Parousia

The term "parousia" has been used since ancient times to describe the arrival or visit of a king or emperor.  The Greek word parousia here corresponded to the Latin word "advent", or coming. For example, in memory of the visit of Emperor Nero to the cities of Patras and Corinth, advent coins were struck that carried the legend Adventus Augusti Corinth. The numerous journeyings of the Emperor Hadrian were celebrated by many advent coins, and often new eras were reckoned from date of the parousia. 

Parousia is Greek for ‘presence’, interchangeable with "arrival" or "coming", and is used in the New Testament to refer to the coming of Christ within an eschatological context regarding judgement and resurrection. 

Photo by Greyson Joralemon on Unsplash

The early Christian church believed the main elements of the coming of the kingdom of God had already been realised in the life of Jesus and in his death, which had been vindicated by the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15: 23–4). Jesus also foretold the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (Mark 13: 2), which was necessary for the fulfilment of the coming of the kingdom if God. When it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, its place was taken by the crucified and risen Son of Man, who became the new focus of divine presence. This was what St Paul and his contemporaries were waiting for, a kingdom of peace, justice, and love (Romans 14: 17) and for the early Church the most important part of the process had already occurred with Jesus' resurrection. The timing of the remainder was unimportant. 

Parousia can have several interpretations in the context of Advent. It is mainly used in Christian theology to refer to the second coming of Christ, but some scholars use the word to refer to Christ's spiritual presence in a church. The season of Advent is a time of waiting as we prepare to welcome Christ on Christmas Day, so parousia might therefore be interpreted as the coming of Christ into our hearts, our lives, and our community. 

 

Photo by Gareth Harper on Unsplash

Gaudete!

The third Sunday in Advent is "Refreshment Sunday", also known as Gaudete Sunday, and this year it falls on 13th December. 

"The season of Advent originated as a fast of 40 days in preparation for Christmas, commencing on the day after the feast of Saint Martin (11 November), and was originally called Saint Martin's Lent, a name by which it was known as early as the fifth century. In the ninth century, the duration of Advent was reduced to four weeks (a period starting four Sundays before Christmas), and Advent preserved most of the characteristics of a penitential season, which made it a kind of counterpart to Lent. Gaudete Sunday is a counterpart to Laetare Sunday, and provides a similar break about midway through a season which is otherwise of a penitential character, and signifies the nearness of the Lord's coming." (Wikipedia) 

On Gaudete Sunday rose-coloured vestments may be worn instead of violet which is otherwise prescribed for every day in the season of Advent, and it is therefore also known as "Rose Sunday". Rose is the liturgical colour for joy. In churches that have an Advent wreath, the rose-coloured candle is lit in addition to two of the violet candles, which represent the first two Sundays of Advent. Despite the otherwise sombre readings of the season of Advent, which recognises the need for penitence in anticipation, the readings on the third Sunday emphasises the joyous anticipation of the Lord's coming.

An advent wreath with three purple candles and the rose coloured candle to represent joy.

Gaudete means “rejoice”. and it is a reminder that the Advent season is a season of joy because our salvation is already at hand. To have a Sunday of rejoicing in the midst of the traditional Advent fast is not simply a concession to human weakness. It serves to correct spiritual pride, reminding those who fast that the whole of the Christian life is a matter of grace. John the Baptist reminds us that salvation is a gift of grace, it is not bestowed on us in return for penitence. Joy is the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved, it requires no external conditions, unlike happiness. 

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.” Philippians 4:4-5

Advent is a time of watching, waiting and listening, remembering and anticipating, renewal and wonder. On Gaudete Sunday we should rejoice in the unconditional love of God, as we anticipate the fulfilment of his gift of love at Christmas.

SMLT Grand Christmas Tree Festival

You might have noticed "Viral Music" have been quieter than usual. There is an excellent reason why - because I have been busy producing the St Mary le Tower online Grand Christmas Tree Festival!

Each year at the start of Advent St. Mary le Tower hosts a week-long Festival where we invite our community - both the church community and that of the town - to come together to prepare for Advent and the Christmas season. Our Advent Vigil of Light and Hope is usually the weekend during the week-long event, although this year the lockdown makes this impossible. 

One of the benefits of an online festival is that we can reach a wider audience. During 2020 live-streaming of our choral services has seen our congregation grow to include regular members from across the globe. This blog has been a part of that. Do visit our Festival blog, and perhaps give us a shout out on social media!

The music below is "O thou the central orb" by Charles Wood; sung by our church choir and recorded on the CD "A New Song", a full service of Advent.

The online Festival will feature seven "posts" or articles which will go "live" on this site at regular times during the day as follows:- 

8am A Children's Activity (preceded on Day 1 by a Welcome from midnight) 

10am Christmas Tree of the Day! 

12 noon Article on Advent aimed at adults 

2pm Afternoon activity for adults and young people, including recipes, craft and puzzles 

4pm Christmas fun and community features 

6pm Prayer for the Nation 

8pm Feature on music at St. Mary le Tower and the wider church community. 

There really is something for everyone and plenty on music! I hope it will brighten these dark winter days in lockdown. Do share with anyone you know who might benefit.

Saint Cecilia / Benjamin Britten

Saint Cecilia (Latin Sancta Caecilia) is the patron of musicians and Church music. It is written that as the musicians played at her wedding, Cecilia "sang in her heart to the Lord". Musical compositions are dedicated to her, and her feast, on 22 November is the occasion of concerts and musical festivals.  

St. Cecilia, (also spelled as Cecily), is one of the most famous Roman martyrs of the early church and historically one of the most discussed. She did not need documented miracles for her to be canonised for two reasons; she was canonised long before the current process was in use (there is evidence of the Church considering her a saint from the 4th century, when the church dedicated to her name was founded in Rome) and because she was martyred. 

According to a late 5th-century legend, she was a noble Roman who, as a child, had vowed her virginity belonged to God. When she was married against her will to the future saint Valerian, then a pagan, she told him an angel of God wished her to remain a virgin. He promised to respect this wish if he were allowed to see the angel. She replied that he would if he were baptised, and on his return from baptism he found Cecilia talking to the angel. Cecilia then converted his brother Tiburtius, who also saw the angel. 

