Conducted by Neil Hawes
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.
I have provided links to recordings that I have made of the individual parts for five of the pieces below because I already had them available and you might find them helpful. Each individual part has the one voice played louder than all the others using a trumpet sound. On most computers and tablets (but it may not work on some phones) you should be able to open the music score in one window and play the recording in another window so that you can hear the sound at the same time as following the music.
Palestrina Alma Redemptoris Mater or YouTube SATB
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525 - 1594) was one of the most famous Italian composers of the Renaissance period. He was also very prolific, writing over 100 masses and around 250 motets. The words of this motet are one of the four seasonal Marian antiphons, for the period from Advent through Candlemas. Palestrina wrote two other settings of the same words, but this is the most well-known and most effective.
Recordings of parts: Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Bass
Dowland Come again, sweet love doth now invite
or YouTube SATB
John Dowland (c.1563 -1626) (whose name was probably pronounced "Dooland" in his day) was an accomplished poet, composer and singer and widely regarded as the greatest lutenist of his day. The lute was the most popular musical instrument of its era, very much equivalent to the guitar in the last 60 years, and Dowland was very much the equivalent of a pop star of today, famed throughout Europe as "the English Orpheus" for his artistry and skill. Many of his best known compositions are melancholy songs, and this piece falls into that category, despite being in a major key. It was first published in 1597 in Dowland's The First Booke of Songs or Ayres and is probably Dowland's most famous song, the second half being particularly effective and memorable. This bitter-sweet song is sung by a lover to the source of his desire, but the love is unrequited so the lover asks Cupid to withdraw his dart.
Mundy Lightly she whipped
or YouTube SSATB
This is from The Triumphs of Oriana, the collection of 25 madrigals by 23 different composers published in 1601 by Thomas Morley.
John Mundy (c.1555 - 1630) was organist at Eton College, followed by St George's Windsor and then Westminster Abbey.
The first thirty bars are full of imitative entries; the section with the words "sang Oriana's praises" has some tricky fast dotted rhythms, and the imitative entries are found again in the "Long live fair Oriana" section. Overall, there is some indeterminacy in key, especially whether major or minor, and particularly in the last 15 bars.
Recordings of parts: Soprano 1
Soprano 2
Alto
Tenor
Bass
Bazley Sing out my friends SATB
This modern madrigal was composed in 2012 by Desmond Bazley, Gilly's predecessor as Music Director of Kingston Madrigal Society, who died in 2015.
It was written for a summer boat trip but also to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee of that year, and I later transcribed it so that it was easier to read.
It is intricate in places and has some chromaticisms that can be tricky, but has a steady flow to it which may bring to mind a leisurely trip on the Thames.
There is, of course, no YouTube video of it being sung, but I recorded the parts two years ago when we first sung from these copies:
All parts equal
Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Bass
Farnaby Consture my meaning or YouTube Also in the Oxford Book of English Madrigals SATB
Giles Farnaby (1563-1640) was considered to be one of England's greatest writers and performers for the virginals, despite not being a professional musician.
This piece is an amazing construction that starts with falling chromatic fugue-like entries that J.S. Bach could have written over a hundred years later,
and continues with harmonic changes and accented appoggiaturas on major sevenths that would seem more familiar in 19th and 20th century music.
It is not easy to sing, but worth trying!
"Consture" (or sometimes "conster") was a word in common usage until the 19th century until it became "construe", so has the same meaning.
Recordings of parts: Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Bass
Weelkes Hark, all ye lovely saints or YouTube Also in the Oxford Book of English Madrigals SSATB
Thomas Weelkes (c.1576 - 1623) was well-known as the badly-behaved organist of Chichester Cathedral. There were a number of attempts to sack him due to drunkenness and bad language, among other misdemeanours, but he remained in post until his death. The words of this ballett have some similarities to the Dowland piece above, with Cupid being asked to stop using his bow and arrow because of the problems they cause. The repeats in both halves have a tendency to catch out many singers, the first half because of the rhythm, the second half because of the key change.
