Anonymous Bowman

[ardcarp]

Another lovely EMS today with Lucie Skeaping relaxed, informative and occasionally witty. It was all about music at the court of Maximillian I. Two of the examples (Isaac's Innsbruck ich mus dich lassen and Festa's Quis Dabit) were sung by The Early Music Consort directed by the late, great David Munrow. But hang on...who was that fabulous countertenor? None other than James of the oxymoronic thread title. He was presumably in his late 20s or early 30s then, and those who were not around to hear him live in those days missed a treat. Most of the examples in the Show today were done OVPP (with the exception of a very good extract from Sidney Sussex choir plus sackbutts) and IMHO, Munrow's lot were in a class apart. Anyone remember the names of the Ts and Bs? They were pretty darned good too.

[rauschwerk]

I still have the LP of that album, and the other singers were Martyn Hill and Philip Langridge.

[rubbernecker]

Thanks for those thoughts. It is easy to forget, after the explosion of the period movement with its Christies, Scholls etc, just how good Bowman and Munrow were. A couple of weeks ago I dusted down my copy of Dufay's mass Se La Face Ay Pale, which I don't think I've played for well over two decades, and was absolutely knocked sideways by the quality of the choral singing. The choir, admittedly, was like a who's who of seventies singers, but it still sounds as exquisite as any crack period ensemble or choir of today.

[MickyD]

Amongst my personal favourites is the Music of the Gothic Era for Archiv, which I think I'm right in saying was Munrow's last recording.

[DracoM]

What about the astonishing voive of Jantina Noorman?

[ostuni]

What about the astonishing voive of Jantina Noorman?

Absolutely! Though she, of course, never worked with Munrow's Early Music Consort: like the equally marvellous Margaret Philpot, she was a member of Musica Reservata.

[ardcarp]

What about the astonishing voive of Jantina Noorman?

Yes. What became of her I wonder? She could definitely sound like a Medieval peasnat when required!

[rauschwerk]

Yes. What became of her I wonder?

Here's your answer: http://www.folkworld.de/31/e/dutch.html

[ostuni]

Lovely article - thanks for the link. And a marvellous photo of Reservata, with the young Tony Rooley, Bernard Thomas, Nigel Rogers amongst others.

[ardcarp]

Thank you indeed rauschwerk. She is probably not a million miles from where I live!