Alamire/Skinner: The Spy’s Choirbook CD review – rich and sumptuous

Peter van den Hove, who called himself Petrus Alamire, was one of the most celebrated scribes in Europe in the early 16th century, with contacts in all the major royal courts, including those of Henry VIII, Charles V and Emperor Maximilian. Alamire was also a composer, merchant, diplomat and spy (for Henry VIII among others), though he’s best remembered for his musical manuscripts. One of the most splendid surviving products of his workshop is a beautifully illuminated choirbook, now in the British Library under the prosaic shelf-mark of Royal MS 8.g.vii. It seems to have been sent to Henry VIII around 1516, and contains 34 unattributed motets. About a third of the collection remains anonymous, but the rest have been tracked down through other sources, including settings by Jean Mouton, Pierre de la Rue Antoine de Févin and Josquin des Prez. The whole sequence is performed by David Skinner’s 15-voice group, Alamire, with the English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble adding instrumental accompaniments. The performances are meticulous, the recorded sound rich and warm, and the effect often sumptuous, though at times perhaps a  bit too dense for some tastes.