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The Scholars took their name from the fact that each singer had been a choral scholar in the world-famous choir of King's College, Cambridge. Having given several successful concerts while still at Cambridge, The Scholars decided to continue singing together professionally. Their professional debut in London in 1970 was very successful, and lead to the recording of this album. The selections found on this CD represents the earliest in The Scholars' repertoire at the time of the recording (1971). Exquisitely performed, and expertly recorded by Bob Auger for Unicorn  in Christ Church, Chelsea. A near-mint LP was the source for this enjoyable collection.

1. Salve regina - Tye

2. Prevent Us, O Lord - Byrd

3. Make Ye Joy to God - Byrd

4. Come Help, O God - Byrd

5. Factus Est Repente - Byrd

6. Viri Galilei - Byrd

7. Lamentations of Jeremiah (Pt. 1) - Tallis

8. Ah Robin - Cornysh

9. I Am a Jolly Foster - anon.

10. And I were a Maiden - anon.

11. Pastime with Good Company -      Henry VIII

12. Madame D'Amours - anon.

13. My Love She Mourn'th - Cornysh

14. Why Should I Love? - Kirkbye

15. Fire! Fire! - Morley

16. With Bitter Sighs - Bateson

17. Sweet Sufflok Owl - Vautor

18. Come Forth Sweet Nymph - Vautor

 

www.thescholars.de 

 

 

The form of service known as The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols has been sung in King's College Chapel for over 90 years. At Cambridge, it symbolizes the bond between the two Foundations of King Henry VI there and at Eton, the goodwill between the University and City, and peace within the whole Church as well as the joy and worship of all at Christmas. This LP recording , from 1958, was the first made in stereo of this Festival (the first recording was made by the same label, Argo, a Decca imprint, in 1954, with Dr. Boris Ord conducting). The number of Lessons and Carols were reduced to accommodate the length of an LP, but preserves the original character of the Service.  The unique timbre of the King's College choir is instantly recognizable and unforgettable. A perfect gift for Christmas, or any time of year. 

 

 

 

Scarlatti's eight Madrigals are among the most important late works in the genre. The LP from which this Klassic Haus CD is derived was the first recording of the complete Madrigals, masterly pieces of occasional music by an established master composer. Scarlatti retains the vocal patterns of the "classical" madrigal, but brilliantly linking the stylistic techniques used in secular vocal music at the end of the 16th century, with the composing principles of sacred music of the early 18th century. Recorded in the spacious acoustics of the Friedrich Ebert Halle in Hamburg,  the Monteverdi-Chor sings with passion and conviction, conducted by Jürgen Jürgens.

 

The Musikalische Exequien or "Musical Obsequies" was composed during the desolation of the Thirty Years War, is a masterpiece of Schütz's art at its fullest maturity. It was commissioned by an admirer of the composer, the Saxon prince Heinrich Posthumus of Reuss, who planned for it to be his own funeral music (as it was, in 1635). This recorded performance, from a Vanguard Everyman disc, follows Schütz's intentions regarding the total performance group, and general early Baroque performance practice as far as the use of instrumentalists. Ehmann leads a very sympathetic, well-blended Westphalian Choir, soloists, and original Baroque instrument ensemble. Two Motets, from a Nonesuch sampler LP of 1965, compliment the longer work. 

 

 

 

 

Glees were the most original musical product of Georgian England, being most popular around 1760 to 1820. Similar to the madrigal, the glee is chamber music for unaccompanied voices. The form can range from the simplest part songs to complex mini-cantatas containing contrasting movements and voiced with as many as eight parts. This album, derived from a mint Decca/L'Oiseux-Lyre LP, provides some of the best examples of the genre, sung with consummate style and precision by The Scholars, one of Europe's foremost vocal ensembles. This reissue has been graciously authorized by The Scholars, and perhaps this collection will rekindle an interest and respect for this most English form of music. 

