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A singer and composer in the royal household chapels of Henry VII and Henry VIII, Robert Fayrfax (1464–1521) enjoyed unusual prestige in his lifetime; famed for his music and his musical learning both during his career and after his death, he has never been entirely forgotten. His reception in the modern revival of early music has, however, been somewhat equivocal, because his work can sound less accessible than that of many of his English contemporaries; restrained rather than showy, it can nevertheless be remarkably eloquent, and his genius for generating long melodic lines out of ingeniously varied motifs contributes a strong sense of cohesion and growth. This mass is apparently derived from his Jesus-antiphon O bone Jesu (itself published in RCM87). Intimate and focused rather than grandiose or spectacular, it reflects the intensity with which devotees celebrated the newly established cult of the Name of Jesus. For five voices: SATBarB. 2024. xii + 50 pages. ISMN 979-0-57039-211-7.
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