CRY "God for Harry!" was the exhortation before the battle. Divine intervention or no, it worked: Henry V’s victory at Agincourt in 1415 marked the pinnacle of his political power in Europe. It also symbolised England’s cultural ascendancy.

All the music in Thursday’s programme was written during Henry’s reign (1413-22), thus offering an ideal opportunity for judging the English "suavitas" that was so admired on the continent. It means more than mere melodiousness. A good tune always helps and the Agincourt Carol still hits the spot: it opened each half more than a little chauvinistically.

But suavitas was at large elsewhere too, immediately in a Gloria and a Sanctus attributed to Henry himself. Through the subtle weighting of the six voices – two female altos, two tenors, two basses, conducted by Edward Wickham from within the bass line – the "cantus firmus" (effectively the tune) stood out from the texture. The hushed accompanying voices contributed to an ambience of extreme devotion. The Minster did the rest.

Primus inter pares among several early 15th-century composers was John Dunstaple. His advanced attitude to harmony was the vital ingredient in the contenance angloise that continentals sought to emulate. Two sections from a mass (which time would have allowed us to hear in full) were warmed by major chords at key moments.

The Clerks’ unfailingly smooth blend, like whipped cream, was a constant source of wonder and delight but at barely an hour it was all too brief.