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Conductor Geoffrey Williams
Ensemble New York Polyphony
Recording Date 03/2014
Venue Chapel at The American Boychoir School 1. Veni Emmanuel, for chorus (03:19)
Composer Andrew Smith (b. 1970 - ) (Tenor Vocal)
Genre Carol
Period Contemporary 2. Adam lay ybounden, for chorus (01:34)
Composer Geoffrey Williams (b. 1976 - ) (Countertenor Vocal)
Genre Carol
Period Contemporary 3. Gabriel Archangelus, motet for 4 voices (4:27)
Composer Philippe Verdelot (fl 1485-1530)
Genre Motet / Renaissance Period / Sacred Music
Date Written 1532
Period Renaissance 4. Gabriel's Message (Basque) (02:14)
Composer Christmas Traditional
Lyricist(s) Traditional
Genre Carol / Medieval Period
Date Written circa 1582; Spain
Period Medieval
Country Spain
Note (arr. Alexander Craig for vocal ensemble) (b. 1971 - ) 5. There is no Rose of Such Virtue (swych vertu) (English, 15th Century) (02:20)
Composer Christmas Traditional / Trinity Roll MS (15th century) / Anonymous
Genre Carol / Medieval Period
Date Written 1420; England
Period Medieval
Country England 6. There is no Rose (based on the tune 'Hereford'), for chorus (02:26)
Composer Samuel Sebastian Wesley / arr. Geoffrey Williams (Countertenor Vocal)
Genre Carol
Period Contemporary
Note (arr. Geoffrey Williams for vocal ensemble) 7. There is no Rose (03:19)
Composer Christmas Traditional / John Scott (b. 1956 - )
Genre Carol / Medieval Period
Date Written 1420
Period Medieval
Country England 8. Nesciens mater (01:38)
Composer Thomas Byttering ( - d. 1420)
Date Written circa 1410; England
Period Medieval 9. O pia virgo (O Blessed Virgin) (03:18)
Composer Irish Traditional / Michael McGlynn (b. 1964 - )
Genre Renaissance Period
Period Renaissance 10. Nowell: Out of your sleep arise (03:02)
Common Name Nowel: Owt of your slepe aryse (English)
Composer Christmas Traditional / Anonymous / Selden MS (15th century) 11. Nowell: Arise and wake, for chorus (03:38)
Composer Andrew Smith (Tenor Vocal)
Period Contemporary 12-16. (5) Five Carols, for chorus (10:04)
Composer Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (1936 - 2012)
Performer Elizabeth Baber (Soprano)
Sarah Brailey (Soprano)
Ensemble New York Polyphony
Genre Carol
Period Contemporary 12. No. 1, There is no Rose (02:47)
13. No. 2, Out of your Sleep (01:41)
14. No. 3, That Younge Child (01:24)
15. No. 4, Sweet was the Song (02:30)
16. No. 5, Susanni (01:36) 17. Sleep Now, for chorus (1:41)
Composer Alexander Craig
Genre Song
Period Modern 18. O magnum mysterium, motet for 4 voices (3:40)
Common Name O Magnum Mysterium Motet For 4 Voices
Composer Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548 - 1611)
Genre Motet / Renaissance Period
Date Written 1572; Spain
Period Renaissance
Country Spain 19. Quem pastores laudavere (02:42)
Composer Christmas Traditional
Lyricist(s) Traditional
Genre Carol / Renaissance Period
Date Written 14th Century
Period Renaissance / Medieval
Note (arranger. Susan LaBarr (b. 1982 - ) for vocal ensemble)
20. Quid petis, o fili? (05:58)
Composer Richard Pygott (circa 1485 - 1549)
Genre Motet / Renaissance Period
Date Written 16th Century; England
Period Renaissance
Country United Kingdom 21. Un flambeau, Jeannette, Isabelle (02:13)
Composer Christmas Traditional
Lyricist(s) Traditional
Date Written 18th Century; France
Country France
Note (arranger. Alexander Craig for vocal ensemble) 22. Bethlehem Down, for voice (04:01)
Composer Peter Warlock (1894 - 1930)
Lyricist(s) Bruce Blunt
Performer Elizabeth Baber (Soprano)
Sarah Brailey (Soprano)
Genre Art Song / Song
Date Written 1930
Period Modern 23. Magi veniunt ab oriente (6:43)
Composer Jacobus Clemens 'non Papa' (circa 1510 - 1556)
Lyricist(s) Bible - New Testament
Genre Motet / Renaissance Period
Date Written 15th Century
Period Renaissance 24. O little town of Bethlehem (02:59)
Composer Lewis H. Redner (1831 - 1908)
Lyricist(s) Phillips Brooks
Genre Hymn / Romantic Period
Date Written 1868; USA
Period Romantic
Country United States of America
Note (arranger. Alexander Craig for vocal ensemble)
Nominated for a 2015 Grammy Award
”Brilliantly successful … immaculately yet expressively performed and incomparably well recorded.” International Record Review; Double 5 star review: “The vocal blend is consistently velvety, the pitching unerringly accurate.” BBC Music Magazine; “Mal beseelt, mal cool und schwungvoll, alle mit einer individuellen Stimme und einem sehr feinen, facettenreichen Ensembleklang.” Südwestrundfunk
Nowell, Nowel, Noel – on their new release, Sing thee Nowell, New York Polyphony sing of and to the birth of Christ. They do so in a typically sophisticated programme which fuses the ancient with the modern into a seamless whole: seven centuries of Christmas passes before the listener, with new works composed for these performers by Michael McGlynn, Andrew Smith and John Scott alongside traditional medieval and Renaissance carols and motets by Clemens ‘non Papa’, Philippe Verdelot and Tomás Luis de Victoria. The wide-ranging sequence is anchored by Richard Rodney Bennett’s Five Carols, in which the sopranos Sarah Brailey and Elizabeth Baber Weaver join the four members of New York Polyphony in celebrating ‘the joyful birth’ and in praising ‘Mary mild’. The wondrous events related to the Nativity and the joy they bring to mankind naturally dominate, but intimations of Christ’s death on the cross also surface in the course of the disc, as in Peter Warlock’s Bethlehem Down: ‘they will clothe him in grave-sheets, myrrh for embalming, and wood for a crown.’ Formed in 2006, New York Polyphony has rapidly emerged as one of the leading vocal chamber ensembles, applying a distinctly modern touch to repertoire that ranges from austere medieval melodies to cutting-edge contemporary compositions. Two previous recordings for BIS have received critical acclaim, including a Grammy nomination for the 2013 release Times go by Turns, interleaving masses by Byrd and Tallis with works from the 21st century. | 
