"I always get my year's best cd from you "
remark from a visitor to the Early Music Exhibition Greenwich November 2014
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Compact Discs for sale
"Christopher Monk Instruments will not be turning itself into a CD shop! I am, however, keen to offer a few choice recordings of which I feel particularly proud and I'd like to think that you, keen players and listeners, would be pleased to have any of these in your collection. I'll limit the cd's available on this site to a single page although I may have others in stock from SFZ Music and Hyperion - its always worth asking if you have a special request." Jeremy West
The Age of Extravagance
The cornett was regarded as the King of Instruments at the turn of the seventeenth century, and this not only because of the uncanny proximity of its sound to that of the human voice but also because the intrument can be played extraordinarily fast. The title for this album thus reflects not only the extravagance of the repertoire in terms of virtuosity, of notes-per-minute, but also its rich variety of expression. Jeremy West, acknowledged master of the instrument described by Mersenne as a 'ray of sunshine piercing the shadows', is joined by three leading exponents of this repertoire in this recital of dazzling virtuosity
Gabrieli Sacred Symphonies
This recording presents the music of Giovanni Gabrieli in his four-hundredth anniversary year. These magnificent liturgical settings from the heart of the Venetian polychoral tradition are full of drama, wonder and extraordinary spatial effects. His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts and Concerto Palatino provide the sonic gilding that would have been an essential part of the original performances, when extra musicians crowded the galleries of St Mark’s for special occasions.
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Harry our King
King Henry VIII was a well-educated and creative art lover, who played and composed music himself and gathered at his court artists and scholars from all over Europe. On this vibrant new recording, songs and dances of Henry and his contemporaries are made into a musical caleidoscope of court life with all its aspects of love, leisure and religion. Tenor Charles Daniels brings new colour to this music with vibrant, energetic performances sung with Middle English pronunciation.
At His Majesty's Pleasure
At His Majesty's Pleasure, written for His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts by Martyn Harry, is the group's first full-length commission.
Groundbreaking techniques in composition for early wind instruments, combined with beautiful baroque-style lines, make this a perfect blend of old and new. Learning to play this new music has been a huge and thrilling learning-experience for the group who are very proud of this their first recording by a living composer! |
Canzoni per Sonare
the 1608 publication by Alessandro Raverii of 36 “canzonas for playing with all sorts of instruments, newly collected from various most excellent musicians.” This recording comprises a selection of 25 of these with a dozen different composers represented.
His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts with The Purcell Quartet and Chordophony |
Giovanni Battista Grillo
Complete instrumental works with selected motets. Grillo was Giovanni Gabrieli's successor at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco and, although overshadowed by Gabrieli, his work is undeniably in the same league and frequently overlooked today.
"The playing on this disc is sublime" Historic Brass Society ~ 5 star award Goldberg Magazine |
The 12 Days of Christmas
A selection of music to celebrate the Christmas season. The Nativity story illustrated by masterpieces from the early baroque and a series of stocking-fillers for the 12 days of Christmas! Including music by Victoria, Kempis, Obrecht, Lasso, Ravenscroft, Morley, Farnaby, Praetorius
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For His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts
English music from King Henry VIII to Charles II. The repertoire on this recording comes from this glorious period of pageantry and national pride, and fully displays the enchanting sound and virtuosic scope of the cornett and sackbutt, remarkable instruments seldom heard today.
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