The martyrdom of Cecilia is said to have followed that of her husband Valerian and his brother at the hands of the prefect Turcius Almachius. Cecilia distributed her possessions to the poor, which enraged the prefect Almachius, who ordered her to be burned. When the flames did not harm her, legend says that after being struck three times on the neck with a sword, she lived for three days, and asked the pope to convert her home into a church. Cecilia was buried in the catacomb of St. Callistus, near Rome. 

At the beginning of the 9th century, Pope Paschal I discovered her incorrupt relics in the catacomb of St. Praetextatus and had them moved to Rome, to a basilica in Trastevere that now bears her name. According to reports from the two occasions her body was moved (the 9th and 16th centuries), she looked like she was simply sleeping; her body was entirely incorrupt after 1500 years. 

Cecilia became the patron saint of musicians and music; in art she is often represented playing the organ. 

St. Cecilia, patron saint of music

Benjamin Britten

Hymn to St Cecilia, Op. 27 is a choral piece by Benjamin Britten (1913–1976), a setting of a poem by W. H. Auden written between 1940 and 1942. 

Born on St. Cecilia's day, Britten wanted to write a piece dedicated to St Cecilia for a long time. In addition to her patronage of music and musicians, there is a long tradition in England of writing odes and songs to St Cecilia. The most famous of these are by John Dryden ("A song for St. Cecilia's Day" 1687) and musical works by Henry Purcell, Hubert Parry, E. Florence Whitlock, and George Frideric Handel. Another briefer work by Herbert Howells has the similar title A Hymn for St Cecilia, but was written later in 1960. (Wikipedia)

The first known reference to Britten's desire to write such a work is from 1935 was when Britten wrote in his diary "I’m having great difficulty in finding Latin words for a proposed Hymn to St Cecilia. Spend morning hunting." The Hymn was actually composed in America, for performance in New York in 1941. However in the midst of World War II Britten and his partner Peter Pears decided to return home to England in 1942 and the composition was confiscated by customs, and rewritten on board the ship MS Axel Johnson, along with "A Ceremony of Carols".

Herbert Howells

Born on this day in 1892, Herbert Howells is something of a legend in the world of cathedral music today. However the majority of his most famous works were written after the Second World War, at a time when he shied away from self-promotion and his contemporaries perhaps rated him more for his teaching abilities. 

Herbert Norman Howells CH CBE was an English composer, organist, and teacher, most famous for his large output of Anglican church music. The son of a bankrupt builder, with the community shame that carried leaving a deep mark on twelve year old Howells. The fear of penury was never far away in his mind and indeed he had to give up his job as sub-organist at Salisbury Cathedral after illness in 1917. This fear may have precipitated his desire to excel at teaching, rather than promote himself as a creative artist. Teaching paid the bills, he had precious little time for composition. 

Howells was the youngest of six children with little hope of a formal education, yet his musical talent was recognised and nurtured by a member of the family of Charles Bathurst, 1st Viscount Bledisloe who had taken an interest in the budding musician. Howells began music lessons in 1905 with Herbert Brewer, the organist of Gloucester Cathedral, and at sixteen became his articled pupil at the Cathedral alongside Ivor Novello and Ivor Gurney. Howells turned out to be a musical genius; he went on to win a scholarship to study with Parry, Stanford and Wood at the Royal College of Music and picked up most of the RCM's’s glittering prizes along the way. By the 1920s he was seen as a promising young composer of chamber music, orchestral works and songs, of whom great things were expected. Tragically his son Michael tragically died of polio in 1935 and he never got over this loss. 

Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli

Andrea Gabrieli (1532/1533 – August 30, 1585) was an Italian composer and organist of the late Renaissance. His nephew was the better known Giovanni Gabrieli, (c. 1554/1557 – 12 August 1612) also a composer and organist. Both were members of the Venetian School, the name given to Italian composers of the later Renaissance working in Venice from about 1550 to around 1610 and used as a collective term for their work.

Andrea Gabrieli

Venetian School

The rise of Venice as a musical centre was in part political. After the death of Pope Leo X in 1521 and the Sack of Rome in 1527, many musicians either moved elsewhere or chose not to go to Rome, and Venice was one of several places to have a creative environment and the existence of St Mark's Basilica in Venice also attracted many composers. The unique interior of the basilica with opposing choir lofts and spacious architecture required a compositional style which exploited sound delay; so the Venetian polychoral style was developed. This grand antiphonal style, in which groups of singers and instruments played sometimes in opposition, sometimes together united by the sound of the organ was the hallmark of the Venetian School's composers of sacred music.

Michaelmas - the Feast of St Michael and All Angels

Today, 29th September, is Michaelmas, the Feast Day of St Michael and All Angels. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are the three named biblical angels, depicted as the beloved messengers of God. 

Michael is an archangel in the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. To Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Anglicans, and Lutherans he is called "Saint Michael the Archangel and Saint Michael". In other Protestant churches, he is referred to as Archangel Michael. The name Michael means 'who is like God?'., he is described as the protector of Israel and leader of the armies of God against Satan. Michael is perhaps best known for his victory over the dragon, which is told in the Revelation to John. 

"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven" (Rev. 12:7). 

As recounted by the Revelation of Saint John, at the end of the world war will break at between Heaven and Hell, between good and evil. As the commander of the Army of God, Archangel Michael leads the other angels in the fight against evil, represented in this picture by a seven-headed dragon. Each of the dragon's heads represents one of the seven deadly sins. Michael is therefore regarded as the protector of Christians from the devil, particularly those at the hour of death. Sanctuaries to Michael were built by Christians in the 4th century, when he was first seen as a healing angel.

We are all familiar with Gabriel's role in Luke's Gospel. Gabriel (meaning 'the strength of God') is the one who is sent by God to Mary to announce the birth of Christ. Raphael (meaning 'the healing of God') is depicted in the Book of Tobit as the one who restores sight to Tobit's eyes. 

Festival of Mary - our Patronal Festival

Late summer is the time of two church Festivals which celebrate Mary, the Mother of God.  

August 15th is the day in which the Roman Catholic Church has the solemnity of the Assumption and the Orthodox Church marks the Dormition. In the Anglican faith the Assumption is sometimes celebrated, or more simply it is a celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This celebration is often delayed until September, mainly for practical reasons since congregations and choirs are often absent on holiday in August, and is then merged with the 8th September when the church traditionally marks the birth of Mary.

