The special position accorded to music at Oxford and Cambridge led to the creation of repertories of a particularly local character, among them the music for the Oxford ‘Act’, an end-of-year academic celebration, in the 17th and 18th centuries. Four of these odes are collected on this CD.
Richard Goodson, professor at Oxford from 1682-1718, contributes two, both celebrating Marlborough’s early 18th century victories. In a more or less Purcellian idiom, these are quite attractive pieces, in a manner rather like that of the verse anthem, with solo and choral sections and instrumental interludes. The first, surprisingly, has a section for unaccompanied male trio, and ends with a countertenor passage devolving into a chorus with trumpet, promising further victories over the French; harmonically this is dull but the first chorus is lively enough and the interludes, one pathetic, one jolly, are enjoyable. Goodson again supplies pathetic music in Janus did Ever, with sighing Purcellian appoggiaturas and chromatics, and there is some entertaining illustrative writing.
The earliest work, from 1683, is the rather solemn ode (mainly a ground bass piece, in slowish tempo) by Sampson Estwick, reckoned in his time ‘to understand Musick as well as any Man in England’. The most extended and most considerable is Henry Aldrich’s Britannia (1693), which starts with a choral movement in almost madrigalian style, continues with music for solo soprano and then bass, and ends with a fine elegiac section remembering Britons who risked their lives at sea fighting ‘Lewis’ (Louis XIV).
These works surely call for a choral group and an orchestra, however modest in size. They perhaps gain in intimacy in one-to-a-part performances, but music for ceremonial does demand something slightly grander (and the occasional perky playing and the touches of ornamentation apt to solo groups aren’t really suited to it).
Nor is all the singing ideal: the countertenor comes through weakly and one of the tenors seems strained by the requirements of Osmond’s Glory. But I enjoyed the bass and much of the soprano’s (while recognising that the music should properly be sung by boys, and would sound better that way). The inclusion of Oxford-associated keyboard items between the odes; neatly played by Gary Cooper, is a bonus