The Trinity Carol Roll (Trinity College, Cambridge, MS O.3.58) is the earliest source for the English polyphony carol. The thirteen works preserved in this manuscript include the patriotic ‘Agincourt’ carol, celebrating Henry V’s victory over the French in 1415, and the most famous of all early English carols ‘Ther is no rose’.

The performances on this recording offer a fresh take on medieval instrumentation, and include the gothic harp, psaltry, plectrum lute, recorder and the etherial gemshorn, while the recording itself took place in the Wren Library in Trinity College, Cambridge.

In the press

Here’s a truly scholarly project: a filling-out of the 15th-century Trinity Carol Roll, reconstructing a performable version of the words and vocal part-writing in the unfolded manuscript … A fascinating, if specialised issue. – BBC Music Magazine

The performances are very cleanly done, with all texts presented complete (which is rare for recordings of this repertoire) and all intonation absolutely excellent…Alamire may be more slimline than in the past; but David Skinner directs them with absolute control. – David Fallows (Gramophone)

The Early Music Show (BBC Radio 3). Trinity Carol Roll. Catherine Bott visits the Wren Library in Cambridge to look at the Trinity Carol Roll, one of the earliest sources of English polyphonic carols, with David Skinner and Alamire.

Download here:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pcq9q