Francisco Guerrero - Duo Seraphim

Francisco Guerrero was born in 1528 in Seville, possibly in October. He was Spanish Catholic Priest and composer of the Renaissance. His older brother Pedro was also musical and they received their musical education together, although Francisco's talents soon eclipsed those of his brother. At the tender age of 17 he was appointed Master of Singing at Jaén Cathedral, later accepting a position in Seville in his early twenties. By the age of thirty his reputation was exceptional, he was highly sought after as a composer and singer and had published collections of his compositions at home and abroad.

Guerrero worked for several decades in Spain and Portugal, before travelling to Italy in 1581 where he published two further books of music. After returning to Spain for a few years, he next travelled to the Holy Land, only to be attacked by pirates! Nearly killed and robbed of all his money he returned to Spain penniless until Seville cathedral rescued him and re-employed him. Guerrero published a book of his experiences which met huge success and even planned a return to the Holy Land, but died of the plague in 1599.

Guerrero's unusually wrote both sacred and secular music, unlike his contemporaries Morales and Victoria. Interestingly he anticipated functional harmonic usage in his compositions, which have remained popular for centuries.

Duo Seraphim
This seems to have been the composer’s only piece (surviving complete) for twelve voices in three choirs.

"Guerrero had it printed twice, first in 1589 and again in his final collection (1597). Two lone high voices begin; at ‘Tres sunt’ three voices are exposed on their own. At ‘Plena est omnis terra …’ the grand tutti join in massive chords. The Trinitarian symbolism of the three choirs is obvious,  choral and instrumental groups enhance the separation of the three choirs and their dramatic potential." from notes by Bruno Turner © 1999

Our choral scholars recorded this beautiful motet during lockdown, one voice per part. It's a wonderful achievement and a fitting end to our current cycle of recordings. Next week we are back singing in church!

Duo seraphim clamabant alter ad alterum: 

Sanctus Dominus Deus Saboath. 

Plena est omnis terra gloria ejus. (Isaiah 6:3) 

 Tres sunt, qui testimonium dant in coelo: 

Pater, Verbum et Spiritus Sanctus: 

et hi tres unum sunt. 

Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth. 

Plena est omnis terra gloria ejus.

Isaiah 6:2-3; 1 John 5:7

You can download a copy of the score from choral wiki here under their copyright license.

Richard Ayleward, a harmonic link between Tudor and Restoration music.

Born in 1626, Richard Ayleward was the son of a minor canon at Winchester Cathedral, also called Richard. Ayleward sang as a chorister in the Winchester cathedral choir under the director of music Christopher Gibbons, son of Orlando Gibbons. Ayleward must have paid attention, or received a significant amount of tuition since his handwriting style for text and music is almost identical to Gibbons! During the English Restoration, Ayleward was organist and choirmaster of Norwich Cathedral from 1661-1664, and again from 1666-1669. It's not clear why Ayleward gave up his post temporarily in 1664 but he was reappointed in 1665 and remained until his death in 1669.

During the Civil War Interregnum Ayleward must have privately composed many choral pieces, since after the Restoration he was able to quickly produce twenty highly original anthems, one written for the Coronation of Charles II. Ayleward seems to have had distinct Royalist sympathies, and possible connections to the Royal Court, which would have not made him a popular figure during the Interregnum and hence suggests a possible reason for composing privately until the Restoration.

And that was as much as I could discover about this Restoration composer whose Preces and Responses I have sung with our choir for some years.

However Dr. Hugo Janacek, a member of a Facebook Choral Evensong group, piqued my interest recently when he shared some research of his. Janacek researches East Anglian choral music, and has used a complete set of 17th century partbooks written in Ayleward’s hand and signed by him. All the manuscripts of Ayleward's compositions were owned by Norwich Cathedral, purchased by A. H. Mann in the nineteenth century and published.  However whilst Mann deserves much credit for preserving Ayleward's work, he seems to be the source of some confusion around Ayleward's dates, writing in 1886 that Ayleward's birth year was 1626, later admitting he was without proof. As part of his research, Janacek ha in fact uncovered a good candidate for Ayleward’s baptism record, which suggests he was in fact baptised in April 1625 in a village close to Winchester.

The surviving choral music consists of 20 verse anthems, 2 verse settings of the evening canticles (the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis) and the Short Service, which contains settings of music for the whole daily office. it is his Short Service which is best known. His responses, with which I was already familiar, are from this Service.

Why you cannot put a price on our Cathedral Choirs

You may well have read Benedict King's letter to the Times today, in which he disparagingly dismissed England's choral tradition as "insanely expensive" and a superfluous part of the Church of England, evidence of our departure from a clear focus on faith and more specifically the cause of the financial crisis facing our churches. He couldn't be more wrong.

The quire at Ely Cathedral

King may well be "History and Economics Editor" at Five Books,  but he seems to have fallen foul of the fundamental truth of economics. Namely that the price of something is a very poor indicator of its worth.

Music is such a fundamental part of worship in our churches. It allows the congregation to participate, invites people to pray and settles their mind ready for worship. Music can give words meaning, preparing the congregation for each stage of the service, conferring a sense of inclusivity and enhancing scripture. Just as children are often taught important information via song, music aids memory and connects with the soul. It is comforting, reassuring, and heightens our emotional involvement in worship. It is also a fundamental expression of joy and as such should be the foundation for praising God!

A good example of music reinforcing scripture is Thomas Weelkes "Hosanna to the Son of David". Hosanna to the Son of David is a famous example of the English 'full' anthem – as opposed to the 'verse' anthem, and opens with a majestic six-voice proclamation. It's glorious thick texture shows how effectively music can conjure up an image, it's a joy to sing! The anthem facilitates the visualisation of the scripture, and actually gives the text meaning in a modern world far removed from biblical times. Words alone simply cannot achieve this.

Celebrations have involved music since time immemorial, and Anglican choral music is inseparable from both the Church of England and our Monarchy. Unless King is in favour of a programme of disestablishment and abolition, advocating the survival of our cathedrals and churches at the expense of their music is profoundly impossible. (Our cathedrals were actually *built* for choirs with their wonderful acoustics!)

