This hour, we’re exploring music with notorious and notoriously incorrect composer attributions. Lots of music has come down through the centuries with no listed author, requiring varying levels of historical forensics by scholars and performers wishing to sleuth out its origin. We’ll sample a variety of musical artifacts with authorial intrigue, from works connected to figures famous outside of music, pieces whose composer byline has been updated over the years, and misattributions with questionable motivations. Our featured release by the Iken Scholars celebrates the 500th anniversary of the Arundel Choirbook with a world premiere recording of seven anonymous masterpieces of early English polyphony.
PLAYLIST
Tomaso Albinoni: Six Sonatas
Ensemble Barocco Sans Souci, Mario Folena
Dynamic | CDS139 (1995)
Tomaso Albinoni
Tr. 14 Flute Sonata in G Minor, Op. 6, No. 2 II. Larghetto (4:34)
Segment A:
Music for Henry V and the House of Lancaster
The Binchois Consort, Andrew Kirkman
Hyperion | 00602458138481 (2011)
Henry V, King of England (Roy Henry)
Tr. 1 Gloria (3:34)
If love now reigned
Isaak Ensemble Heidelberg
Bayer Records | BR100132 (2025)
Henry VIII (King of England)
Tr. 35 Alac alac what shall I do (:45)
Tr. 29 Taunder naken a 3 (2:23)
Anne Boleyn’s Songbook
Alamire, David Skinner
Obsidian | OBSID-CD715 (2015)
Anonymous
Disc 2, Tr. 6 O Deathe, Rock Me A-sleepe (6:07)
Ein Feste Burg ist unser Gott
Vox Luminis, Lionel Meunier, Bart Jacobs
Ricercar | RIC376 (2016)
Martin Luther
D. 2 Tr. 12 Dies sind die heilgen zehn Gebot (:36)
Johann Hermann Schein
D. 2 Tr. 11 Dies sind die heilgen zehn Gebot (2:20)
Refuge from the Flames
Ora
Harmonia Mundi | HMM906103DI (2016)
Giovanni Animuccia
Tr. 2 Gesù sommo conforto (1:03)
Anonymous
Tr. 4 Che fai qui, core? (1:08)
Midpoint Break Music Bed:
Ein Feste Burg ist unser Gott
Vox Luminis, Lionel Meunier, Bart Jacobs
Ricercar | RIC376 (2016)
Samuel Scheidt
Tr. 18 Fantasia, Ich ruffe zu dir Herr Jesu Christ, SSWV 114
Segment B:
Van Wassenaer: 6 Concerti Armonici
The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Ton Koopman
Erato | 809274957160 (2007)
Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer
Tr. 13–16 Concerto Armonico No. 3 in A Major (8:48)
Josquin: Adieu mes amours
Dulces Exuviae
Ricercar | RIC403 2019
Josquin des Prez (attr.)
Tr. 3 Mille regretz (2:27)
Master of Musicians
Musica Antiqua, Philip Thorby
Signum Classics | SIGCD025 (2000)
Josquin des Prez (attr.)
Tr. 35 El grillo (1:11)
Requiem for an Emperor
Utopia Ensemble
Ramee | RAM2401 (2025)
Jean Richafort
Tr. 14 Cuidez vous que Dieu nous faille (1:34)
Featured release:
The Lambeth Anonymous: Recordings from the Arundel Choirbook
The Iken Scholars, Matthew Dunn
Rubicon RCD12217 2025
Anonymous
Tr. 1 Salve regina I. Salve regina (4:27)
Tr. 20 Gaude flore virginali: II. Gaude virgo mater Christi (5:40)
Theme Music Bed: Ensemble Alcatraz, Danse Royale, Elektra Nonesuch 79240-2 [ASIN: B000005J0B], T.12: La Prime Estampie Royal