William Byrd: The Great Service
If there's such a thing as a definitive performance, this is it. The  recording is demonstration quality, giving the voices a naturalness and bloom  rarely heard on disc, allowing the sound to fill the spaces in London's Church  of St. John with no sacrifice to clarity, blend, or balance. Although Byrd was a  Catholic, he lived in strictly Protestant times and, as a member of the Chapel  Royal, wrote many Anglican works. (He also not-so-surreptitiously composed a  great deal of Latin music, an unlawful and dangerous act).The Great  Serviceis a setting of texts from the three daily observances of the  Anglican church: Matins, Holy Communion, and Evensong. As Byrd's longest work,  it's a spectacular outpouring of ravishing harmonies, rich textures, and artful  melodic lines. One of the three Anglican anthems here--all gems--is "Sing  joyfully unto God," which has remained popular with choirs and congregations  ever since it was written.--David Vernier