Please note that music files that are linked to are not necessarily the same edition we will be using on the night and therefore there may be some slight differences.
Farrant Lord for thy tender mercy’s sake SATB
The composer of this simple but lovely anthem is uncertain, as there were three composers of that name: Richard (a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal), and two Johns. John the elder was Master of the Choristers at Salisbury and had a particular reputation for a rough temper and 'rayling and contumelious speeches'; his son John became organist at Salisbury in 1600. The final 'amen' is thought to have been added by a John Hilton, of which there were also two, father and son, the latter being one-time organist at St Margaret's Westminster.
Bennet All creatures now SSATB
Little is known about the English madrigalist John Bennet. He was born into a prosperous family and published his first collection of madrigals in 1599 when in his early twenties. This delightful piece from The Triumphs of Oriana is one of the most-loved of all madrigals. It is mostly homophonic, with a few obvious instances of word-painting: you’ll no doubt remember an effervescent 'merry'-ment, hovering birds, and a stately elongation of the word 'Long' (live fair Oriana) towards the end of the piece.
Gibbons Dainty fine bird SSTTB
This fine composition, with its beauty and dignity and arching melancholy, is a sustained lament on the trials of love. Gibbons was too young to have contributed to The Triumphs of Oriana and seems ‘to have been outside the process by which England first became sophisticated in the ways of Continental music’. His compositions follow the pure line of William Byrd and the old 'English' school, with a distinctly instrumental feel.
Farmer Fair Phyllis SATB
Other than his contribution to Morley’s Triumphs of Oriana, Farmer composed just one collection of four-part madrigals. Fair Phyllis dates from 1599 and is a wonderful polyphonic romp in Arcadian meadows, with a fair amount of ribaldry thrown in for good measure. It alternates between duple and triple time and contains some clever word-painting: solo sopranos on ‘all alone’, tutti on ‘feeding her flock’ and some wry elision on ‘kissing up and down’.
Wilbye Flora gave me fairest flowers SSATB
Wilbye (1574-1638) was a prolific composer of English madrigals, and Flora gave me fairest flowers is a light, delightful canzonet (lighter form of madrigal), depicting life in Arcadia.
Morley My bonny lass she smileth SATTB
From the First Book of Balletts to Five Voices (1595). A ballett was the English form of the Italian balletto, a light, homophonic, strophic song for three or more singers, distinguished by dance-like rhythms and fa la refrains. Morley was the composer who established the English madrigal proper, though many of his compositions are in re-workings of works by Italian composers such as Marenzio and Gastoldi. This one is based on Gastoldi’s Questa dolce sirena (1591), and if there is time we can look at it as well.
Weelkes Thule, the period of cosmography SSATTB and Sing we at pleasure
Weelkes, as we have remarked before, was a colourful personality, known for drunkenness and blasphemy, although ‘he was not the only disorderly member of the cathedral establishment, though in due course he would become its most celebrated’. The ‘period of cosmography’ means the end of the world and indeed Thule (Iceland) was the end of the known world at the time of this composition. Hecla is a volcano in Iceland, and one can almost sense the ‘sulphurious fire’ of an eruption before being taken on a tour of other geological wonders: ‘Trinacrian Etna’ is in triple time, representing the three-corned of Sicily, as well as a rising accompaniment to its rising flames.
Sing we at pleasure YouTube SSATB
This dates from 1598 and is a 5-part ballet in a lively triple-time rhythm. Note the octave leaps on ‘pleasure’ compared to otherwise largely step-wise movement. There is quite a bit of syncopation as a result of imitation and dotted rhythms throughout, and the fa-la refrains show the two sopranos in canon a bar apart.
Please note that music files that are linked to are not necessarily the same edition we will be using on the night and therefore there may be some slight differences.
Farrant Lord for thy tender mercy’s sake SATB
The composer of this simple but lovely anthem is uncertain, as there were three composers of that name: Richard (a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal), and two Johns. John the elder was Master of the Choristers at Salisbury and had a particular reputation for a rough temper and 'rayling and contumelious speeches'; his son John became organist at Salisbury in 1600. The final 'amen' is thought to have been added by a John Hilton, of which there were also two, father and son, the latter being one-time organist at St Margaret's Westminster.
Bennet All creatures now SSATB
Little is known about the English madrigalist John Bennet. He was born into a prosperous family and published his first collection of madrigals in 1599 when in his early twenties. This delightful piece from The Triumphs of Oriana is one of the most-loved of all madrigals. It is mostly homophonic, with a few obvious instances of word-painting: you’ll no doubt remember an effervescent 'merry'-ment, hovering birds, and a stately elongation of the word 'Long' (live fair Oriana) towards the end of the piece.
Gibbons Dainty fine bird SSTTB
This fine composition, with its beauty and dignity and arching melancholy, is a sustained lament on the trials of love. Gibbons was too young to have contributed to The Triumphs of Oriana and seems ‘to have been outside the process by which England first became sophisticated in the ways of Continental music’. His compositions follow the pure line of William Byrd and the old 'English' school, with a distinctly instrumental feel.
Farmer Fair Phyllis SATB
Other than his contribution to Morley’s Triumphs of Oriana, Farmer composed just one collection of four-part madrigals. Fair Phyllis dates from 1599 and is a wonderful polyphonic romp in Arcadian meadows, with a fair amount of ribaldry thrown in for good measure. It alternates between duple and triple time and contains some clever word-painting: solo sopranos on ‘all alone’, tutti on ‘feeding her flock’ and some wry elision on ‘kissing up and down’.
