly played and recorded. Highlights include Redford's Te lucis ante terminum, a distant cousin of Bach's chorale preludes, and the wonderfully weird, anonymous La Mi Re.
I often wonder who is the intended audience for recordings such as this. The liner-note information regarding the organs and registrations employed is totally insufficient to satisfy organ aficionados--and the rather specialized content leaves it pretty much outside the realm of "non-organic" listeners. Fortunately, I like this kind of music and I was lucky enough to get to hear this CD; if you're of like mind, hopefully you'll make a point to hear it too. [11/3/2006]
--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com
On the contrary, the pieces on this program show the same high level of invention and craft that we hear in these same composers' more lauded choral compositions. Beyond that, it's up to the organist to bring the music to life, to carefully measure and sensitively balance its melodic and harmonic elements relative to period style and the constraints of a given instrument. And for these reasons--and for this repertoire--the choice of instrument is very important. Which brings us to Carl Smith, who is a serious student of English keyboard music and who has selected two different yet entirely appropriate American organs (one of which is featured on the CD cover) for his performances. The first, which he uses for 21 of the disc's 30 tracks, is an organ of modest specifications, dominated by fundamental flue stops; the second is more varied in voices and colors, featuring a nice selection of mutations, mixtures, and reeds, in addition to the basic flue stops. Smith is quite adept at utilizing his resources, keeping things interesting by often subtle variations in color and texture. In other words, this recital is very easy to listen to--and it's expertly played and recorded. Highlights include Redford's Te lucis ante terminum, a distant cousin of Bach's chorale preludes, and the wonderfully weird, anonymous La Mi Re.
I often wonder who is the intended audience for recordings such as this. The liner-note information regarding the organs and registrations employed is totally insufficient to satisfy organ aficionados--and the rather specialized content leaves it pretty much outside the realm of "non-organic" listeners. Fortunately, I like this kind of music and I was lucky enough to get to hear this CD; if you're of like mind, hopefully you'll make a point to hear it too. [11/3/2006]
--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com
Tracklist 30 tracks
-
1 Exsultet caelum laudibus 01:15
- Track
- 1
- Title
- Exsultet caelum laudibus
- Duration
- 01:15
- Composer
- John Redford
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
2 Sermone blando angelus 01:34
- Track
- 2
- Title
- Sermone blando angelus
- Duration
- 01:34
- Composer
- John Redford
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
3 Aeterne rerum Conditor 01:04
- Track
- 3
- Title
- Aeterne rerum Conditor
- Duration
- 01:04
- Composer
- John Blitheman
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
4 Christe qui lux 01:31
- Track
- 4
- Title
- Christe qui lux
- Duration
- 01:31
- Composer
- John Blitheman
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
5 Angulare fundamentum 02:00
- Track
- 5
- Title
- Angulare fundamentum
- Duration
- 02:00
- Composer
- John Redford
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
6 Te lucis ante terminum 01:28
- Track
- 6
- Title
- Te lucis ante terminum
- Duration
- 01:28
- Composer
- John Redford
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
7 Gloria tibi Trinitas I 02:06
- Track
- 7
- Title
- Gloria tibi Trinitas I
- Duration
- 02:06
- Composer
- John Blitheman
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
8 Gloria tibi Trinitas II 01:57
- Track
- 8
- Title
- Gloria tibi Trinitas II
- Duration
- 01:57
- Composer
- John Blitheman
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
9 Gloria tibi Trinitas III 01:44
- Track
- 9
- Title
- Gloria tibi Trinitas III
- Duration
- 01:44
- Composer
- John Blitheman
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
10 Gloria tibi Trinitas IV 02:05
- Track
- 10
- Title
- Gloria tibi Trinitas IV
- Duration
- 02:05
- Composer
- John Blitheman
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
11 Gloria tibi Trinitas V 01:46
- Track
- 11
- Title
- Gloria tibi Trinitas V
- Duration
- 01:46
- Composer
- John Blitheman
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
12 Gloria tibi Trinitas VI 01:52
- Track
- 12
- Title
- Gloria tibi Trinitas VI
- Duration
- 01:52
- Composer
- John Blitheman
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
13 La mi re 02:53
- Track
- 13
- Title
- La mi re
- Duration
- 02:53
- Composer
- Anonymous
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
14 Clarifica me Pater (I) 01:10
- Track
- 14
- Title
- Clarifica me Pater (I)
- Duration
- 01:10
- Composer
- Thomas Tallis
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
15 Gloria tibi Trinitas 01:34
- Track
- 15
- Title
- Gloria tibi Trinitas
- Duration
- 01:34
- Composer
- Thomas Tallis
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
16 Clarifica me Pater (II) 01:32
- Track
- 16
- Title
- Clarifica me Pater (II)
- Duration
- 01:32
- Composer
- Thomas Tallis
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
17 Iste confessor 01:41
- Track
- 17
- Title
- Iste confessor
- Duration
- 01:41
- Composer
- Thomas Tallis
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
18 Clarifica me Pater (III) 01:31
- Track
- 18
- Title
- Clarifica me Pater (III)
- Duration
- 01:31
- Composer
- Thomas Tallis
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
19 Miserere 03:52
- Track
- 19
- Title
- Miserere
- Duration
- 03:52
- Composer
- Thomas Tomkins
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
20 Clarifica me Pater 02:33
- Track
- 20
- Title
- Clarifica me Pater
- Duration
- 02:33
- Composer
- Thomas Tomkins
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
21 In nomine 03:03
- Track
- 21
- Title
- In nomine
- Duration
- 03:03
- Composer
- Thomas Tomkins
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
22 Felix namque 04:51
- Track
- 22
- Title
- Felix namque
- Duration
- 04:51
- Composer
- Thomas Preston
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
23 Verse I 01:54
- Track
- 23
- Title
- Verse I
- Duration
- 01:54
- Composer
- Anonymous
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
24 Verse II 02:07
- Track
- 24
- Title
- Verse II
- Duration
- 02:07
- Composer
- Anonymous
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
25 Verse III 02:06
- Track
- 25
- Title
- Verse III
- Duration
- 02:06
- Composer
- Anonymous
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
26 Verse IV 00:57
- Track
- 26
- Title
- Verse IV
- Duration
- 00:57
- Composer
- Anonymous
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
27 Primo dierum omnium 01:14
- Track
- 27
- Title
- Primo dierum omnium
- Duration
- 01:14
- Composer
- John Redford
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
28 Lucem tuam I 02:19
- Track
- 28
- Title
- Lucem tuam I
- Duration
- 02:19
- Composer
- John Redford
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
29 Lucem tuam II 02:19
- Track
- 29
- Title
- Lucem tuam II
- Duration
- 02:19
- Composer
- John Redford
- Performer
- Carl Smith
-
30 Lucem tuam III 03:18
- Track
- 30
- Title
- Lucem tuam III
- Duration
- 03:18
- Composer
- John Redford
- Performer
- Carl Smith