The Call of the Phoenix

1	Stella celi (15th century
2	Quam pulchra es for 3 voi
3	Tota pulcra es, for 3 voi
4	Gloria, for 3 voices (No.
5	Salve scema sanctitatis,
6	Credo, for 3 voices (No.
7	Tota Pulchra Es
8	O pulcherrima mulierum (1
9	Sanctus (15th century)
10	O sanctissime presul (15t
11	Anna Mater Matris Christi
12	Audivi vocem (15th centur
13	Ave Regina caelorum for 3
14	Beata dei genitrix
15	Ave regina celorum (15th
16	Gaude virgo (15th century
17	Nesciens mater
18	Stella Caeli for 4 voices
The Call of the Phoenix
1.	Stella celi (15th century) 5:05
	Composed by Anonymous, English
	Performed by Orlando Consort
2.	Quam Pulchra Es for 3 voices 3:38
	Composed by John Pyamour
	Performed by Orlando Consort
3.	Tota pulcra es, for 3 voices 3:23
	Composed by Forest
	Performed by Orlando Consort
4.	Gloria, for 3 voices (No. 13) 4:16
	Composed by John Bennet
	Performed by Orlando Consort
5.	Salve scema sanctitatis, isorhythmic motet for 4 voices, MB 30 6:50
	Composed by John Dunstable
	Performed by Orlando Consort
6.	Credo, for 3 voices (No. 15) 3:59
	Composed by John Bennet
	Performed by Orlando Consort
7.	Tota Pulchra Es 4:10
	Composed by John Plummer
	Performed by Orlando Consort
8.	O pulcherrima mulierum (15th century) 2:21
	Composed by Anonymous, English
	Performed by Orlando Consort
9.	Sanctus (15th century) 5:52
	Composed by Anonymous, English
	Performed by Orlando Consort
10.	O sanctissime presul (15th century) 3:21
	Composed by Anonymous, English
	Performed by Orlando Consort
11.	Anna Mater Matris Christi 4:59
	Composed by John Plummer
	Performed by Orlando Consort
12.	Audivi vocem (15th century) 3:06
	Composed by Anonymous, English
	Performed by Orlando Consort
13.	Ave Regina caelorum for 3 voices 2:09
	Composed by Walter Frye
	Performed by Orlando Consort
14.	Beata dei genitrix 2:31
	Composed by Richard Mowere
	Performed by Orlando Consort
15.	Ave regina celorum (15th century) 2:20
	Composed by Anonymous, English
	Performed by Orlando Consort
16.	Gaude virgo (15th century) 5:20
	Composed by Anonymous, English
	Performed by Orlando Consort
17.	Nesciens mater 1:26
	Composed by John Trouluffe
	Performed by Orlando Consort
18.	Stella Caeli for 4 voices 5:56
	Composed by Walter Lambe
	Performed by Orlando Consort

Barnes & Noble

Surprisingly modern-sounding for its time, 15th-century English music boasts a melodically mellifluous and harmonically consonant style -- the contenance angloise, it was called. And though much of this music has been lost, John Dunstable is perhaps the best-known composer from the period. The Orlando Consort are strong advocates for his music, having made an excellent all-Dunstable disc for the Metronome label, and on this program, which spans some 70 years, they offer real rarities by Dunstable, his predecessors, and his followers. Walter Frye may be a familiar name to fans of the Hilliard Ensemble, who recorded an all-Frye disc for ECM, but John Pyramour, John Benet, John Plummer, Richard Mowere, and John Troulette will likely only be known to early music specialists. Plummer's "Tota pulcra es" is a marvelous example of the English knack for flowing melody -- a talent that seems to have persisted through the centuries -- and Frye's "Ave regina celorum," though quite brief, is also endearing in its tunefulness and gracious counterpoint. The Orlando Consort, always a fine group, have focused their sound over the years. Their tone is somewhat brighter than the better-known Hilliards, and their interpretive manner more extroverted, but they are just as polished in matters of tuning and ensemble, and their love for this repertoire is evident in every phrase. The Orlando's performances are complemented with utterly transparent sound quality (recorded at a parish church in East Lothian, Scotland), thorough notes, texts, translations, and typically beautiful packaging. The music on Call of the Phoenix may be rare; it is also very well done. Andrew Farach-Colton

All Music Guide

The Orlando Consort once again shows its intelligence and educated approach to Renaissance-era music, while not denying the beauty of the pieces. The album is a demonstration, in varied works, of the contenance angloise, the sound that distinguished English music of the fifteenth century from that of the continent. This release pays particular attention to votive antiphons, although there are also a few mass movements included. According to the excellent notes about the works in the accompanying booklet (which also includes lyrics), these were probably written for private chapels or choirs. The more intimate sound of the three- or four-voice works was recorded in a small parish church, so the amount of resonance is appropriate to the original use. There is no huge, hollow-sounding chamber to make the words unintelligible on this recording. The survey begins with works by contemporaries of John Dunstaple and includes a lovely example of Dunstaple's isorhythmic motets in "Salve scema." The two upper voices, using two different texts about St. Catherine of Alexandria, wind around the two lower voices, which ground the work with a chant used for her feast day. Another piece from around the same time is the "Audivi vocem," a responce that alternates lively, four-voice polyphony with homophonic plainchant, a real contrast of the "old" and the "new." Mixed in with anonymous works of the time are pieces by John Plummer and Walter Frye, representatives of the generation following Dunstaple. Their works show more imitation and passing of melody between voices. The survey ends with "Stella Celi" by Walter Lambe, from the Eton Choirbook. In all of these pieces, there is clear but complementary independence of lines, sung with grace and a reverence for the music. Patsy Morita

Gramophone

[The Orlando Consort] have honed their distinctive, richly plummy sound to near perfection, and their interpretive intelligence shows no sign of letting up. Be it one of the period's best-known pieces...or an otherwise unheard work...their ability to communicate something of a sense of discovery in each piece is remarkable.... This is simply one of the best recordings I have heard all year. Fabrice Fitch

Fanfare

Don't hesitate to add this to your shelf. It won't remain there unplayed for long.