The collection encompasses 34
motets and
anthems by 14 different composers who were active during the
Tudor Period, sometimes referred as "the Golden Age of English church music", which spans from around 1500 to the end of the reign of
King James VI and I in 1625. This period in English history was especially marked by the religious upheaval of the
English Reformation, which was advanced by
King Edward VI. With competing demands over the language of
Church of England liturgy, composers of this era variously set both
Latin and
English texts to music, and this is reflected in the range of works presented in this book. The later anthems in English take their texts from the
King James Bible which was commissioned in 1604, but words from earlier Bible translations such as the 1526
Tyndale Bible and from prayer books such as the 1549
Book of Common Prayer are also included. A variety of musical styles is represented in the collection, from simple
four-part harmony to more elaborate
polyphonic motets for up to eight voices, including both
a cappella pieces and anthems requiring instrumental accompaniment. Sources for this collection include a set of
partbooks from the
British Library, copied by
Thomas Myriell and entitled
Trisitiae Remedium (1616), and partbooks sourced from the libraries of
Christ Church, Oxford (c.1620) and
St Michael's College, Tenbury (c.1615). ==See also==