Exeter-based composer Thomas Packe flourished about a century before the golden age of English polyphony. Gaudete in Domine, one of his two Mass settings dating from the closing years of the fifteenth century, is notable for its very eccentric chromaticism. Generally Packe's three-part writing falls within the harmonic and melodic conventions of the time, but he departs from them often enough to make the mass intriguingly unpredictable, keeping listeners on their toes. The Swedish women's quartet
Schola Gothia, led by Ulrike Heider, brings the ensemble
Anonymous 4 to mind in its purity of tone and the expressiveness of their performance. The group is also exceptionally well-coordinated, shaping their phrases with remarkable unanimity. This is especially evident in the unison plainchant used for the mass Propers; the sound is like that of a single, multicolored voice. The CD concludes with a motet, Salve Regina, probably from the first half of the fifteenth century, variously attributed to John Dunstable, Leonel Power, or
Gilles de Bin dit Binchois, a lovely work more elaborately contrapuntal than the Packe. The CD should be of interest to fans of early vocal music, both for the rarity of its repertoire and the exquisite performances. The sound is clean and clear, with an excellent blend and just enough resonance.