1. Let me, careless - Linley

2. When winds breathe soft - Webbe

3. You gave me your heart - Webbe

4. Amidst the mrytles - Battishill (MP3 sample above)

5. Deh! Dove? - Cooke

6. In paper case - Cooke

7. O snatch me swift - Callcott

8. The Nightingale - Danby

9. Music, all powerful - Walmisley

10. The humble tenant - Beale

11. To all that breathe the air of heav'n -  Attwood

 

 

It has been mentioned by some English music critics that Benjamin Britten came to maturity as a composer during his stay in America. The Sonnets of Michelangelo were written during that period in November 1940, and performed by Peter Pears in the autumn of 1942, the composer as pianist. His extraordinary talent in writing for a foreign language is remarkable, its' very Italian character blending with Britten's maturing musical voice. The Holy Sonnets of John Donne, from 1945, find Britten comfortable in his mature idiom, and the dark words of Donne are given special illumination.  Alexander Young gives forth a gripping performance of both collections, with Gordon Young as accompanist. The CD is produced from a mono Westminster International/Argo LP. Compelling performances of two of Britten's finest vocal solo collections. 

 

 

 

This transcription is from the 1964 Argo recording, the performances using music editions published by Walton Music. Unmistakable in timbre, precise in execution, sensitive in performance practice, these recordings preserve the unique sound of the King's College choir and the superb cathedral acoustics. The LP used for this transcription was never opened before I set stylus-to-vinyl, so little in the way of restoring was needed. A superb addition to a Baroque choral collection.

First in a series of 5 CDs devoted to the English Cathedral Choir, this recording, derived from an Argo LP from 1964, is a setting of  the Ash Wednesday Service as observed by King's College, Cambridge. Works by Allegri, Byrd, Farrant, and Purcell, as well as lesser-know composers Joseph Pring, Matthew Camidge, and Thomas Causton are featured, with readings by the Chaplain, Dean and Director of Music of King's College. The unmistakable sound of King's College Choir, led by Davis Willcocks, provides the perfect setting for a time of solemn contemplation during the season of Lent, or any other occasional where peace and reflection may be enhanced by music.

 

 

The Philharmonia Chorus, was founded in 1957 by Walter Legge as a choral counterpart to the Philharmonia Orchestra which he had founded twelve years earlier. The Chorus’s first concert, a performance on 12th November 1957 of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, completed a cycle of Beethoven symphonies in London’s Royal Festival Hall with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Otto Klemperer and was recorded shortly afterwards with the same performers. To create his chorus, Legge turned to Wilhelm Pitz, then chorus master of the Bayreuth Festival. Between first rehearsal in February 1957 and first concert there was a long period of preparation during which Pitz rehearsed the Chorus in not only the scheduled Beethoven but also in choral passages from Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. From that preparatory work emerged a chorus unique for its blend of British choral tradition and German musical training and discipline and for a dramatic quality found more typically in opera than in a symphony chorus. The full yet homogeneous and professionally disciplined sound immediately attracted critical notice. (From the Wikipedia entry on the New Philharmonia Chorus). This disc, transferred from a clean blue-label Angel LP, features the New Philharmonia Chorus in Classical, Romantic and Late Romantic works. (Bruckner's Locus iste is the MP3 sample above.) 

 

Continuing the English Cathedral Choir Series on Klassic Haus is this collections of hymns representing seasons of the Church year. The album, from an Argo LP recorded in 1964, is lead by George Guest who was organist and choirmaster at St. John’s College in Cambridge UK from 1951 to 1991, who transformed the choir into one of the most renowned English choirs, recording more than 60 albums and touring the world. The vocal sound of St. John's has been described as more "cosmopolitan" than the Choir of King's College, Cambridge. Certainly possessing a unique quality unrivaled by others, this selection of hymns is a delight, and useful as a reference as well as an inspirational source.

1. Praise, my soul, the King of heaven

2. Come, thou long-expected Jesus

3. O for a closer walk with God

4. Behold the great Creaor makes

5. Brightest and best of the sons of morning

6. Let all mortal flesh keep silence

7. The strife is o'er

8. When morning gilds the skies

9. The Lord ascendeth up on high

10. Spirit of mercy, truth, and love

(MP3 sample above)

12. Give me the wings of faith to rise

13. Immortal, invisible, God only wise

14. Jesu, lover of my soul

 

 

 

 

