THE VOICE IN THE GARDEN • Christopher Page, dir; Gothic Voices; Christopher Wilson (vihuela); Andrew Lawrence-King (hp) • HELIOS 55298 (52:08 Text and Translation)

Music of ENCINA, NARVÁEZ, PEÑALOSA, mena, MILÁN, segni, ENRIQUE, anon, fernÁndez-palero

First issued as Hyperion 66653 (17:4), this was as recent as Christopher Page’s early-music repertoire ever got. It was issued a year after a spate of Spanish-oriented recordings marking the voyage of Columbus, and the notes by Page and Tess Knighton were illuminating (as they still are). Knighton had written elsewhere about the use of voices and instruments in Spanish music of this era (as distinct from music of other countries). In essence, recordings were invariably using voices with instruments lavishly, while Knighton argued for instruments only to accompany the solo voice (not ensembles) and Page employed his vocal ensemble here unaccompanied. (Wilson and Lawrence-King play only instrumental solos on this program.) Margaret Philpot (heard here also) had just recorded a collection of solo songs demonstrating Knighton’s viewpoint (now reissued as Helios 55097).

The voice of the title is the voice of God that Adam and Eve heard after the original sin. Hence the songs and motets focus on two ideas: repentance for the sins of our forefathers and prayers to the Blessed Virgin for her intercession on behalf of those devoted to her. Yet this is mostly not sacred music, but popular music of a people that lived their faith. Only four of the 23 tracks are Latin-texted, three of them motets by Peñalosa. The rest are songs found in the many cancioneros, or songbooks that survive from the 16th century. This program remains a striking contrast to the many collections of the repertoire that overload the vocal music with instrumental interludes and accompaniments. As such, it is still an essential contribution, and at the price it is a bargain.

FANFARE: J. F. Weber