Recordings of parts: Soprano 1
Soprano 2
Alto
Tenor
Bass
Conducted by Neil Hawes
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.
I have provided links to recordings that I have made of the individual parts for five of the pieces below because I already had them available and you might find them helpful. Each individual part has the one voice played louder than all the others using a trumpet sound. On most computers and tablets (but it may not work on some phones) you should be able to open the music score in one window and play the recording in another window so that you can hear the sound at the same time as following the music.
Palestrina Alma Redemptoris Mater or YouTube SATB
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525 - 1594) was one of the most famous Italian composers of the Renaissance period. He was also very prolific, writing over 100 masses and around 250 motets. The words of this motet are one of the four seasonal Marian antiphons, for the period from Advent through Candlemas. Palestrina wrote two other settings of the same words, but this is the most well-known and most effective.
Recordings of parts: Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Bass
Dowland Come again, sweet love doth now invite
or YouTube SATB
John Dowland (c.1563 -1626) (whose name was probably pronounced "Dooland" in his day) was an accomplished poet, composer and singer and widely regarded as the greatest lutenist of his day. The lute was the most popular musical instrument of its era, very much equivalent to the guitar in the last 60 years, and Dowland was very much the equivalent of a pop star of today, famed throughout Europe as "the English Orpheus" for his artistry and skill. Many of his best known compositions are melancholy songs, and this piece falls into that category, despite being in a major key. It was first published in 1597 in Dowland's The First Booke of Songs or Ayres and is probably Dowland's most famous song, the second half being particularly effective and memorable. This bitter-sweet song is sung by a lover to the source of his desire, but the love is unrequited so the lover asks Cupid to withdraw his dart.
Mundy Lightly she whipped
or YouTube SSATB
This is from The Triumphs of Oriana, the collection of 25 madrigals by 23 different composers published in 1601 by Thomas Morley.
John Mundy (c.1555 - 1630) was organist at Eton College, followed by St George's Windsor and then Westminster Abbey.
The first thirty bars are full of imitative entries; the section with the words "sang Oriana's praises" has some tricky fast dotted rhythms, and the imitative entries are found again in the "Long live fair Oriana" section. Overall, there is some indeterminacy in key, especially whether major or minor, and particularly in the last 15 bars.
Recordings of parts: Soprano 1
Soprano 2
Alto
Tenor
Bass
Bazley Sing out my friends SATB
This modern madrigal was composed in 2012 by Desmond Bazley, Gilly's predecessor as Music Director of Kingston Madrigal Society, who died in 2015.
It was written for a summer boat trip but also to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee of that year, and I later transcribed it so that it was easier to read.
It is intricate in places and has some chromaticisms that can be tricky, but has a steady flow to it which may bring to mind a leisurely trip on the Thames.
There is, of course, no YouTube video of it being sung, but I recorded the parts two years ago when we first sung from these copies:
All parts equal
Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Bass
Farnaby Consture my meaning or YouTube Also in the Oxford Book of English Madrigals SATB
Giles Farnaby (1563-1640) was considered to be one of England's greatest writers and performers for the virginals, despite not being a professional musician.
This piece is an amazing construction that starts with falling chromatic fugue-like entries that J.S. Bach could have written over a hundred years later,
and continues with harmonic changes and accented appoggiaturas on major sevenths that would seem more familiar in 19th and 20th century music.
It is not easy to sing, but worth trying!
"Consture" (or sometimes "conster") was a word in common usage until the 19th century until it became "construe", so has the same meaning.
Recordings of parts: Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Bass
Conducted by Neil Hawes
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.
I have provided links to recordings that I have made of the individual parts for five of the pieces below because I already had them available and you might find them helpful. Each individual part has the one voice played louder than all the others using a trumpet sound. On most computers and tablets (but it may not work on some phones) you should be able to open the music score in one window and play the recording in another window so that you can hear the sound at the same time as following the music.