Church music in England at the beginning of the 19th century had sunk to an appalling state, causing Samuel Sebastian Wesley (represented on this disc with 3 pieces) to publish a pamphlet titled a few words on Cathedral Music and the Musical System of the Church, and a plan of reform. The decline of standards of performance were decried, the tearing down and defacing of organs was found abhorrent, and the terrible physical state of church music books bemoaned. Given such an unsympathetic climate, it is surprising that any church music of value was produced during this period, yet the eight pieces on this disc, derived from an Argo LP of 1964, prove that by no means everything was of mediocre quality. Sung with commitment and particular grace and style, the Choir of St. John's College Cambridge bring these minor masterpieces back to life. (The Goss "If we believe that Jesus died" is the MP3 sample - click on the thumbnail) 

 

The Chapel of St. Michael's College, Tenbury, is set amongst the orchards of Worcestershire, and it is in this peaceful place that the Choir of St. Michael's College call home. This choir, made up of choristers studying at the college as well as non-choristers, has a lighter sound than the other choirs represented in this series, and the music presented in this recital fits their unique timbre perfectly. Transcribed from an Argo LP of 1965.

1. If ye love me - Tallis

2. Magnificat - Morley

3. Laudato nomen Domini - Tye

4. Sacerdores Domini - Byrd

5. Rejoice in the Lord alway - attrib. Redford

6. Nunc Dimittis - Gibbons

7. Agnus Dei - Morley

8. Sing Joyfully - Byrd

9. From the rising of the sun - Ouseley

10. Magnificat - Murrill

11. Nunc Dimittis - Murril

12. Beati quorum via - Stanford

13. My soul, there is a country - Parry

14. O taste and see - Vaughan Williams

15. Antiphon - Britten

 

 

 

Salisbury Cathedral is one of the finest Gothic buildings in Europe, and it within this superb acoustical setting that the Salisbury Cathedral Choir presents this collection of works by English composers spanning 150 years. The Choir is  lead by Christopher Dearnley , who was Assistant Organist, Salisbury Cathedral 1954-57, Music Master, Cathedral School 1954-57, and Organist and Master of the Choristers 1957-67. Taken from an Argo LP of 1961, this recital includes works of great beauty by minor composers as well as the genius of Henry Purcell. 

1. Jehova, quam multi sunt hostes mei - Purcell

2. My God, my God, look upon me - Blow

3. O pray for the peace of Zion - Blow

4. The ways of Zion do mourn - Wise

5. O where shall wisdom be found - Boyce

6. Lord, let me know mine end - Greene

7. O Lord, look down from heaven - Battishill

8. God is gone up with a merry noise - Croft

 

   

Continuing with reissues of the recorded legacy of Karl Ristenpart,  this disc is a transcription of a 1965 traversal of two of Bach's solo cantatas. No. 56 receives a second recording by Ristenpart (the first was an Archiv recording made in June, 1951 with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as soloist). Sensitive, intimate performances, well recorded by Club Français du Disque, and first issued on a Nonesuch LP. 

 

 

 

Stainer's The Crucifixion was for generations a staple piece for church choirs and amateur choral societies, especially during the Lenten season. This recording, made in 1961 by EMI, was the first professionally produced taping of this exemplar of  19th century English choral music. Alexander Young gives his solo work the usual exceptionally sweet-toned,  musically sensitive performance, and Donald Bell is perfectly cast as the voice of Jesus. The Leeds Philharmonic Choir provides well-disciplined support, producing a superb, balanced sound rivaling professional choirs. Herbert Bardgett conducts with sensitivity, eschewing overtly Romantic tempi and ritardandi in service to the message of the work. This transfer used a domestic blue-label, red leatherette spine Angel release; the recording was cut at a low level (as was the English EMI disc issued in Europe), so I raised the levels to a more realistic soundstage. 

 

The design of  "The Seasons" differs fundamentally from the structure of the Handelian oratorio, which is influenced by the spirit of musical drama. The "Seasons" is in the nature of a cantata cycle, and the illustrative element undoubtedly appealed to Haydn, who had attempted a similar task in 1761 when he wrote the symphonic triptych "Le Matin, "Le Midi" and "Le Soir" (Nos. 6, 7, and 8, see KHCD-2010-032). The "Seasons" has a distinct autobiographical ring; here speaks a man who was born in the country. lived most of his life in rural surroundings, and was deeply attached to nature. This 2-disc set, derived from a 3-LP set licensed to Nonesuch by Tono (Zürich), is an enthusiastic, well recorded sojourn through the German countryside. The NDR Chorus sings with lusty precision, and the soloists are at their lyrical best. Walter Goehr conducts with vigor and tenderness where required. A welcome reissue of a classic recording of Haydn's pastoral picture book of Seasons. 

