Royal Rhymes and Rounds The King's Singers

• Henry VIII (1491 - 1547):
• 1 Pastime with Good Company, "The Kynges Balade" (The King's Ballad) 01:53
• William Cornysh (1465 - 1523):
• 2 Ah, Robin, gentle Robin 02:26
• 3 Blow thy horn, hunter 02:23
• Henry VIII (1491 - 1547):
• 4 It is to me a ryght gret joy 01:33
• 5 Hey Trolly Lolly Lo! 03:56
• Ellis Gibbons (1573 - 1603):
• 6 Long live fair Oriana 02:39
• Orlando Gibbons (1583 - 1625):
• 7 The Silver Swan (Round) 02:00
• 8 The silver swanne 01:46
• John Hilton (1599 - 1657):
• 9 Fair Oriana, beauty's Queen 02:21
• John Mundy (1555 - 1630):
• 10 Lightly she whipped o'er the dales 03:11
• John Dowland (1563 - 1626):
• 11 Book of Songs, Book 2: Flow, my tears 01:37
• John Bennet (1575 - 1614):
• 12 Madrigalls: Weep, O Mine Eyes 02:44
• Thomas Weelkes (1576 - 1623):
• 13 As Vesta was, from Latmos hill descending 03:19
• Walter Parratt (1841 - 1924):
• 14 The Triumph of Victoria 02:33
• Hubert Parry (1848 - 1918):
• 15 Who can dwell with greatness 03:07
• Edward Elgar (1857 - 1934):
• 16 To her beneath whose steadfast star 04:51
• Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976): Gloriana, Op. 53:
• 17 No. 1. Time 01:51
• 18 No. 2. Concord 02:25
• 19 No. 3. Time and Concord 01:46
• 20 No. 4. Country Girls 01:17
• 21 No. 5. Rustics and Fishermen 01:00
• 22 No. 6. Final Dance of Homage 02:20
• Paul Drayton (1944):
• 23 A Rough Guide to the Royal Succession (It's just one damn King after another … ) 12:48
• Total Runtime 01:05:46

Info for Royal Rhymes and Rounds

The recording was to celebrate the 2012 Diamond Jubilee, The King's Singers present a selection of works from the past 500 years written in honour of the great Monarchs of Britain.

Starting with works for (and in some cases by) Henry VIII, the programme covers the Elizabethan 'Triumphs of Oriana' by composers such as Gibbons, Mundy and Dowland; a very Victorian selection of dedicatory works by Elgar, Parry and Parratt; choral arrangements from the opera 'Glorianna' by Benjamin Britten; and a new piece by Paul Drayton that comically pens 'A Rough Guide to the Royal Succession'. Drayton is perhaps best known to fans of The King's Singers as the composer of their much-loved encore work Masterpiece.

"Premier English a cappella group provides its own celebrations in Jubilee Year" (New Zealand Herald)

„Music for and by kings and queens: that's the focus of this new King's collection. King Henry VIII is the first regent featured, his own Pastime with good companie kicking off the recital. The anonymous Hey, trolly lolly lo! is positively lubricious, a saucy rugby song avant la lettre. Is it a little primly delivered by the King's Singers? Possibly. But the sound this ensemble makes is beautifully balanced, and you could take dictation from their impeccable enunciation. These are considerable benefits.

Queen Elizabeth I's reign yields more serious content, in the shape of John Bennet's Dowland tribute Weep, O mine eyes, whose melancholy and desire for oblivion are sweetly rendered in the King's Singers' performance. Of the three pieces adulating Queen Victoria, Elgar's 1899 part-song To her beneath whose steadfast star is the most interesting. It forms part of a collection featuring 13 composers, and Elgar conducted it himself at the queen's 80th birthday breakfast.

A fresh-toned, lively account of the 'Choral Dances' from Britten's 1953 opera Gloriana marks the reign of the current monarch. A new commission, Paul Drayron's "A Rough Guide to the Royal Succession (It's just one damn King after another.. .)" concludes the programme. It's droll, but at 12-plus minutes perhaps better experienced live than on record.

Overall, this disc from the King's Singers is a notably intelligent, enjoyable Jubilee offering.“ (BBC Music Magazine, Terry Blain)

The King's Singers

The King's Singers
Acclaimed worldwide for their virtuosity, life-affirming energy and charm, The King’s Singers are in global demand. Their work, synonymous with the very best in vocal ensemble performance, appeals to a vast international audience. Performing to hundreds of thousands of people each season, the group tours regularly to Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australasia. Instantly recognisable for their immaculate intonation, vocal blend, diction and incisive timing, The King’s Singers are consummate entertainers.

The group’s repertoire has evolved to become one of the most diverse and compelling imaginable. The King’s Singers have commissioned over 200 works, including landmark pieces from leading contemporary composers including Luciano Berio, György Ligeti, Sir James MacMillan, Krzysztof Penderecki, Toru Takemitsu, Sir John Tavener, Gabriela Lena Frank and Eric Whitacre. They have also commissioned arrangements of everything from jazz standards to pop chart hits, explored medieval motets and Renaissance madrigals, and encouraged young composers to write new scores.

In addition to performing to capacity audiences and creating highly regarded and much-loved recordings, The King’s Singers share their artistry through numerous workshops and masterclasses around the world. In June 2017, the group will host their inaugural U.S. Summer School at DePauw University, Indiana and in July 2017 will return for their 3rd U.K. Summer School at Royal Holloway (part of the University of London) where they are also Ensemble in Residence. Among the work supported by The King’s Singers Foundation, A Carol for Christmas is a composition competition that seeks to encourage young and up-coming composers, giving the winners the chance for their piece to be performed in King’s College Chapel (Cambridge, UK).

Double Grammy® award-winning artists, the group were honoured in 2009 for their Signum Classics release, Simple Gifts, and again in 2012 for their contribution to Eric Whitacre’s Light and Gold album on Universal/Decca. Recently voted into Gramophone Hall of Fame, rave reviews and repeated sell-out concerts confirm that The King’s Singers remain one of the world’s finest vocal ensembles.

This album contains no booklet.