This music continues to be stimulating. Despite the relatively few themes, there are a wealth of ideas, and the treatments are satisfying. The complete program is very welcome.
When Tye's music first appeared, it was unclear to me how much other, comparable music might appear. The answer is basically none. And it remains unclear to me, given the rest of his output, why Tye should have been the person to create such an iconic series of variations (and some other appealing pieces, such as long-time favorite Sit Fast), but nonetheless here we are.
And I made a mistake in replacing this particular program with another. (There have been three, this version from The Spirit of Gambo coming between the dated classic by Savall & a more recent version from Phantasm.) And I was initially taken by the Phantasm rendition, and made a hasty decision here. (I even commented over in "remarks" how I'd made a hasty decision — or at least that's how I read it with hindsight....) Anyway, I'm subsequently (in 2021) restoring this album here. (It's not the first time I've waffled like this, unfortunately, but that hasn't been common in this space.)
Anyway, the performance by The Spirit of Gambo has a great, singing quality to it — a wonderful instrumental tone & warm, clear lines. It brings out the lyrical quality of the music, and does serve to emphasize that it's from more or less a full century prior to e.g. Jenkins — for which a more motivic & rhetorical style tends to maintain. I do generally lament instrumental programs with single vocal tracks (& probably let that influence me far too much in my previous impression here...), since it completely changes the dynamic, but the track itself is both pleasant & easily omitted (especially from computer cueing) if desired.... (The "extra" voice in the six-part In Nomine isn't nearly as noticeable — & is even a clever way to get a sixth part for this one piece from a viol quintet....)
Todd M. McComb Updated: 8 May 2021