 

 

 

Choral masterpieces from Mozart's return to Salzburg after an unsuccessful period in Paris. The "Coronation" Mass from 1779 is in celebration of a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary near Salzburg in 1751. The "Vesperae Solennes" is from 1780,  Mozart's last composition for the Archbishop Colloredo before his (Mozart's) departure to Vienna. Both works are played with lyrical precision by the Saar Chamber Orchestra, with a fine cast of soloists and a well-trained chorus, led by legendary conductor Karl Ristenpart. It is transcribed from a previously factory-sealed early pressing Nonesuch disc. The CD is completed with a compelling performance of the Symphony No. 40 in g minor, with Günter Wand leading the  well-disciplined Gürzenich Symphony Orchestra of Cologne, from a factory sealed, later pressing Nonesuch LP. 

 

Many recordings made by Tono (Zürich) were licensed during the 1960s to Nonesuch. This recording of the Haydn "Missa in angustiis" in one such fine example, with an excellent quartet of soloists, well-trained chorus, and the ubiquitous Hans Sawarowsky leading the Vienna State Opera Orchestra. The Mozart Missa solemnis is from a brief Mozart Mass  series conducted by Herbert Kegel, recorded in the early 70s by VEB Deutsche Schallplatten, based in Berlin (DDR), and released on Philips.

 

 

 

Alexander Young's recordings with Argo, released domestically on Westminster in the 1950s,  have been woefully unavailable since the 1960s. Klassic Haus offers his 1953 recording of "On Wenlock Edge", certainly the definitive taping of  that 1909 masterpiece. Australian baritone John Cameron is joined by sopranos Patricia Bartlett and Iris Kell in Seven Songs from "Pilgrim's Progress", RVW's morality play set to music and produced in 1951. The LP used for transcription was graciously supplied by Walter Wells. 

 

 

More Argo/Westminster recordings by Alexander Young, this a 1954 traversal of "The Curlew", Warlock's chamber masterpiece, accompanied by the Sebastian String Quartet with flute and English horn,  and the cycle of 12 Songs with piano.  Masterful readings, brought to life again in a transcription sounding better than the original vinyl. The LP used for transcription was graciously supplied by Walter Wells. 

 

 

 

 

This disc is the result of many requests by Klassic Haus customers. After much searching, I was able to find a restorable, late-pressing copy of this elusive Nonesuch disc, first issued domestically in 1965. Glorious performance of the Magnificat in C, with the ubiquitous soprano Teresa-Stich Randall offering her clarity of voice and attention to detail, along with a well-balanced cast of soloists, and a youthful, well-trained chorus. Trumpeter Maurice André joins Stich-Randall in the solo Cantata No. 51. The proceedings are conducted by Karl Ristenpart, with the Chamber Orchestra of the Saar. 

 

 

Scherchen's Bach recordings were ground-breaking in terms of performance practice; tempi, orchestral, solo and choral balances were given razor-sharp scrutiny, and the results predated many of today's commonly used practices in performing Bach's vocal works.. Coupled with fine production  by the Vienna Westminster team, they have withstood the test of time. This disc features a stellar vocal quartet and organist Herbert Tachezi in performances worthy of reissue. The late-pressing Westminster LP used for this transcription was graciously provided by Walter Wells. 

 

 

 

The Christmas Oratorio of Heinrich Schütz was composed in 1664, when he was nearing 80 years old, and gradual deafness was driving him towards reclusion and spiritual introspection. It constitutes a perfect example of  his mature genius, with its quasi-plainsong recitatives and its Baroque concerted numbers. It is performed with original instruments, and sung with perfection by the Windsbach Boys' Choir, and a trio of wonderful soloists, derived from an red leatherette-spine album, blue-label domestic Angel LP. The balance of the disc features three European choral groups performing familiar and not so familiar  Renaissance choral works, taken from an early pressing Nonesuch LP from 1966.

 

 

This disc, derived from 3 LPs, featured 20th century English vocal music as performed by tenor Alexander Young. Each composers' set is performed with consummate skill and sensitivity. The rather indifferent  recordings Argo made in the early 50s from which the  Quilter and Lambert performances were taken  have been given a bit of ambience, allowing the performances to bloom. The Wordsworth needed less help in that respect. All recordings sound refreshed, and are worthy of reissue. The LPs were graciously provided by Walter Wells from his personal collection. 