Westminster Abbey, where I was fortunate enough to sing Evensong in December

King's reference to Cranmer is also interesting, but as an historian I can assure him music has stood the test of time as a vehicle for communication, emotional connection and teaching. The congregation are not spectators, but participants. I wrote at length here about the impact of the English Reformation on music and whilst Cranmer's reform of the church in England strayed from the Lutheran model, he was a supporter of the Protestant movement in Europe. It's also worth pointing out that Cranmer's motives were mercenary as much as they were religious. And whilst Protestantism is indeed associated with plainer worship, Luther had significant appreciation for music. Not only did he like and enjoy music, (he was a rather accomplished musician himself) he deliberately included music as part of the church service as a means for worship. He believed strongly in the ethical power of music and that through it one could glorify God and grow closer to Him. Music survived as an essential and integral part of Protestant worship as a means of glorifying God and connecting with him. Calvin was deeply concerned for the piety and religious devotion of parishioners, but considered that children could "teach adults simplicity, childlike devotion, and a sincere heart when singing, even though there might be problems with intonation and the like." He was responsible for adding children's choirs to worship music.

As a chorister parent and former teacher I can perhaps reassure King that the musical education offered in cathedral schools and cathedral style choirs is, in fact, inexpensive and of enormous value to society. Places are earned by ability and potential, not social position or income and they provide children who often have little access to a musical education with unparalleled opportunity. Our choirs are a main source of Mission within the Church of England, at a time when many congregations are dwindling and the average age in the pews is increasing. It's also worth noting that even the best music directors earn significantly less than senior teachers in our schools yet in opening the window to classical choral music they promote skills and enthusiasm which stretch far beyond the individual and benefit whole communities. Cathedral choirs promote more than a tradition; they teach history, which gives the present context, train the mind and bring significant mental health benefits. For many, the chorister experience will enrich their lives for many years to come; for some it will be the foundation for a career in professional music.

If this year has taught us anything as a society, it has shown that our value system is profoundly skewed. Our mental health has been damaged by fear and loneliness, no amount of money or privilege can protect us against the virus and supporting retail and business hasn't made us any happier. What people really need, and are crucially missing, is music. Because it's so fundamentally essential for the soul.

And *that* is what is at the foundation of faith; the connection between the soul and our Maker. Prayer may be that connection, but it is the accompanying music which gives it wings.

Music for Lammastide

History
The name Lammas Day comes from the Anglo-Saxon hlaf-mas, meaning "loaf-mass". It is a Christian holiday celebrated on August 1st in the Northern Hemisphere, and February 1st in the Southern Hemisphere, also known as Loaf Mass day due to the tradition of making a loaf from the first wheat harvest and bringing it to the church to bless of the "first fruits" of the harvest. A similar religious offering of the first agricultural produce of the harvest was present in classical Greek, Roman and Hebrew religions. In Judaism it corresponds with the Hebrew Festival of Unleavened Bread in April when a sheaf from the barley harvest was offered, followed by the Festival of Weeks in May when the first wheat harvest was offered up; both as an act of thankfulness for bringing the Israelites into the Promised Land. (Deuteronomy 16; 10-16).

In the Bible, Jesus' resurrection was referred to as "First Fruits" in Corinthians 1:-

"But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep."

In the Middle Ages the idea of offering the first fruits was adapted by the Christian church. This was called a tithe and was basically a tax to support the local clergy and church demesne. In England, every tenth egg, sheaf of wheat, lamb, chicken, and all other animals were given to the church as a tithe, farm products were expected to be donated throughout the year and not only on Lammas Day.

Photo by James Coleman on Unsplash

Ralph Vaughan Williams

I gained first awareness of the composer Vaughan Williams as a child. Aged 9, (in what would now be school Year 5) I was chosen to sing the opening verse of "Linden Lea" to open a whole school concert. Bearing in mind this was a school which went from ages 3-18, and could summon a large audience of parents and governors, I should have been somewhat daunted at the prospect. (I certainly would be now.) But children either possess an uncanny self confidence or are completely oblivious of occasion,  which keep nerves completely at bay and I don't remember being remotely nervous. I knew the song and enjoyed singing - so what was the problem?! (I do however remember wondering how the composer's name was pronounced and being rather grateful I was not called upon to read any introduction!)

Biography
Born 12 October 1872 Ralph Vaughan Williams was an English composer whose works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions written over sixty years. Strongly influenced by Tudor music and English folk-song, his work marked a "clear break in British music from its German-dominated style of the 19th century." (Wikipedia)

A student at Charterhouse, he entered the Royal College of Music rather than completing his education, briefly transferring to Trinity College, Cambridge to study music. Vaughan Williams' first composition teacher at the RCM was Hubert Parry, whom he idolised. In his "Musical Autobiography" of 1950 Vaughan Williams describes a quote from Parry which gives perspective to his choral work.

Parry once said to me: "Write choral music as befits an Englishman and a democrat". We pupils of Parry have, if we have been wise, inherited from him the great English choral tradition, which Tallis passed on to Byrd, Byrd to Gibbons, Gibbons to Purcell, Purcell to Battishill and Greene, and they in their turn through the Wesleys, to Parry. He has passed on the torch to us and it is our duty to keep it alight."

At Cambridge Vaughan Williams studied composition with Charles Wood, and after graduating in 1894 he returned to the RCM to find Charles Villiers Stanford as his new professor of composition. Once a maverick who blazed a trail, Stanford had become musically deeply conservative and the two clashed frequently, although it's acknowledged Stanford held Vaughan Williams in deep affection, recognising his talent. Vaughan Williams became a friend and fellow critic of Gustav Holst, a fellow student who became a lifelong friend.

Initially Vaughan Williams focussed on collecting folk songs, building on his passion for Tudor music and tight modal style. His mature style developed as he produced choral music, orchestral works and chamber music. Born into a family with a strong morality and progressive social outlook his aim was to make music accessible, rather than focus on the ornate and challenging.

Despite being forty one in 1914 Vaughan Williams volunteered for active service in the Great War, and stopped composing during the war years. Older than most the war took a huge emotional toll on him and contributed to deafness which he suffered in later years. By 1936 the shadow of war was looming again and he was compelled to write Dona nobis pacem as a plea for peace.

He died suddenly, (in rude health despite reaching the age of 85) on 26th August 1958. His ashes were interred near the burial plots of Purcell and Stanford in the north choir aisle of Westminster Abbey.

Music
At the turn of the century Vaughan Williams was among the first to travel into the countryside to collect folk songs and carols from singers, preserving them for future generations to enjoy. As musical editor of The English Hymnal he composed several hymn tunes that remain popular (including Sine Nomine, “For all the Saints” and Down Ampney, “Come down O love Divine”). But is perhaps as a composer of symphonies that he is best known. Although Vaughan Williams did not complete the first of them until he was thirty-eight years old, the nine symphonies span nearly half a century of his creative life.