Wilbye Flora gave me fairest flowers SSATB
Wilbye (1574-1638) was a prolific composer of English madrigals, and Flora gave me fairest flowers is a light, delightful canzonet (lighter form of madrigal), depicting life in Arcadia.
Morley My bonny lass she smileth SATTB
From the First Book of Balletts to Five Voices (1595). A ballett was the English form of the Italian balletto, a light, homophonic, strophic song for three or more singers, distinguished by dance-like rhythms and fa la refrains. Morley was the composer who established the English madrigal proper, though many of his compositions are in re-workings of works by Italian composers such as Marenzio and Gastoldi. This one is based on Gastoldi’s Questa dolce sirena (1591), and if there is time we can look at it as well.
Weelkes Thule, the period of cosmography SSATTB and Sing we at pleasure
Weelkes, as we have remarked before, was a colourful personality, known for drunkenness and blasphemy, although ‘he was not the only disorderly member of the cathedral establishment, though in due course he would become its most celebrated’. The ‘period of cosmography’ means the end of the world and indeed Thule (Iceland) was the end of the known world at the time of this composition. Hecla is a volcano in Iceland, and one can almost sense the ‘sulphurious fire’ of an eruption before being taken on a tour of other geological wonders: ‘Trinacrian Etna’ is in triple time, representing the three-corned of Sicily, as well as a rising accompaniment to its rising flames.
Sing we at pleasure YouTube SSATB
This dates from 1598 and is a 5-part ballet in a lively triple-time rhythm. Note the octave leaps on ‘pleasure’ compared to otherwise largely step-wise movement. There is quite a bit of syncopation as a result of imitation and dotted rhythms throughout, and the fa-la refrains show the two sopranos in canon a bar apart.
Please note that music files that are linked to are not necessarily the same edition we will be using on the night and therefore there may be some slight differences.
Farrant Lord for thy tender mercy’s sake SATB
The composer of this simple but lovely anthem is uncertain, as there were three composers of that name: Richard (a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal), and two Johns. John the elder was Master of the Choristers at Salisbury and had a particular reputation for a rough temper and 'rayling and contumelious speeches'; his son John became organist at Salisbury in 1600. The final 'amen' is thought to have been added by a John Hilton, of which there were also two, father and son, the latter being one-time organist at St Margaret's Westminster.
Bennet All creatures now SSATB
Little is known about the English madrigalist John Bennet. He was born into a prosperous family and published his first collection of madrigals in 1599 when in his early twenties. This delightful piece from The Triumphs of Oriana is one of the most-loved of all madrigals. It is mostly homophonic, with a few obvious instances of word-painting: you’ll no doubt remember an effervescent 'merry'-ment, hovering birds, and a stately elongation of the word 'Long' (live fair Oriana) towards the end of the piece.
Gibbons Dainty fine bird SSTTB
This fine composition, with its beauty and dignity and arching melancholy, is a sustained lament on the trials of love. Gibbons was too young to have contributed to The Triumphs of Oriana and seems ‘to have been outside the process by which England first became sophisticated in the ways of Continental music’. His compositions follow the pure line of William Byrd and the old 'English' school, with a distinctly instrumental feel.
Farmer Fair Phyllis SATB
Other than his contribution to Morley’s Triumphs of Oriana, Farmer composed just one collection of four-part madrigals. Fair Phyllis dates from 1599 and is a wonderful polyphonic romp in Arcadian meadows, with a fair amount of ribaldry thrown in for good measure. It alternates between duple and triple time and contains some clever word-painting: solo sopranos on ‘all alone’, tutti on ‘feeding her flock’ and some wry elision on ‘kissing up and down’.
Wilbye Flora gave me fairest flowers SSATB
Wilbye (1574-1638) was a prolific composer of English madrigals, and Flora gave me fairest flowers is a light, delightful canzonet (lighter form of madrigal), depicting life in Arcadia.
Morley My bonny lass she smileth SATTB
From the First Book of Balletts to Five Voices (1595). A ballett was the English form of the Italian balletto, a light, homophonic, strophic song for three or more singers, distinguished by dance-like rhythms and fa la refrains. Morley was the composer who established the English madrigal proper, though many of his compositions are in re-workings of works by Italian composers such as Marenzio and Gastoldi. This one is based on Gastoldi’s Questa dolce sirena (1591), and if there is time we can look at it as well.
Weelkes Thule, the period of cosmography SSATTB and Sing we at pleasure
Weelkes, as we have remarked before, was a colourful personality, known for drunkenness and blasphemy, although ‘he was not the only disorderly member of the cathedral establishment, though in due course he would become its most celebrated’. The ‘period of cosmography’ means the end of the world and indeed Thule (Iceland) was the end of the known world at the time of this composition. Hecla is a volcano in Iceland, and one can almost sense the ‘sulphurious fire’ of an eruption before being taken on a tour of other geological wonders: ‘Trinacrian Etna’ is in triple time, representing the three-corned of Sicily, as well as a rising accompaniment to its rising flames.
Sing we at pleasure YouTube SSATB
This dates from 1598 and is a 5-part ballet in a lively triple-time rhythm. Note the octave leaps on ‘pleasure’ compared to otherwise largely step-wise movement. There is quite a bit of syncopation as a result of imitation and dotted rhythms throughout, and the fa-la refrains show the two sopranos in canon a bar apart.
