Christopher Tye, like his contemporary Thomas Tallis, experienced life under the reigns of four monarchs. He composed for liturgies that changed their requirements from Latin to English, then back to Latin and again to English. What must have been bewildering for churchgoers was most likely a headache for composers of church music. That background of religious strife, whether in Oxford, Cambridge or Ely, lies behind the works of Tye. His compositions encompass elements of an earlier style while bowing to the exigencies of the moment.

This recital opens with the sturdy, vigorous, breathlessly energetic Latin psalm Omnes gentes plaudite, followed by a quiet Latin respond from Compline, In pace, sung alternatim with well balanced chant and polyphony. The other Latin items include a setting of the penitential psalm Miserere mei, Deus, which ends with a long melismatic Amen, recalling former days; and a seven-part motet, Peccavimus cum patribus nostris, a moving prayer for mercy, based on a verse from Psalm 105, which brings the recording to a powerful conclusion.

The English Psalms and the Evening Canticles conform well to the required standards, with a dignified beauty of their own. The choir’s discreet sections of imitation alternate with their rather overpowering homophony. The programme is interwoven with four of Tye’s instrumental consort pieces, arrangements of his own settings of choral works. The Byrde Recorder Consort, with their elegant phrasing, are a welcome addition to the programme.