Catalogue

Summary:

“The four male members of New York Polyphony… are the core performers, augmented as necessary by a trio of female voices, the crystalline purity of the soprano contribution to Kenneth Leighton’s setting of the famous ‘Coventry Carol’ being particularly affecting. They sing most alluringly, superior technique a given but never flaunted, the focus squarely on communicating the deeply emotional wellsprings of much of this music” ★★★★★ – BBC Music magazine

The Christmas season uniquely admits the widest variety of musical tradition under one roof. From ancient plainsong to contemporary dissonance, from the simplest folk melody to the most elaborate polyphony, the Christmas repertoire combines effortlessly in the most unlikely juxtapositions. The landscape traversed on this disc is broad, from twelfth-century conductus to a 21st-century carol, though the musical centre is firmly polyphonic and rooted in the late medieval world.

The four men of the aptly named New York Polyphony fuse elegant vocalism with expert ensemble singing, delivering dynamic, historically-informed performances in a range of styles. From the simplicity of plainchant to the dense chromaticism of contemporary works, New York Polyphony’s sound is unified, energized and distinctive. I Sing the Birth is New York Polyphony’s debut recording.

Tracklist:

ANDREW SMITH (b.1970)
1. Veni Redemptor gentium (2:36)

ANONYMOUS
2. Hodie Christus natus est (Plainchant) (0:53)

GIOVANNI PIERLUIGI DA PALESTRINA (c.1525–1594)
3. Hodie Christus natus est (1:39)

ANONYMOUS
4. Puer natus est nobis (Introit for the Feast of the Nativity) (2:47)

KENNETH LEIGHTON (1929–1988)
5. Lully, lulla, thou little tiny child (2:58)

PÉROTIN (c.1160–1240)
6. Beata Viscera (1:54)

WILLIAM CORNYSH (c.1465–1523)
7. Ave Maria Mater Dei (2:36)

ANONYMOUS
8. Alma Redemptoris Mater (Plainchant) (1:39)

IRISH TRADITIONAL, arr. Alexander Craig
9. The darkest midnight in December (2:05)

PETER MAXWELL DAVIES (b.1934)
10. The Fader of Heven (1:21)

ANONYMOUS
11. Vox in Rama (Introit) (0:53)

CLEMENS NON PAPA (c.1510–c.1556)
12. Vox in Rama (3:08)

ANONYMOUS
13. Vox in Rama (Introit reprise) (0:59)

NORMANDY TRADITIONAL, arr. Alexander Craig/New York Polyphony
14. Away in a manger (2:26)

ROBERT PARSONS (c.1530–?1570)
15. Ave Maria (3:35)
16. Lully, lulla, thow littel tyne child (Coventry Carol) (2:28)

ANONYMOUS
17. Ave Maria (Plainchant) (1:00)

ANONYMOUS
18. Lullay, lullow, I saw a swete semly syght (Fifteenth-century English carol) (2:10)
19. Mervele noght, Josep (Fifteenth-century English carol) (5:44)

RICHARD SMERT (fl.1428–1477)
20. Nowell – Dieus wous garde, byewesser (2:52)

ANONYMOUS
21. Veni Redemptor gentium (Plainchant) (0:51)

WILLIAM BYRD (c.1540–1623)
22. O magnum mysterium (4:54)

ANONYMOUS
23. Ecce advenit dominator Dominus (Plainchant) (2:07)

JACOB CLEMENS NON PAPA
24. Magi veniunt ab oriente (3:18)

ANDREW SMITH
25. Nunc dimittis (2:35)

ANONYMOUS
26. Vox in Rama (Plainchant) (0:56)

Total Duration: 60:55

Recorded November 2006 and April/May 2007 at St. George’s Church, Stuyvesant Square, New York
Producer: Malcolm Bruno | Sound Engineer: John C. Baker | Editing and post production: Adrian Hunter