The Piping Rock Singers world-premiere recording of the Requiem Mass (c. 1530) of 16th-century Spanish composer Antonio Gallego was made in the Roman Catholic Cathedral Church of Our Lady of Walsingham in Houston, a beautiful Neo-Gothic English-style building (2003) which is blessed with a superb acoustic for choral music. The master recording, which can be enjoyed on the Blu-ray Audio disc, uses minimal mic technique: five-channel immersive surround sound, high-resolution (24 bit 192k sampling rate), with the five channels independently recorded with one microphone only (2 x Peluso P-83 omni and 3 x Neumann KM-83 omni) into each channel, with no additional mixing, equalization, signal processing, or artificial reverberation. This gives the listener a natural-sounding "ideal seat" in the Cathedral to enjoy the thrilling singing of the Piping Rock Singers! The stereo CD is a two-channel mixdown from the high-resolution master. ~ John Proffitt
Title: World Premiere Recording of the
REQUIEM MASS - MISSA DE DEFUNTOS
by 16th-Century Spanish Composer ANTONIO GALLEGO
plus works by Clarke, Shewan, Knaggs, Gjeilo, and others
Artist(s): The Piping Rock Singers, Houston - Kevin M. Clarke, Director
Recording Info: Recorded 15 & 21 May 2018 in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham, Houston
Producer & Recording Engineer: John Gladney Proffitt
Technical Notes: Master Recording in LPCM 24-bit 192kHz sampling
Microphones used: Georg Neumann (KM-83) & John Peluso (P-83; P-Stereo)
5.0 channel Immersive Surround Sound
2.0 Stereo CD Mixdown: John Proffitt
Blu-ray Audio Mastering: Robert Witrak
Copyright © & ℗ High Definition Tape Transfers 2022
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Antonio Gallego (c. 1530) Missa de Defuntos (Requiem Mass)
1 Introito: Requiem aeternam; Te decet hymnus 3:10
2 Kyrie eleison 1:51
3 Tracto: Sicut cervus 3:57
4 Ofrendo: Domine Jesu Chrisre 3:11
5 Sanctus 1:05
6 Benedictus :40
7 Agnus Dei 2:01
Officium Defunctorum
8 Anonymous 16th century Parce mihi Domine 4:16
9 Anonymous 16th century Invitatorio de Maitines: Circundederunt me 8:34
10 Anonymous 16th century Invitatorio de Maitines: Regem cui omnia vivunt 6:41
11 Francesco de la Torre (1460 – 1505) Ne recorderis; Kyrie eleison 4:22
12 Juan de Anchieta (1462 – 1532) Responsorio: Libera me Domine 2:03
13 Dies irae 2:38
14 Requiem aeternam; Kyrie eleison 2:13
15 Kevin M. Clarke (b. 1959) De Profundis 5:29
16 Stephen Shewan (b. 1969) Virga Jesse floruit 6:09
17 Francisco Guerrero (1528 – 1599) Regina caeli 2:39
18 Daniel Knaggs (b. 1983) Ave Maria No. 13 – Regina caeli 2:55
19 Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934) Nunc dimittis 3:35
20 Ola Gjeilo (b. 1978) Second Eve 5:42
21 Francisco Guerrero Ave Virgo sanctissima 4:16
22 Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943) Bogoroditsye Dyevo [Ave Maria]
from the All-Night Vigil, op. 37/6 2:51
*23 Antonio de Salazar (c.1650 – 1715) O Sacrum convivium 2:45
Play Sample Tracks
- Reviews
- Questions
Thank you for submitting a review!
Your input is very much appreciated. Share it with your friends so they can enjoy it too!
A welcome Renaissance album on HDTT; performance/sonics top-notch
I'm a big fan of Renaissance Catholic Church music, owning lots of albums by The Tallis Scholars etc. I didn't know what to expect from The Piping Rock Singers. They turned out to be up to standard at least. And the HDTT sonics – I downloaded the 24/192 version – did the singers and the repertoire audiophile-grade justice. If HDTT is going to do this kind of highest-quality work in the Renaissance church music area, my only hope is that they do a lot more of it!
Beautiful music, expertly performed, and superbly well recorded
This album achieves for me all the key points for an excellent recording: good artists, a recording venue with an acoustic environment well suited to the music, careful attention for microphone placement to best capture the natural acoustic environment, and low electrical noise throughout the recording chain. The result is what we have here: a thoroughly natural sounding recording with excellent capture of voices with near perfect imaging. I don't know the music by Antonio Gallego, but I'm delighted to be introduced to this Requiem. The other works in the program are similarly interesting and a pleasure to hear. The variety provided by including both ancient and modern works creates a very interesting and musically engaging overall program. The combined men and women chorus sing with discipline and precision, providing a full sound that is highly articulate. The soloists perform admirably. All of this is beautiful music, expertly performed, and superbly well recorded. Do not let the 24-192kHz recording put you off. The important matters I mentioned at the outset are well taken care of, resulting in a thoroughly enjoyable musical (and aural) experience. Might it sound even better had the recording engineer access to a DSD256 ADC? Undoubtedly, and it is sad to have such a nice recording that missed this. But, I celebrate having this wonderful recording and the care that clearly has been put into making it great.
DSD256, DSD128 & DSD64 Direct Stream Digital formats are only playable on compatible hardware and software.
24bit 352.8kHz PCM Flac (DXD) DXD is only playable on compatible hardware and software.
24bit 192khz PCM Flac is playable on most all playback devices
24bit 96khz PCM Flac is playable on most all playback devices
Go Here for more detailed Info
Please Note: Playback on Apple media players will require converting the file to the required format.
Gold Premium Compact Disc 300+ years longevity - The recording layer resists UV and heat better than other discs. Includes Complete Jewel case and Liner Notes
Regular Premium Compact Disc Includes Complete Jewel case and Liner Notes Budget Compact Disc contains only the disc without jewel case or liner notes
Please Note: The Gold CD is not offered in the Budget line Some titles do not offer the Budget option
Please allow 7-10 days for CD production time.