The vocal ensemble Magnificat has gained a reputation as one of the world's premier vocal ensembles, presenting historically informed readings of Renaissance choral works. Focusing on, but not restricting itself to, music of late Renaissance Spain and Reformation-era England, Magnificat attempts to deepen listeners' understanding of music by performing and recording traditional repertory together with obscure works. With ten permanent members and many others who have joined the group for performances of larger works, Magnificat (also known as the Magnificat Consort or Magnificat Ensemble) was formed in 1991 by its conductor, Philip Cave. It has mostly recorded a cappella music, but it is occasionally joined by the instrumental ensemble His Majesty's Sagbutts and Cornets. In 1995, it released an album of music by Robert Ramsey on the ASV label. Since that year, however, it has been associated with the Linn label; its career there began with a recording of the Officium Defunctorum of Tomás Luís de Victoria. The group has issued several successful recordings of Renaissance favorites, including multiple critically acclaimed readings (with added singers from other top choirs) of the Thomas Tallis motet Spem in alium and a recording of Palestrina's limpid Song of Songs settings (2002). Magnificat has released several recordings devoted to composer Philippe Rogier, including Music from the Missae Sex (2011). Magnificat's recordings of the 2010s created thematic programs that combine familiar and unfamiliar composers in portraits of the music of a given historical setting. The Tudors at Prayer (2014) included music by Tallis, Byrd, John Taverner, William Mundy, and Robert White. On Scattered Ashes (2016), the group performed pieces associated in some way with the Italian fundamentalist monk Girolamo Savonarola, the nemesis of the Medici family. In addition to performing in Britain, Magnificat has toured abroad; the year 2019 brought a tour of the U.S. That year, Magnificat recorded the Cantiones Sacrae of Heinrich Schütz. Magnificat has rarely recorded music from after 1600, and unlike other Renaissance vocal groups, it has avoided contemporary music. The group returned on Linn in 2024 with the album Orlandus Lassus: The Alchemist, Vol. 1. ~ James Manheim, Rovi