Focus on Plainchant

With churches reopening for services many of us are looking to experience services via personal attendance rather than via streaming services such as Facebook. However, don't expect services near you to return to normal any time soon, and there will, sadly, be absolutely no choral or congregational singing for the foreseeable. Thus the best option currently is for an organist, priest and cantor to be present (the latter two roles may obviously be combined) with a focus on plainchant.

Plainchant, or plainsong is a type of early church music consisting of a single line (monophonic) of unaccompanied vocal melody in free rhythm, with no regular bar lengths. It has been present in Christian worship since its earliest days, possibly influenced by Judaism and certainly by the Greek modal system. It was initially the only type of music allowed in the Christian church. It was believed that music should make the listener receptive to spiritual thoughts and reflections, to achieve this the melody was kept pure, repetitive and unaccompanied.

Plainchant is usually either responsorial (where the cantor/soloist sings a series of verses, each one with a response from the congregation) or antiphonal (verses are sung alternately by soloist and choir, or choir and congregation). For now, I suspect most churches will adopt a cantor only approach. A key feature in plain chant is the use of the same melody for various texts. This is similar to ordinary psalms in which the same formula (the "psalm tone") is used for all the verses of a psalm, just as in a hymn or a folk song the same melody is used for the various verses.

"Ave Maria" Robert Parsons

The world of Choral Evensong has perhaps never enjoyed such an exciting, high profile, edge-of-seat week since the Reformation; or since Thomas Tomkins was fined for urinating on the Dean of the Chapel Royal. As the final few anthems competed for the increasingly coveted top spot to win the "Evensong Anthem World Cup" title, even Radio 3 got involved! The final resulted in a draw between Harris' "Faire is the heaven" and Bainton's And I saw a new heaven"; an incredibly appropriate result since Harris and Bainton were reputed to be friends. (And let's face it, most of us were just grateful we didn't break Twitter all over again with the 48:52 result which looked likely a few hours previously!)

During the competition intense discussion proliferated on the specific criteria for an evensong "anthem", although the definition is fairly broad:

a musical composition for a choir, usually set to words from the Bible, sung as part of a church service. a religious chant sung antiphonally.

Or from Wikipedia:-

An anthem is a piece of music written for a choir to sing at an Anglican church service. The difference between an anthem and a motet is that an anthem is sung in English. Also most anthems are accompanied by an organ.

The best description I have found is from John Ewington (General Secretary, Guild of Church Musicians):-

In origin, an anthem was written especially for a choir to sing during Anglican services, usually matins or evensong, when, after the third collect, the rubric states: "In Quires and Places where they sing here followeth the Anthem." It was normally sung in English. A motet is a piece that was sung at mass and was usually in Latin. At various times, anthems have also been composed with Latin words, and motets have similarly been composed with English words. These days, they seem to be interchangeable. 

This obviously leaves the floor pretty open and the competition had ten minute pieces such as Howells' (incredible) "Take Him Earth for Cherishing" which is not only challenging to sing but pretty long for your average evensong service; and the equally long (and amazing) "The Deer's Cry" by Arvo Pärt. The firm favourites were there too, you can check out the full list on my earlier post here. (There is also a link to the Spotify playlist I created which is a fantastic way of enjoying familiar pieces again and discovering some fabulous new ones!)

So with 128 anthems from 100 composers there was something for everyone. Until there wasn't. In the preliminary rounds alone 89 942 votes were cast and as voters' favourites left the competition the visceral attachment we have to our choral music became all too apparent. Deprived of all opportunities to sing these wonderful anthems during the pandemic our only option was to fight their corner at every turn...

My personal favourite is "Ave Maria", by Robert Parsons.
Born around 1535, little is known about Parson's early life but it is likely that he was a choir boy. He was an assistant to Richard Bower, Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal and was later appointed as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal. Parsons is especially noted for his choral motets, of which "Ave Maria" is the best known after its inclusion in the Oxford Book of Tudor Anthems in 1978. Recognised as a master of polyphonic writing for choirs, Parsons was composing during the religious upheaval of the Reformation. He is thought to have collaborated with John Sheppard in the 1550s (or at least been influenced by him) and Richard Farrant in the early 1560s. It is believed he taught William Byrd at Lincoln Cathedral. He died prematurely from drowning in the Trent River.

Parson's "Ave Maria" ("Hail Mary") was likely written in the 1550's under Queen Mary 1; it's a Catholic prayer which would have found little favour later in Elizabethan England and it's also likely he was a Catholic sympathiser, like Sheppard, Tallis and others. Parsons' "Ave Maria" is a truly magical setting of the text with *the* most exquisitely beautiful Amen coda. It encapsulates the very essence of early english choral music, combining scripture with music to capture the hearts and minds of both choir and congregation. It sends our prayers soaring, surely elevating our worship.

So for me, this post should really be titled "The anthem which *should* have won the Evensong Anthem World Cup on Twitter", because of every anthem on the list, the one piece which will have me crying with total happiness and contentment when I'm back in the choir stalls is Robert Parsons' "Ave Maria".

Amen.

Sergei Rachmaninov - To Thee O Lord

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943) was a celebrated Russian pianist, conductor, and composer who was one of the last Romantic artists in Russian classical music.

Coming from a musical family, his mother gave him piano lessons beginning at four, but after his talent became obvious his grandfather insisted that he receive formal piano training. His earliest compositions were written while he was a student at the Moscow Conservatory, from which he graduated in 1892. Rachmaninov suffered a significant period of depression following negative criticism of his Symphony No. 1 in 1897, until the positive welcome Symphony No. 2 received in 1901. Initial compositions showed the strong influence of Tchaikovsky, but Rachmaninov quickly developed his own style. Following the Russian Revolution his family fled Russia in 1917 and spent a year performing in Scandinavia, eventually coming to the United States where they settled in New York in 1918. His final years would be artistically and personally fulfilling.

