Tallis’s Gaude Gloriosa and Queen Katherine Parr
Tallis's monumental setting of Gaude Gloriosa Mater Dei (Rejoice O glorious Mother of God) used to be thought to date from Queen Mary's reign (1553 - 1558). Recent discoveries suggest it was probably written late in the reign of Henry VIII in the 1540s, or possibly...
Britten’s “The Ballad of Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard”
Sacred and Profane - Works by Britten and MacMillan - Saturday 21 October 2023 - Exeter College Chapel, Oxford Britten wrote his setting of 'The Ballad of Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard' in late 1943 to be performed by British servicemen held in a German prisoner of...
Where Heaven Meets Earth: Britten’s Sacred and Profane
This dynamic and imaginative setting of eight medieval lyrics is the final work that Britten wrote for professional unaccompanied voices (1974-5), which is reflected in his harmonically complex style and the artistic demands – both technical and expressive – he makes...
The rediscovery of Vivaldi’s Gloria
Vivaldi’s Gloria received its first performance in modern times in September 1939 in Siena, Italy. After Vivaldi’s death in 1741 the work had been forgotten for 200 years. The performance took place as part of the first “Settimana Musicale Senese” (“Sienese musical...