Tudor City

music of Tudor England

Released in 2010, Tudor City explores the music of Tudor England in what Minnesota Public Radio’s Valerie Kahler calls “…a stunning tour through chant, polyphony and renaissance harmonies.” Four new works by acclaimed composer Andrew Smith are integrated seamlessly, giving the sequence a refreshingly modern feel.

Standout tracks include ‘Stella Caeli’ by the obscure composer Walter Lambe, Tye’s ‘In pace‘ and Dunstable’s beautifully angular ‘Speciosa facta est’. The disc begins with an unorthodox yet effective re-voicing of Byrd’s famous motet ‘Ave verum corpus’.

Strong sales in the wake of a segment on NPR’s All Things Considered—which ranked Tudor City among the best new classical CDs—sent New York Polyphony to the top of the Billboard classical album chart. The album spent three weeks in the Top 10, peaking at #6 in June 2010.

press highlights

  • “…full of ethereal, other-worldly music, as sung by angels. Big, burly angels.”
    Valerie Kahler, MPR, New Classical Tracks
  • “…the perfect blend of sixteenth-century England and twenty-first century New York.”
    Choral Fixation, WQXR FM/105.9 FM NYC
  • “…this CD is a must listen.”
    Express Cincinnati
  • “…these are beautifully blended voices of individual distinction.”
    Andy Gill, The Independent
  • “Between the excellent sonics and, more importantly, extraordinarily lovely singing, this album is very close to an instant classic.”
    Anastasia Tsioulcas, Ariama
  • “…a very beautifully sung and considered selection.”
    All Music Guide