Musicologist Joseph Yasser highlighted Rachmaninov's use of an intra-tonal chromaticism that stands in notable contrast to the inter-tonal chromaticism of Richard Wagner and strikingly contrasts the extra-tonal chromaticism of the more radical twentieth century composers like Arnold Schoenberg. This means that rather than using two groups of tonal chromaticism he used one within another. Chromaticism is a compositional technique interspersing the primary diatonic pitches and chords with other pitches of the chromatic scale for "Colour" (chroma is greek for colour). So Rachmaninov cleverly embedded his chromatic embellishments within diatonic tonal harmony rather than in contrast to it.

Vivaldi's Gloria

Biography
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was an Italian Baroque composer, virtuoso violinist, teacher and Roman Catholic priest. Born in March 1678 in Venice, Vivaldi's health was problematic as a child. It is now believed that he suffered from asthma, and prevented him from learning to play wind instruments. However he learned to play the violin, and at age fifteen began training for the priesthood. Not long after his ordination, in 1704, he was given a dispensation from celebrating Mass most likely because of his ill health and Vivaldi appeared to withdraw from liturgical duties, saying Mass as a priest only a few times though he remained a member of the priesthood.

In 1711 Vivaldi begin work at Ospedale della Pietà in Venice as Master of Violin. An all-female orphanage, music school and convent Vivaldi composed most of his work whilst there, writing concertos, cantatas and sacred vocal music for them. These sacred works number over sixty and include solo motets and large-scale choral works for soloists, double chorus, and orchestra. Vivaldi had to compose an oratorio or concerto at every feast and teach the orphans both music theory and how to play certain instruments.

Venice in the early 18th century was the cultural centre of Europe, and a visit to the opera was part of the court and social life of the city. Opera houses were however required to close for all important religious festivals, but Venetians still wanted to be entertained. Vivaldi’s all-female orchestras and choirs were legendary sensations, but the girls needed to be protected from noblemen and travellers to the city. To keep them sheltered from the corruption of the visiting public, the choir sang from the upper galleries of the church, hidden behind the patterned grills, which only added to the theatrical sense of drama matched by Vivaldi’s music.

"Those young men in Venice for a stop on the Grand Tour flocked to Vivaldi’s church to hear these mysterious women seen only in silhouette, but sounding like angels."

At the height of his career, Vivaldi received commissions from European nobility and royalty including the French court of Louis XV. Vivaldi's Opus 9, "La cetra" was dedicated to Emperor Charles VI. He gave Vivaldi the title of knight, a gold medal and an invitation to Vienna. It is also likely that Vivaldi went to Vienna to stage operas, especially as he took up residence near the Kärntnertortheater. However, shortly after his arrival in Vienna in 1741 Charles VI died, which left the composer without any royal protection or a steady source of income. Having squandered his fortune Vivaldi became impoverished and died during a pauper in July 1741, aged 63.

Gloria in D
Vivaldi's  Gloria in D is probably one of his best known sacred works, but it also reflects Vivaldi’s
other skill as an opera composer which he regarded as a distraction from his day job at the Pieta.

Dr. John Sentamu, Vision and Change

In the middle of a pandemic, during lockdown; and over a weekend of protests, social disturbance and violence, we can be forgiven perhaps if the retirement of Dr. John Sentamu completely passed us by. And yet the timing of his retirement is striking in several ways. His voice is perhaps needed now more than ever - or have his vision and mission already initiated the change that we so desperately need?

"The Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu, accompanied by his wife, the Revd Margaret Sentamu, laid down his crozier of office on the high altar of York Minster on Sunday 7 June. The Dean of York, the Rt Revd Dr Jonathan Frost and Head Verger Alex Carberry were witnesses to this final act as Archbishop. (Music - Recorded previously by York Minster Choristers Psalm 150)"

The following biography is an abridged version of the information on Wikipedia, and other information published this weekend. I knew little and have learned much! There is also much on the Archbishopric of York website.

Dr. John Sentamu
Born in Uganda in 1949, Dr. Sentamu was the sixth of thirteen children. He obtained a Bachelor of Laws at Makerere University, Kampala, and practised as an advocate of the High Court of Uganda.

He incurred the wrath of the dictator Idi Amin, considered one of the cruelest despots in world history. Sentamu was detained for 90 days after refusing to overlook the crimes of one of Amin's family; he fled his home country to arrive as an immigrant in the United Kingdom in 1974.

Sentamu studied theology at Selwyn College, Cambridge and trained for the priesthood at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, being ordained a priest in 1979. He worked as assistant chaplain at Selwyn College, as chaplain at a remand centre and as curate and vicar in a series of parish appointments. Sentamu was consecrated a bishop on 25 September 1996, by George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, at St Paul's Cathedral.

During this time that he served as advisor to the Stephen Lawrence Judicial Enquiry, in 2002 he chaired the Damilola Taylor review - in both cases his personal experience of institutional racism proved invaluable. That same year he was appointed Bishop of Birmingham where his ministry, according to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, was praised by "Christians of all backgrounds".

Sentamu has spoken on issues including young people, the family, slavery, and injustice and conflict abroad. He seemed to have a natural talent for highlighting social ills in an insightful yet tactful way which won supporters. Above all his career has been a constant campaign against injustice.

Florence Price

It would seem that Florence Price was just waiting for me to discover her.

On the RSCM Facebook group I am a member of I saw a post on the fundamentally important theme of #BlackLivesMatter linking to a performance of Price's "Adoration", in memory of George Floyd. I had already searched for a black composer of anglican music to include here, in some small way offering my own contribution to such an important movement - to no avail. But here I was being offered a perfect example, which has also proved wonderfully coincidental as well.

Florence Price was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA on April 9th 1887, one of three children in a mixed race family. She had her first piano performance at the age of four and had her first composition published at the age of 11. by the time she was 14 she had graduated as top of her class, and went on to study music at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, majoring in piano and organ. She achieved a level of renown which defied all expectations for an African-American woman in her day. Acutely aware of her heritage, initially Florence identified as Mexican to avoid prejudice for being African American.

Music for Trinity Sunday - Philip Wilby

Trinity Sunday
This Sunday, 7th June 2020 is Trinity Sunday. Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christian liturgical calendar. Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the three Persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The triquetra (below) is sometimes used to represent the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is a form of Celtic knot work and is sometimes shown with an interlocking circle, as well, as shown below.

Trinity Sunday is a Principal Feast in the Anglican Church, and marks the start of the second and longest section of "Ordinary Time" in the liturgical year. This period  continues up to the first Sunday in Advent. (The first is from Christ's Baptism to Ash Wednesday.) Trinity Sunday is the Sunday following Pentecost, and eight weeks after Easter Sunday. The earliest possible date is May 17 and the latest possible date is June 20.

