Magnificat - Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang - The Observer

The sober packaging of this disc gives little indication of the pleasure within. Pass it over at your peril. The small vocal group Magnificat, and its founder/director Philip Cave, explore Latin music from Tudor England mainly from the 1560s and 70s by Parsons, White and Byrd found in the Dow collection of manuscripts in the library of Christ Church, Oxford. An excellent booklet essay guides us through the changing fortunes of Latin texts in newly Protestant England, as well as questions of performance practice and pitch. But the long lines of intertwining and unfolding polyphony, performed with warmth and purity, is the reason to buy this inspirational CD.