 

 

 

Continuing with reissues of recording made with the Chamber Orchestra of the Saar with its founder Karl Ristenpart conducting, is this set of four Bach Cantatas, recorded originally in 1958 by Club Français du Disque and released domestically on the Music Guild label (an imprint of Westminster)l in 1965.  Reverent, stylish performances with top-notch soloist and the youthful Laubach Choir. Trivia note - the LP of Cantatas 32 & 79 was given 3 stars (very good sales potential listing) in the September 11th, 1965 edition of Billboard Magazine (USA). The LPs were graciously donated by Walter Wells from his personal collection. 

 

Beethoven's personal blending of dogma and drama in his Missa Solemnis resulted in an outpouring of human emotion, a towering masterpiece from a composer often accused of lacking the gift of writing for the human voice. Gunter Wand leads a stellar performance of this profound work, recorded originally by Club Français du Disque, and licensed to Nonesuch. A near-mint 2-LP set was used for this transcription. 

 

 

 

 

Bach's original intention for the Orgelbüchlein was to compose 164 preludes on the 161 chorale melodies he listed on the 92 introductory pages of the manuscript (three titles are entered twice). He got around to finishing only 46, but managed to hit the high spots of the church year, coming close to achieving his purpose, if only at a smaller scale. The finely etched miniatures of the Orgelbüchlein chorales in this recording are paired with choral settings by Bach and others to demonstrate the relationship of the organ pieces to their models in the Lutheran liturgy. Reverently performed by the Chorus of the Gedächtniskirche, Stuttgart,  and led by Bach expert Helmuth Rilling, this 3-CD set is derived from a 4-LP Nonesuch set, originally recorded by Barenreiter. 

 

 

The Mendelssohn psalm settings are the fruit of a particularly happy and productive period in his life, the years 1837-8. Mendelssohn had married in March 1837, and during his wedding journey through the Rhineland and the Black Forest, he composed the Psalm 42 setting, dedicated to his wife, Cécile. The favorable reception of the first performances of this work led him to compose a second setting, Psalm 95, for tenor soloist, chorus and orchestra. Both are sweetly performed by the Gulbenkian Foundation Chorus and Orchestra, from a near-mint Erato LP. The Vivaldi Psalm 109, Dixit Dominus, is composed for two choruses and two orchestras, and strikes a balance and unity in spite of the varying keys, tempi, and instrumentation found in the ten-movement work. The Gulbenkian Foundation forces join again to perform this monumental setting, transcribed from a Musical Heritage Society 2-LP set, licensed by Erato. 

 

 

 

 

Duruflé's Requiem is one of the few settings that gently accompanies a loved one to the threshold of eternal rest, without bombast or threat of eternal damnation. Much as Fauré in his own Requiem, Duruflé uses the heritage of Gregorian plain-song, preserving its color and line. This recording, made in November 1958, has the authority of the composer himself conducting. A mint  Erato LP was used in transcription.

The Poulenc works reflect that composer' s humanistic, vernacular settings of religious texts. The Mass is like no other setting; some of it, such as the Gloria and the two Hosannas, seem more suited for brass and timpani than voices, but the effect proves very well judged. The Motets reflect the same style of the Mass in miniature, perhaps with a bit more lyricism. The Poulenc works are deftly performed by the Toronto Festival Singers, led by its founder, Elmer Iseler, from an early pressing Seraphim LP. 

 

Alessandro Grandi (1586 – after June 1630, but in that year) was a northern Italian composer of the early Baroque era, writing in the new concertato style. He was probably born in Ferrara and spent the first part of his life there, likely studying with Giovanni Gabrieli at Venice, which was nearby. He was one of the most inventive, influential and popular composers of the time, probably second only to Monteverdi in northern Italy.  His works were published throughout Italy, Germany and the Low Countries, and continued to be reprinted long after his death. He wrote motets, psalm settings, madrigals, as well as some of the earliest compositions to be called "cantata." This disc, from a 1970s Nonesuch LP licensed by Accadamia Monteverdiana, feature expert performances led by Monteverdi scholar Denis Stevens.