The attributed masses fit in well with the other English masses of the period, and allow one to glimpse some individual personality formed from a set of works, especially in the case of Frye. His mass is clearly one of the more distinguished of the period. Plummer's is more unusual, not really as accomplished, but intriguing as an example of the variety of the period.
The performances present a point on the continuum of the Clerks' improvement. There is a good feel for structure here, as well as for smaller phrasing. The enunciation is still lacking, to some degree, but it is serviceable. Altogether the mass performances are quite competent, and mainly unremarkable.
The song performances remain turgid, in the same tiresome "cathedral" style, and again with little enunciation. They are basically a waste of CD space, especially when compared to credible performances by the Ferrara Ensemble, but just an interlude to a program which is mainly about the masses.
Ultimately, it is really Frye's Missa Flos regalis which makes this program, and it is a mass with an excellent sense of line and counterpoint, increasingly a favorite. This mass compares well to other 4-voice examples of the mid-1400s.
Todd M. McComb