Music Update for the Week of October 11

(Homepage photo credit: Ira Lippke).

Music for the 11am Choral Eucharist and 4pm Choral Evensong will include works by Lassus, Messiaen, Byrd, Wood, and Bairstow. The 4pm Choral Evensong service also includes the ceremony for the Admission of Choristers.

Sunday Ocotber 11

11am Choral Eucharist

  • Service: Missa Bell’ Amfitrit altera, Orlandus Lassus (1532-1594)
  • Psalm: 90:12-17 Anglican Chant (Mann)
  • Anthem: O sacrum convivium, Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
  • Anthem: Ave verum corpus, William Byrd (c. 1540-1623)

4pm Choral Evensong

  • Responses: Gerre Hancock (1934-2012)
  • Psalm: 111 Anglican Chant (Woodward)
  • Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis: in A minor, T. Tertius Noble (1867-1953)
  • Anthem: Evening Hymn, Henry Balfour Gardiner (1877-1950)

Tuesday, October 13

5:30pm Choral Evensong (sung by The Gentlemen of the Choir)

  • Introit: E’en like the hunted hind the water brooks desire, Thomas Tallis (c. 1505-1585)
  • Responses: John Scott (1956-2015)
  • Psalm: 69:1-22, 30-37 Plainsong (Tone II1)
  • Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis:The Short Service, Robert Ramsey (1590-1644)
  • Anthem: Look down, O Lord, on me poor man, William Byrd (c. 1540-1623)

Wednesday, October 14

5:30pm Choral Evensong (sung by The Gentlemen of the Choir)

  • Introit: E’en like the hunted hind the water brooks desire, Thomas Tallis (c. 1505-1585)
  • Responses: John Scott (1956-2015)
  • Psalm: 73 Plainsong (Tone VII7)
  • Magnificat: septimi toni, Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611)
  • Nunc dimittis: (Tone IV) Plainsong
  • Anthem: Laudem dicite Deo nostro, John Sheppard (c. 1515-1560)

Thursday, October 15

5:30pm Choral Evensong (sung by the Gentelmen of the Choir)

  • Introit: E’en like the hunted hind the water brooks desire, Thomas Tallis (c. 1505-1585)
  • Responses: John Scott (1956-2015)
  • Psalm: 78:1-4, 41-73 Plainsong (Tone IB4)
  • Magnificat: octavi toni, Anonymous
  • Nunc dimittis: Anonymous, (15th century English)
  • Anthem: Siderum rector, Deus alme, nostris, William Byrd (c. 1540-1623)

Notes on Sunday’s Repertoire

The Flemish composer, Orlandus Lassus, is perhaps the most celebrated and prolific of all the late Renaissance composers. His diverse output includes over one hundred settings of the Magnificat and over sixty masses, of which only three are for double choir ( eight voice parts) – the Missa Bell’ Amfitrit altera is one of these. Nearly all of the composer’s masses are ‘parody masses’ -based on another work, but sadly the model for the Missa Bell’ Amfitrit altera is lost. Although, in mythology, Amfitrite was the beautiful wife of the sun god, the name was also believed to be a sobriquet for Venice. The music is written in a characteristically Venetian style (it is certain that Lassus learnt the technique of writing double choir antiphonal music in Italy, since he would not have come across this method of text setting in his native Flanders) and is regarded by many scholars as a celebration of the city of Venice itself.

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