The William Byrd Edition, Vol 2: Early Latin Church Music & Propers for Christmas
Volume Two of ASV's complete Byrd edition includes the propers for Christmas Day Mass (from Byrd's collectionGradualia) bookended by rarely performed church music.  The directors pay particular attention to proper pitch and scoring, correcting the excessive upward transposition of recent decades. Most pieces are done one singer per part, highlighting the beauty of particular voices and individual lines. Real finds include two three-voice Alleluyas, the exuberant "Decantabat populus," the sweet supplication "Deus in adjutorium," and the psalm-setting "In exitu Israel" (composed jointly by Byrd, Sheppard, and Mundy). This group's singing, always beautiful, is often too relaxed (as if they all need a double espresso); only "Decantabat" and "Deus in adjutorium" have sufficient momentum. Still, these are skillful performances of worthwhile pieces nobody else is likely to record.--Matthew Westphal