Green is the liturgical colour for Ordinary Time, although white is used for Trinity Sunday as a Principal Feast. (An interesting topic in its own right, but worth a read if you are preparing for your Gold Award. It's all useful background knowledge!)

History note on Trinity Sunday in the Anglican church
Thomas Becket (1118–70) was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury on the Sunday after Pentecost (Whitsun), and his first act was to ordain that the day of his consecration should be held as a new festival in honour of the Holy Trinity. This observance spread from Canterbury throughout the whole of western Christendom.

Music for Trinity Sunday
A beautiful piece for Trinity Sunday is Victoria's "Duo Seraphim", you can download the music here. However I absolutely love Geurrero's "Duo Seraphim" which I was fortunate enough to perform in concert a couple of years back. Written for triple choir, this cleverly builds on the text to celebrate the Trinity. The music can be downloaded here.

Pentecost

Pentecost is celebrated fifty days after Easter Sunday, and is also known as Whitsun. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles while they were in Jerusalem celebrating Shavout, or the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles.

Wikipedia says:-"The term Pentecost comes from the Greek Πεντηκοστή (Pentēkostē) meaning "fiftieth". It refers to the festival celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover, also known as the "Feast of Weeks" and the "Feast of 50 days" in rabbinic tradition." Pentecost thus falls ten days after Ascension, which is forty days after Easter. 

Pentecost is regarded as the birthday of the Christian church, and the start of the church's mission to the world. The symbols associated with the festival are those of the Holy Spirit and include flames which represent the change brought about by the power of the Holy Spirit, wind which represents the breath of God and a dove to represent God's presence, as in the baptism of Jesus (Mark 1 : 10). The second chapter of the Book of Acts describes a "mighty rushing wind" (a common symbol for the Holy Spirit) and "tongues as of fire". The gathered disciples were "filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance". This represents the fulfilment of the promise that Christ will baptise his followers with the Holy Spirit, mentioned in Matthew and Luke, and differentiated from John's baptism by water.

The Jewish festival of Shavout or "Feast of Weeks" is the Jewish Festival of First Fruits, or their Harvest Festival. It is prophetic therefore that the followers of Jesus should receive the gift of the Holy Spirit at this time, a time which celebrated the culmination of hard work and labour, and the gift of a reward with an eye on the future. Indeed, the verb used in Acts 2:1 to indicate the arrival of the day of Pentecost carries a connotation of fulfilment.

The English Reformation and its impact on liturgy and music

A brief discussion on the impact of religious change in sixteenth century England on church music and liturgy, from a layman's 21st Century perspective!

The Reformation is a hugely misunderstood and underestimated period of flux in Europe and beyond over the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. I have long been intrigued by the way religion not only underpinned society at every level during the Early Modern period, but how those influences are still relevant today. Having studied this period of history in depth at university I believe there are two significant themes of the English Reformation and its impact on liturgy and music:-

1) The Reformation was not an event which occurred at a single point in time.

The Reformation was not an event, it was more an evolutionary phase which spread out from Henry's break with Rome in 1530 like a mycelium which infiltrated every aspect of English life - and then re-wove itself through again and again creating a vast web of differing experiences, opinions and outcomes. It was the all and everything for the English people for almost 200 years, whether they participated religiously or not. In religious life it encompassed "English Catholics" with their highly latinised services, and Quakers who worshipped in words and silences only.

Henry VIII lived and died a Catholic, his break with Rome was a matter of convenience only. Whilst the establishment of the Church of England was hugely significant nationally and internationally, the average parishioner would have noticed very little difference in daily worship during Henry's reign. For the common people, the dissolution of the monasteries would have had a far greater impact on their lives, since these institutions helped the poor and sick and were paid to sing masses for the souls of the dead. (i-see below)

Henry VIII

Whilst Henry VIII did indeed break with Rome in 1530 and become Head of the Church of England via the Act of Supremacy in 1534; Henry he remained a Catholic, taking the last rites on his deathbed. Indeed, on 11 October 1521 Pope Leo X granted Henry and his descendants the title "Defender of the Faith" in recognition of Henry's book "Assertio Septem Sacramentorum" (Defense of the Seven Sacraments), which defended the sacramental nature of marriage and the supremacy of the pope in defence of the ideas of Martin Luther. (ii)

Music and Liturgy after the dissolution
Most parish churches had been endowed with chantries, each maintaining a stipended priest to say Mass for the souls of their donors, and these continued unaffected under Henry. In addition there remained over a hundred collegiate churches in England, whose endowments maintained regular choral worship through a body of canons, prebends or priests. All these survived the reign of Henry VIII largely intact, only to be dissolved under the Chantries Act 1547, by Henry's son Edward VI.

Edward, Mary and Elizabeth
After the death of Henry VIII in 1547, the new king Edward VI advanced the Reformation in England, introducing major changes to the liturgy of the Church of England. Thomas Cranmer had significantly greater freedom under Edward and in 1549, Cranmer's new Book of Common Prayer swept away the old Latin liturgy and replaced it with prayers in English. Church choirs began singing some songs in English, eg Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s.  This brand new liturgy suddenly demanded that new music should be written for the church in English, and musicians of the Chapel Royal such as Thomas Tallis, John Sheppard, and Robert Parsons were called upon to demonstrate that the new Protestantism was no less splendid than the old Catholic religion. Some composers also began writing in a more chordal style because it was argued that the words were easier to hear and understand that way.

William Byrd

Written by Kitty Thompson

As a Renaissance composer in England during the sixteenth century William Byrd achieved what few other of a similarly high profile did, namely to remain in favour no matter which way the religious wind prevailed in England. Like Thomas Tallis (who is believed to have been his teacher at the Chapel Royal) Byrd managed to navigate the fall out of the Reformation in Elizabethan England and remained popular and published. More than that, sometime during the 1570s he became a Roman Catholic and wrote Catholic sacred music later in his life, whilst keeping his job, and his head!

Byrd's early years
In his will of 15 November 1622, Byrd described himself as "in the 80th year of [his] age", suggesting a birthdate of 1542 or 1543. However a document dated 2 October 1598 written in his own hand states that he is "58 yeares or ther abouts", indicating an earlier birthdate of 1539 or 1540.

