The catchy tune of “Western wind, when wilt thou blow?” made it a popular song in 16th-century England.
The subsequent lines—“If my love were in my arms, And I in my bed again”—are not exactly religious, but that did not stop a number of composers, including Taverner, using the theme as the basis for a mass.
His Western Wynde Mass is sacred music of heartfelt expression, performed here with warmth and gentle poise by James O’Donnell and the Choir of Westminster Abbey.
Taverner’s equally affectingMissa Mater Christi sanctissima is sung alongside.
