About the composer
William Cornysh (1465 - 1523) was not only a composer, but also a dramatist, an actor and
a poet. In his only surviving poem, which was written in the Fleet prison, he claims that
he has been convicted by false information and thus wrongly accused, though it is not
known what the accusation was. The music of Cornysh, like Browne's, is almost completely
found in the Eton Choirbook. His musical output shows considerable variety. On the one
hand he contributed to the last and most florid style of the Renaissance, but on the other
he must have realized that this could go no further, beginning to simplify his music.
Cornysh had a prestigious employment at court, as Master of the Children of the Chapel
Royal, which he fulfilled until his death.
| Date | ± 1500 |
| Performers | Formally 5 voices (Soprano, Mezzo, Countertenor, Tenor, Bass) On present-day recordings almost always interpreted by a larger choir. |
| Length | 15.42 minutes |
| Particulars | From the CD-booklet: The Stabat Mater is a masterpiece which contains frequent contrasts between ornate and simpler passages: these juxtapositions are something of a specialty of Cornysh's. In general his style is less introverted than that of Browne. Cornysh always seemed to be striving for the most brilliant effect, or the most pathetic tone. |
| Textual variations | The medieval English text is used (See Texts: Latin) |
| CD | Gimell CDGIM 014: William Cornysh, Stabat Mater |
| About the CD | Dedicated to the work of Willliam Cornysh. Recorded in the church of St Peter and St Paul, in Salle, Norfolk, England in 1988. I bought this CD in a record shop in the Netherlands, 1997 |
| Choir | The Tallish Scholars |
| Conductor | Peter Phillips |
| Other works | Salve Regina Ave Maria, mater Dei Gaude virgo mater Christi Magnificat Three songs |
E-mail:
stabatmater@dds.nl