Sacred Garland by The Gonzaga Band

The Gonzaga Band, Sacred Garland, CHAN 0761

Faye Newton, soprano
Jamie Savan, treble and mute cornett
Richard Sweeney, theorbo
Steven Devine, harpsichord and organ

Recorded at the Church or St. Andrew, Toddington, Great Britain
April 2-4, 2008

A=466 Hz. Quarter comma mean tone temperament

Treble cornett by Serge Delmas, 2006, after seventeenth century original
Mute cornett by Serge Delmas, 2004, after seventeenth century original

Subtitled “Devotional Chamber Music from the Age of Monteverdi,” this recording shows once again how perfectly suited the cornetto was (and is) in blending with the voice. Jamie Savan has an open and bright sound which matches well with soprano Faye Newton. Much of this music was originally for two sopranos but Savan and Newton demonstrate convincingly that their combination (historically justified) is very satisfying.

Savan offers great technical facility and often dashing bravura. He employs numerous historic practices including period articulations, messa di voce, sprezzatura, and glottal trillos.
The repertoire includes works by Monteverdi, Grandi, Palestrina, Frescobaldi, and others. All works are performed masterfully by the Gonzaga Band.

--James Miller