Palestrina Alma Redemptoris Mater or YouTube SATB
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525 - 1594) was one of the most famous Italian composers of the Renaissance period. He was also very prolific, writing over 100 masses and around 250 motets. The words of this motet are one of the four seasonal Marian antiphons, for the period from Advent through Candlemas. Palestrina wrote two other settings of the same words, but this is the most well-known and most effective.
Recordings of parts: Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Bass
Dowland Come again, sweet love doth now invite
or YouTube SATB
John Dowland (c.1563 -1626) (whose name was probably pronounced "Dooland" in his day) was an accomplished poet, composer and singer and widely regarded as the greatest lutenist of his day. The lute was the most popular musical instrument of its era, very much equivalent to the guitar in the last 60 years, and Dowland was very much the equivalent of a pop star of today, famed throughout Europe as "the English Orpheus" for his artistry and skill. Many of his best known compositions are melancholy songs, and this piece falls into that category, despite being in a major key. It was first published in 1597 in Dowland's The First Booke of Songs or Ayres and is probably Dowland's most famous song, the second half being particularly effective and memorable. This bitter-sweet song is sung by a lover to the source of his desire, but the love is unrequited so the lover asks Cupid to withdraw his dart.
Mundy Lightly she whipped
or YouTube SSATB
This is from The Triumphs of Oriana, the collection of 25 madrigals by 23 different composers published in 1601 by Thomas Morley.
John Mundy (c.1555 - 1630) was organist at Eton College, followed by St George's Windsor and then Westminster Abbey.
The first thirty bars are full of imitative entries; the section with the words "sang Oriana's praises" has some tricky fast dotted rhythms, and the imitative entries are found again in the "Long live fair Oriana" section. Overall, there is some indeterminacy in key, especially whether major or minor, and particularly in the last 15 bars.
Recordings of parts: Soprano 1
Soprano 2
Alto
Tenor
Bass
Bazley Sing out my friends SATB
This modern madrigal was composed in 2012 by Desmond Bazley, Gilly's predecessor as Music Director of Kingston Madrigal Society, who died in 2015.
It was written for a summer boat trip but also to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee of that year, and I later transcribed it so that it was easier to read.
It is intricate in places and has some chromaticisms that can be tricky, but has a steady flow to it which may bring to mind a leisurely trip on the Thames.
There is, of course, no YouTube video of it being sung, but I recorded the parts two years ago when we first sung from these copies:
All parts equal
Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Bass
Farnaby Consture my meaning or YouTube Also in the Oxford Book of English Madrigals SATB
Giles Farnaby (1563-1640) was considered to be one of England's greatest writers and performers for the virginals, despite not being a professional musician.
This piece is an amazing construction that starts with falling chromatic fugue-like entries that J.S. Bach could have written over a hundred years later,
and continues with harmonic changes and accented appoggiaturas on major sevenths that would seem more familiar in 19th and 20th century music.
It is not easy to sing, but worth trying!
"Consture" (or sometimes "conster") was a word in common usage until the 19th century until it became "construe", so has the same meaning.
Recordings of parts: Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Bass
Weelkes Hark, all ye lovely saints or YouTube Also in the Oxford Book of English Madrigals SSATB
Thomas Weelkes (c.1576 - 1623) was well-known as the badly-behaved organist of Chichester Cathedral. There were a number of attempts to sack him due to drunkenness and bad language, among other misdemeanours, but he remained in post until his death. The words of this ballett have some similarities to the Dowland piece above, with Cupid being asked to stop using his bow and arrow because of the problems they cause. The repeats in both halves have a tendency to catch out many singers, the first half because of the rhythm, the second half because of the key change.
Recordings of parts: Soprano 1
Soprano 2
Alto
Tenor
Bass
