To see the programme for our next meeting, click here.
For details of previous meetings, click here.
We are a group that meets simply because we love singing, and have an interest in this wonderful repertory.
Each meeting we sing 6-8 pieces of music.
We usually start with a sacred item, usually a short motet or anthem and often pertinent to the liturgical season. The rest of the evening is spent singing madrigals, mostly but not entirely by composers of the English Madrigal School (between about 1588 and 1627).
We always sing unaccompanied. To start with we will sing a piece through for familiarization and then work on a few aspects of music and interpretation with the aim of achieving a more informed enjoyment of each piece.
Much of what we sing is in four parts for soprano, alto, tenor and bass (SATB), but quite a few madrigals have two soprano parts (SSATB), occasionally one of the other parts also splits. We might also sing a three-part madrigal once in a while.
Each meeting is 2 hours in duration, including a refreshment break, and so it would be unusual to spend more than 15 minutes on each piece. To this end sight-reading ability would certainly be an advantage, but we are a non-auditioned group and welcome any enthusiastic members!
During the summer months we occasionally have other meetings during which we also sing - perhaps an informal garden meeting, or a boat trip on the Thames.
To see the programme for our next meeting, click here.
For details of previous meetings, click here.
We are a group that meets simply because we love singing, and have an interest in this wonderful repertory.
Each meeting we sing 6-8 pieces of music.
We usually start with a sacred item, usually a short motet or anthem and often pertinent to the liturgical season. The rest of the evening is spent singing madrigals, mostly but not entirely by composers of the English Madrigal School (between about 1588 and 1627).
We always sing unaccompanied. To start with we will sing a piece through for familiarization and then work on a few aspects of music and interpretation with the aim of achieving a more informed enjoyment of each piece.
Much of what we sing is in four parts for soprano, alto, tenor and bass (SATB), but quite a few madrigals have two soprano parts (SSATB), occasionally one of the other parts also splits. We might also sing a three-part madrigal once in a while.
Each meeting is 2 hours in duration, including a refreshment break, and so it would be unusual to spend more than 15 minutes on each piece. To this end sight-reading ability would certainly be an advantage, but we are a non-auditioned group and welcome any enthusiastic members!
During the summer months we occasionally have other meetings during which we also sing - perhaps an informal garden meeting, or a boat trip on the Thames.
To see the programme for our next meeting, click here.
For details of previous meetings, click here.
We are a group that meets simply because we love singing, and have an interest in this wonderful repertory.
Each meeting we sing 6-8 pieces of music.
We usually start with a sacred item, usually a short motet or anthem and often pertinent to the liturgical season. The rest of the evening is spent singing madrigals, mostly but not entirely by composers of the English Madrigal School (between about 1588 and 1627).
We always sing unaccompanied. To start with we will sing a piece through for familiarization and then work on a few aspects of music and interpretation with the aim of achieving a more informed enjoyment of each piece.
Much of what we sing is in four parts for soprano, alto, tenor and bass (SATB), but quite a few madrigals have two soprano parts (SSATB), occasionally one of the other parts also splits. We might also sing a three-part madrigal once in a while.
Each meeting is 2 hours in duration, including a refreshment break, and so it would be unusual to spend more than 15 minutes on each piece. To this end sight-reading ability would certainly be an advantage, but we are a non-auditioned group and welcome any enthusiastic members!
During the summer months we occasionally have other meetings during which we also sing - perhaps an informal garden meeting, or a boat trip on the Thames.
