The great English countertenor James Bowman has died at the age of 81. Bowman was a pioneer in the field of Baroque music in England, singing with David Munrow’s Early Music Consort while at the same time thrilling audiences as Oberon in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Highlights of his extensive discography include recordings of Handel with Christopher Hogwood and Purcell with Sir David Willcocks. James Bowman imbued his performances with an energy and forthrightness which departed from the style of Alfred Deller and set the stage for a new generation of virtuoso countertenors including Michael Chance, David Daniels, Andreas Scholl, and Iestyn Davies.

When living in London in the 1980’s, I was stopped in my tracks one afternoon as Bowman’s recording of Handel’s Eternal source of light divine came over the BBC airwaves. The perfection, beauty, and simplicity of the performance left me absolutely speechless. That the accompanying trumpeter was Crispian Steele-Perkins, with whom I was then studying, gave validation and inspiration to my own calling as an early music performer. James Bowman’s Eternal source was a model of excellence then and will remain so forever. Listen here

—John Thiessen