Catalogue Connection: 25133

Psallite is a collection of 12 varied settings of different Psalms. The composers range from Palestrina (16th century) to a number of present-day composers (including Peter Bannister, who has strong links with the Methodist family). The call of the Latin word Psallite is to sing: to sing for joy, to sing through sorrow, to sing of love and to sing songs of praise to God.

This collection of Psalm-settings reflects the wide range of emotions stored up in the Bible’s supreme song-book. There is a wealth of choral settings here which work well with the concepts of both struggle and celebration.

This CD is a handy collection with an eclectic range of musical styles. Some could be used as additional material for public worship as well as private devotion and listening.

This is a rather wonderful album and will appeal both to people who like singing and choirs, and those who don’t care much about choirs but like nice music.

Clearly, with a stained glass window on the sleeve and a title like Psallite , there’s a religious theme: the sleeve notes say Psallite is an exhortation to sing for joy, and the Cor Cantiamo presents a sample of such music from the 16th century up to the present day, taking in a couple of spirituals on the way. The works are mostly based on or inspired by psalms. Some of the works were commissioned by SDG Music Foundation as part of its worldwide Psalms Project.

It’s a rich album, by which we mean that it doesn’t make for good background music; it’s too demanding. This is not light and frothy church music you’d play at Christmas, but meaty and heartfelt songs that were written to be performed for the Almighty.

The opening piece is inspired by Revelations and as awe-filled as you might expect. It was written by Ily Matthew Maniano, who is only 28. This is followed by Chantez a Dieu (Psalm) 96, written by Sweelinck (1562-1621) a Renaissance motet that’s both traditional in sound but also illustrative of how traditional Maniano’s modern piece was.

Psalm 41 by Gavin Bryars (b 1943) is more mournful and a depiction of yearning, the psalm being a plea to God not only for protection from one’s enemies but also from temptation to sin (which you knew of course, as did we, and Wikipedia never came into it).

Hard Times almost strays into wistful Clannad territory, as it opens with a haunting soprano and lyrics that are more modern than biblical. It’s a good bridge into the first spiritual, By And By , a tune you’ll recognise as the narrator lays down a heavy load and repents, trying on his robe at the gates of hell. This is followed by a sudden dive back 400 years and Exultate Deo.

And there you have it, really; there’s no point listing to all the tracks. You’ve got to want to embrace the music, and family members who dislike this level of intense praise may find it a bit much, but it’s a powerful CD. If you’re a singer and want to study the technicalities, we guess there’s much to appreciate. The booklet includes all the texts.

Cor Cantiamo is a touring chamber choir in residence at Northern Illinois University, founded to promote contemporary choral music and foster new composers. The conductor is Eric A Johnson.

This album is structured like a number of choral concerts of the present day: a variety of single pieces, with styles and centuries interleaved. When done well (as it is here), the result is a very enjoyable listening experience.

The pieces on this album are primarily psalm settings. Several other works are arrangements of traditional African American spirituals (and one Stephen Foster song),and one is a setting from the Book of Revelation. The booklet notes state that the idea was to show a kind of “enlarged” psalm tradition across the eras. The contemporary composers and arrangers include some names well known in current choral circles (Carol Barnett, Eriks Ešenvalds, Craig Hella Johnson, Moses Hogan) alongside some names that are less familiar (Ily Matthew Maniano, Galina Grigorjeva, Peter Bannister). Five of the psalm settings (Bryars, Ešenvalds, Grigorjeva, Bannister, and Kellogg) were commissioned by the SDG Music Foundation (an organization focusing on commissioning new sacred music) as part of their “Psalms Project.” Cor Cantiamo is a professional choir in residence at Northern Illinois University.

Conductor Eric A. Johnson is director of choral activities at NIU and founded this group to specialize in contemporary music. Attractive performances of attractive pieces all around.

Cor Cantiamo is a touring chamber choir in residence at Northern Illinois University, and a versatile lot they are. I liked them in a program of works by Jaako Mantyjarvi, and they come across nicely here as well. Palestrina sounds terrific under their care, as do contemporary works by the likes of Eriks Esenvalds, Ily Matthew Maniano, and Galina Grigorjeva. Best of all are the three spirituals, which tingle with ethnic flair. (‘We Shall Walk Through the Valley’ might even bring a tear or two.) Not every work here is a masterpiece, but the choir does its commendable best to make them sound that way.

Stephen Foster’s ‘Hard Times’ appears in a very interesting arrangement by Craig Hella Johnson. (I’d be curious to hear your reaction, I rather like it.) Maestro Johnson is the Director of Choral Activities at Northern Illinois, and if I were a choral musician in need of training I wouldn’t hesitate to seek him out. He obviously knows what he’s doing.