Please note that music files that are linked to are not necessarily the same edition we will be using on the day and therefore there may be some slight differences.
Gibbons Almighty and everlasting God or YouTube SATB
Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625) was one of the most versatile composers of his time. His choral writing is characterised by vitality, a mastery of counterpoint and a gift for melody, and his reputation as a composer is traditionally founded on compositions for the new Anglican liturgy. Almighty and everlasting God, the Collect for the third Sunday after Epiphany, shows mature polyphonic fluency and a sensitivity to the text, with each of the five short lines individually characterised. Listen for dissonances at 'our infirmities' and imitation at 'all our dangers and necessities' with D natural and G flat in the alto and bass parts adding to the tension. 'Stretch forth thy right hand' starts with a plaintively 'stretched' minim, appropriately the longest exposed note in the piece. The gaunt harmonies in bare fifths suggest the absence of the 'right hand': its appearance is reassured two bars later by completed triads and near-homophonic texture. The urgency intensifies with each repeated 'to help and defend us' before moving into a meditative closing 'Amen'.
East Hence stars, too dim of light or YouTube SSATB
Michael East (1580-1648) was best known for his five-part fantasias for viols. He was a member of the choir of Ely Cathedral before moving to Lichfield as a lay clerk and choirmaster. This piece is from The Triumphs of Oriana, a collection of madrigals by 23 composers, commissioned by Thomas Morley in honour of an ageing Queen Elizabeth and painting her as an eternally bountiful queen of a pastoral Arcadia. After a brief homophonic statement there follows several lines of nimble imitation, particularly effective on the wordy 'you dazzle but the sight, you teach to grope by night'.
Morley I love, alas, I love thee or YouTube Also in the Oxford Book of English Madrigals SATBB
Composer, organist, theorist, and publisher Thomas Morley was the one of the foremost members of the English madrigal school. He became Master of the Choristers at Norwich Cathedral in 1583 and received his Bachelor's degree from Oxford five years later. About this time Nicholas Yonge's Musica Transalpina was published, and Morley freely reworked many Italian compositions into English madrigals. I love, alas, I love thee is from the composer's First Set of Ballets for Five Voices.
Weelkes Lady, the birds right fairly or YouTube link SSATB
This delightful onomatopoeic piece does not seem very well known – we last looked at it, it seems, ten years ago! The birds - including the easily-identifiable cuckoo – sing of love, of course, yet our protagonist seems reluctant. It is from Madrigals of 5 and 6 parts, published in 1600.
Tomkins Music divine or YouTube link Also in the Oxford Book of English Madrigals SSATTB
We started looking at this extraordinary piece last March but didn't have time to finish it. It displays daring chromaticism and bold, expressive harmonic gestures melded with a more characteristic English sweetness. Expressive dissonance, sudden shifts of harmony, a free alternation between homophony and polyphony and speech-like text settings are all prevalent. There is delicious word-painting too: note rising intervals on the two syllables of 'above', soaring 'heavenly harmony', homophonic 'tuneful concords' and the chromaticism of 'unjust slander'. I also love how the meandering lines on 'sweetly do agree' finally come together on reaching the cadence. The text is also typically Italian, highlighting mutually exclusive emotions – in this case, love and lust.
Weelkes To shorten winter's sadness or YouTube link SSATB
This is a lively ballet. References to 'mumming' are probably to mummers' plays, some of which commemorate Plough Monday, the first Monday of Epiphany, celebrating the death of winter and the triumph of spring.
Please note that music files that are linked to are not necessarily the same edition we will be using on the day and therefore there may be some slight differences.
Gibbons Almighty and everlasting God or YouTube SATB
Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625) was one of the most versatile composers of his time. His choral writing is characterised by vitality, a mastery of counterpoint and a gift for melody, and his reputation as a composer is traditionally founded on compositions for the new Anglican liturgy. Almighty and everlasting God, the Collect for the third Sunday after Epiphany, shows mature polyphonic fluency and a sensitivity to the text, with each of the five short lines individually characterised. Listen for dissonances at 'our infirmities' and imitation at 'all our dangers and necessities' with D natural and G flat in the alto and bass parts adding to the tension. 'Stretch forth thy right hand' starts with a plaintively 'stretched' minim, appropriately the longest exposed note in the piece. The gaunt harmonies in bare fifths suggest the absence of the 'right hand': its appearance is reassured two bars later by completed triads and near-homophonic texture. The urgency intensifies with each repeated 'to help and defend us' before moving into a meditative closing 'Amen'.
East Hence stars, too dim of light or YouTube SSATB
Michael East (1580-1648) was best known for his five-part fantasias for viols. He was a member of the choir of Ely Cathedral before moving to Lichfield as a lay clerk and choirmaster. This piece is from The Triumphs of Oriana, a collection of madrigals by 23 composers, commissioned by Thomas Morley in honour of an ageing Queen Elizabeth and painting her as an eternally bountiful queen of a pastoral Arcadia. After a brief homophonic statement there follows several lines of nimble imitation, particularly effective on the wordy 'you dazzle but the sight, you teach to grope by night'.
