ASK most classical music buffs across the Tamar for the name of 'Cornwall's Greatest Singer', and there's a fair chance that operatic baritone, Ben Luxon, might well top the poll.

But according to a recently-released specialist CD, in fact it's the countertenor, Richard Jose, who can lay claim to this particular distinction.

Richard James Jose (pronounced Joaz) was born in 1862 in the village of Lanner, near Truro, and died in San Francisco in 1941.

Richard, or Dickie as he was known, crossed the Atlantic at the tender age of 15 or so, to join his miner uncle in Virginia City, and it was here that his boy-soprano voice blossomed into a magnificent countertenor, which brought him fame and fortune in America, if surprisingly not in his native country.

This could, perhaps, be that, now so far from homeland, it was easier to glamorise his surname, either by adding an acute accent at the end, or by aspirating the first letter to suggest some Spanish extraction. But listening to a few tell-tale words on the CD, it's patently clear that his roots are definitely more Lanner than Latino!

Around the turn of the 1900s, Dickie did return to Cornwall, singing to packed churches wherever he went, and it was with the 50 or so sentimental songs recorded in the first decade of the century that he became 'top of the pops' in the USA.

The main impetus for this new CD is an audio cassette first issued in 1988, originally as a private tribute, although, such was the interest it aroused, that hundreds of copies were dispatched worldwide.

The original recording was produced by Joe Pengelly, with technical assistance from Peter Cox and David Lane. Joe, a fine tenor in his own right, was well-known to local audiences for his regular appearances on BBC radio and BBC TV South West in the '70s, and has always had a great interest both in the art of the true countertenor voice, and in the restoration of early 78 recordings, which has taken him on a number of occasions to the States on lecture tours.

This present CD version, engineered by David Lane and produced by Chris Blount of Chough Digital, is essentially in response to a demand that these early Jose recordings are now available in a more up-to-date format, and something which Joe was charged with doing, when he became a Bard with the title 'Recorder of Cornish Sounds'.

The eight tracks on the CD run for just under thirty minutes, and whilst the sound, originally recorded without a microphone or any electrical assistance from 78s more than 100 years old, isn't of hi-fi quality, this fascinating CD gives a real insight into a singer and vocal delivery hitherto unknown to the vast majority of us.

To hear the singer, often described as 'the man with a bird in his throat' visit the website (www.choughdigital.co.uk), where the new CD can be bought (£10, inclusive of postage & packing). Alternatively you can give Chough Digital a call on 01637 872402.

The Benyounes String Quartet plays at Harford Church, near Ivybridge, on Saturday August 15 at 7.30pm, to raise funds for Exeter Cathedral's Third Millennium Campaign.

The all-girl quartet recently graduated from the RNCM, and are being hailed as rising stars in the world of chamber music.

Their programme opens with Haydn's Quartet in B minor, Op 33 No 1, and continues with Ravel's Quartet in F and Brahms' A minor Quartet, Op 55 No 2. Tickets cost £10, and there are also a few combined concert and post-supper tickets at nearby Lukesland House available at £25. For tickets and further information, please contact Mrs Rosemary Howell (01752 893390).

Don't forget that most of the concerts at Dartington Summer School, now in its third week, are open to the public. Undoubtedly one of this week's highlights must be the recital by brilliant young British violinist, Chloë Hanslip, with Olivia Canolle (piano) on Saturday August 8 at 8.15pm in the Great Hall. Their Franco-Belgian recital opens with Ravel's Sonata, and includes Chausson's Poème, Franck's Sonata in A, and Ravel's dazzling Tzigane. Tickets (£18.50 reserved / £14 unreserved) are available from the Box Office (01803 847070)