This 2012 release on Naxos presents a selection of music from the Eton Choirbook, performed by Tonus Peregrinus. The album offers a glimpse into a significant collection of late 15th-century English choral music.
- The Eton Choirbook, compiled around 1500, is one of the most important surviving sources of English polyphony from the late medieval period. It contains over 90 compositions by 14 different composers, predominantly settings of the Sarum rite.
- The Eton Choirbook manuscript is notable for its size and the quality of its illumination, featuring intricate drawings and decorations. It was likely compiled for the newly founded college at Eton.
- While the precise performance circumstances are unknown, the repertoire demonstrates the musical resources available to aristocratic and ecclesiastical institutions in Tudor England.
The UK-based vocal ensemble Tonus Peregrinus, founded in 1998, performs a wide range of sacred and secular music, with a focus on the Renaissance and contemporary works. They have commissioned and premiered numerous pieces by living composers, establishing themselves as champions of new choral music.
Tracklist