Morley I love, alas, I love thee or YouTube Also in the Oxford Book of English Madrigals SATBB
Composer, organist, theorist, and publisher Thomas Morley was the one of the foremost members of the English madrigal school. He became Master of the Choristers at Norwich Cathedral in 1583 and received his Bachelor's degree from Oxford five years later. About this time Nicholas Yonge's Musica Transalpina was published, and Morley freely reworked many Italian compositions into English madrigals. I love, alas, I love thee is from the composer's First Set of Ballets for Five Voices.
Weelkes Lady, the birds right fairly or YouTube link SSATB
This delightful onomatopoeic piece does not seem very well known – we last looked at it, it seems, ten years ago! The birds - including the easily-identifiable cuckoo – sing of love, of course, yet our protagonist seems reluctant. It is from Madrigals of 5 and 6 parts, published in 1600.
Tomkins Music divine or YouTube link Also in the Oxford Book of English Madrigals SSATTB
We started looking at this extraordinary piece last March but didn't have time to finish it. It displays daring chromaticism and bold, expressive harmonic gestures melded with a more characteristic English sweetness. Expressive dissonance, sudden shifts of harmony, a free alternation between homophony and polyphony and speech-like text settings are all prevalent. There is delicious word-painting too: note rising intervals on the two syllables of 'above', soaring 'heavenly harmony', homophonic 'tuneful concords' and the chromaticism of 'unjust slander'. I also love how the meandering lines on 'sweetly do agree' finally come together on reaching the cadence. The text is also typically Italian, highlighting mutually exclusive emotions – in this case, love and lust.
Weelkes To shorten winter's sadness or YouTube link SSATB
This is a lively ballet. References to 'mumming' are probably to mummers' plays, some of which commemorate Plough Monday, the first Monday of Epiphany, celebrating the death of winter and the triumph of spring.
Please note that music files that are linked to are not necessarily the same edition we will be using on the day and therefore there may be some slight differences.
Gibbons Almighty and everlasting God or YouTube SATB
Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625) was one of the most versatile composers of his time. His choral writing is characterised by vitality, a mastery of counterpoint and a gift for melody, and his reputation as a composer is traditionally founded on compositions for the new Anglican liturgy. Almighty and everlasting God, the Collect for the third Sunday after Epiphany, shows mature polyphonic fluency and a sensitivity to the text, with each of the five short lines individually characterised. Listen for dissonances at 'our infirmities' and imitation at 'all our dangers and necessities' with D natural and G flat in the alto and bass parts adding to the tension. 'Stretch forth thy right hand' starts with a plaintively 'stretched' minim, appropriately the longest exposed note in the piece. The gaunt harmonies in bare fifths suggest the absence of the 'right hand': its appearance is reassured two bars later by completed triads and near-homophonic texture. The urgency intensifies with each repeated 'to help and defend us' before moving into a meditative closing 'Amen'.
East Hence stars, too dim of light or YouTube SSATB
Michael East (1580-1648) was best known for his five-part fantasias for viols. He was a member of the choir of Ely Cathedral before moving to Lichfield as a lay clerk and choirmaster. This piece is from The Triumphs of Oriana, a collection of madrigals by 23 composers, commissioned by Thomas Morley in honour of an ageing Queen Elizabeth and painting her as an eternally bountiful queen of a pastoral Arcadia. After a brief homophonic statement there follows several lines of nimble imitation, particularly effective on the wordy 'you dazzle but the sight, you teach to grope by night'.
Morley I love, alas, I love thee or YouTube Also in the Oxford Book of English Madrigals SATBB
Composer, organist, theorist, and publisher Thomas Morley was the one of the foremost members of the English madrigal school. He became Master of the Choristers at Norwich Cathedral in 1583 and received his Bachelor's degree from Oxford five years later. About this time Nicholas Yonge's Musica Transalpina was published, and Morley freely reworked many Italian compositions into English madrigals. I love, alas, I love thee is from the composer's First Set of Ballets for Five Voices.
Weelkes Lady, the birds right fairly or YouTube link SSATB
This delightful onomatopoeic piece does not seem very well known – we last looked at it, it seems, ten years ago! The birds - including the easily-identifiable cuckoo – sing of love, of course, yet our protagonist seems reluctant. It is from Madrigals of 5 and 6 parts, published in 1600.
Tomkins Music divine or YouTube link Also in the Oxford Book of English Madrigals SSATTB
We started looking at this extraordinary piece last March but didn't have time to finish it. It displays daring chromaticism and bold, expressive harmonic gestures melded with a more characteristic English sweetness. Expressive dissonance, sudden shifts of harmony, a free alternation between homophony and polyphony and speech-like text settings are all prevalent. There is delicious word-painting too: note rising intervals on the two syllables of 'above', soaring 'heavenly harmony', homophonic 'tuneful concords' and the chromaticism of 'unjust slander'. I also love how the meandering lines on 'sweetly do agree' finally come together on reaching the cadence. The text is also typically Italian, highlighting mutually exclusive emotions – in this case, love and lust.
Weelkes To shorten winter's sadness or YouTube link SSATB
This is a lively ballet. References to 'mumming' are probably to mummers' plays, some of which commemorate Plough Monday, the first Monday of Epiphany, celebrating the death of winter and the triumph of spring.