There is no documentary evidence on his early musical training. His two brothers were choristers at St. Paul's Cathedral, although evidence suggests William was a chorister with the Chapel Royal where he was a pupil of Thomas Tallis. His first known professional employment was his appointment in 1563 as organist and master of the choristers at Lincoln Cathedral. Lincoln had a strong Puritan influence and in both 1569 Byrd was in trouble for both over-elaborate choral polyphony and organ playing during the liturgy. Perhaps then he realised there was a fine line to tread within the bounds of acceptability?

The Chapel Royal
Byrd obtained the prestigious post of Gentleman of the Chapel Royal in 1572 following the death of Robert Parsons. Byrd was listed as "organist" but this was not a specific role in the Chapel at that time, he was merely most capable of playing it.

Queen Elizabeth (1558-1603) was no Puritan, and retained a fondness for elaborate ritual. Many still presume Elizabeth held a "laissez faire" attitude to religious practise in her country but this was far from the truth. Whatever her personal preferences, she expected compliance and insisted upon it.

In 1559, Queen Elizabeth I of England issued a set of solemn Injunctions to strengthen the nation's Oath of Supremacy and its worship by the Book of Common Prayer. They specified that services should contain a hymn or song of praise to God, "in the best sort of music that may be conveniently devised." This phrase firmly ensconced choral music within the English church service and it helped establish the genre that would later be known as the anthem.

Gerald Finzi's "God is Gone Up" - an anthem for Ascension

Ascension
The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ, also called Ascension Day, Ascension Thursday, or sometimes Holy Thursday, commemorates the Christian belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into heaven. In Christian belief Ascension is on the 40th day after his Resurrection (Easter being reckoned as the first day), this year falling on Thursday 21st May. Jesus' final moments with his disciples focus on the commission that will shape their lives as apostles, as they spread the gospel beyond those who encountered Christ in the flesh to those who believe based on testimony. This culminates in St. Paul using the term "the body of Christ" to describe the Church.

There are many well known anthems composed for Ascension, Stanford's "Coelos ascended hodie" is another favourite of mine, and our choir have recorded Byrd's "Non von relinquam orphanos" remotely this week. See bottom of this post.)

Finzi's "God is Gone Up" Op. 27b was written in 1951, the same year in which he learned he was suffering from Hodgkin's Disease, from which he eventually died in 1956. The text is taken from a longer poem by Edward Taylor (c1642-1729) and is the second of his three opus 27 anthems. It was written in 1951 for a St Cecilia's Day Service at St Sepulchre's Church in Holborn. This anthem has rightly become an integral part of the choral repertoire, and is probably Finzi’s most well-known piece of sacred music.

Twitter "World Cup" of Evensong Anthems

Twitter users may be aware of the recent hugely popular "World Cup" of Evensong Canticles, run by @TheEvensongCup account. The canticles cup was won by Howells' Gloucester Service (no, I didn't vote multiple times, nor bribe anyone!) but most importantly the process introduced many choral music lovers to canticles they had not heard previously, new composers, and of course gave us all a wonderful opportunity to enjoy and discuss old favourites at a time when most of us would cut off our right arm to be back in church singing them with our choirs....

The account is now hosting a "World Cup" of evensong anthems, and after much discussion and preliminary voting, the two page list below has been put together. Voting has (only just) begun, and there is a pinned thread to explain the process here. 

Because I obviously don't have anything better to do (what could be better than listening to hours of evensong anthems?!) I have put together a Spotify playlist of all but the most recent compositions which are yet to make it to Spotify. You can click the image below and it should take you to my playlist, which is public. I found most of the missing anthems on Youtube with little effort - I highly recommend Sarah MacDonald's "Crux Fidelis" which is on Soundcloud and Anna Thorvaldsdottir's "Heyr þú oss himnum á". 

Franz Joseph Haydn

Franz Joseph Haydn (born 31/03/1732 in Rohrau, Austria - died 31/05/1809 Vienna) was an Austrian composer who was one of the most important figures in the development of the Classical style in music during the 18th century. Haydn helped establish the forms and styles for both the string quartet and the symphony and is often referred to as the "Father" of both. He was also instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the piano trio. He was the principal engineer of the classical style.

Portrait of Joseph Haydn by Thomas Hardy (1791)

Biography
Having exhibited an unusual talent for music at an early age, Haydn left home at 5 years old to live with his cousin who was principal of a school in Hainburg and a choirmaster there. He was never to return to his home except for rare brief visits.

Haydn's life changed decisively when he was eight years old and the musical director of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna invited him to serve as chorister in 1740, an offer which his parents accepted. He stayed at the choir school for nine years, acquiring an enormous practical knowledge of music by constant performances but to his disappointment he received little instruction in music theory. When his voice changed, he was expelled from both the cathedral choir and the choir school.

Music for Bank Holiday Stay at Home garden parties - and lots on Handel!

George Friderick Handel was born on 23 February 1685 in Halle, in Brandenburg-Prussia. He was a German (later naturalised British in 1727) Baroque composer who spent the bulk of his career in London. Handel is well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi and organ concertos.

"Handel received important training in Halle and worked as a composer in Hamburg and Italy before settling in London in 1712. Born the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach and Domenico Scarlatti, Handel is regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Baroque era, with works such as Messiah, Water Music, and Music for the Royal Fireworks remaining steadfastly popular. " Wikipedia

Handel's "Water Music" is a collection of orchestral movements, often published as three suites, which premiered on 17 July 1717, in response to King George I's request for a concert on the River Thames. It is frequently played at garden parties in "high society" to this day, and would in my view by a wonderful accompaniment to any "Stay at Home" garden parties planned for this Friday as we celebrate VE day. VE Day is not, as the jingoistic press would have us believe, "Victory OVER Europe", but Victory IN Europe, by a massive combined effort from the Allies against the tyranny of Nazism. VE Day should celebrate - and represent - the success of partnership and working together for the common good, something not only worth celebrating from an historical perspective but extremely relevant today as we battle together to fight COVID-19. Born a German and naturalised as an Englishman, Handel epitomises the fluidity of nationality, the need to adapt and the focus on end results rather than isolation and protectionism.




Messiah - originally written to be performed at Easter
On Easter Sunday our choir would have sung the "Hallelujah Chorus" as our eucharist anthem.
The Hallelujah Chorus appears in the baroque oratorio “Messiah” composed in 1741.