Puer natus est nobis: Christmas for Queen and commoners at St Mary-at-Hill Church, London on Monday 10th December 2018

Please note: This concert is in the past and has already taken place.

Puer natus est nobis

Christmas for Queen and commoners

Add to my Calendar 10-12-2018 19:30 10-12-2018 21:30 36 Puer natus est nobis At the heart of Orlando Chamber Choir's Christmas concert is Thomas Tallis' large-scale Missa Puer natus est nobis, based on the festive plainchant of the same title. The choice of this particular Latin text suggests that the mass was written during the reign of Queen Mary, and the seven-part scoring indicates that Tallis had more extensive forces at his disposal than just the English Chapel Royal. This all points to a first performance in December 1554 when Spanish King Philip, Mary's husband, was in England with his Capilla Flaminca. It is likely that the rich and sonorous Missa Puer natus est nobis ("Onto us a boy is born") was also meant to celebrate that Queen Mary was thought to be pregnant at the time, and hoping for an heir. Tallis' magnificent mass is interspersed with Advent music from William Byrd's “Gradualia” (1605), written to provide the recusant Catholic community with settings of the Mass Propers. Each of Byrd’s compositions is a small shining jewel of musical inventiveness and text characterisation. The Christmas constellation is completed by music from Tudor times to modern day, including Robert Parsons' exquisite Ave Maria and works by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Boris Ord, Benjamin Britten and Malcolm Ruthven... ...but the stars of Orlando Chamber Choir's Christmas concerts are invariably the audience when they join in with the traditional carols! There will be festive readings too - with wine, mince pies and an interval raffle to complete this all-sensory Christmas evening. St Mary-at-Hill Church, London DD/MM/YYYY

Details

St Mary-at-Hill Church
Lovat Lane
Billingsgate
City of London
London
EC3R 8EE
England

Monday 10th December 2018
7:30 PM

Programme

William Byrd – Rorate coeli desuper
David Willcocks – While shepherds watched their flocks
Boris Ord – Adam lay ybounden
Thomas Tallis – Missa Puer Natus
William Byrd – Domine, praestolamur adventum tuum
Reginald Jacques – Away In A Manger
Robert Parsons – Ave Maria
Benjamin Britten – A Hymn to the Virgin
Ralph Vaughan Williams – No sad thought his soul affright
Ralph Vaughan Williams – O little town of Bethlehem
Malcolm Ruthven – Coventry Carol
Malcolm Ruthven – O my deir hert
William Byrd – Ecce Virgo concipiet
David Willcocks – God rest you merry, gentlemen
William Byrd – Puer natus est nobis

Performers

Graham Thorpe – organ
Oliver John Ruthven – choral director

Orlando Chamber Choir

Programme Note

At the heart of Orlando Chamber Choir's Christmas concert is Thomas Tallis' large-scale Missa Puer natus est nobis, based on the festive plainchant of the same title. The choice of this particular Latin text suggests that the mass was written during the reign of Queen Mary, and the seven-part scoring indicates that Tallis had more extensive forces at his disposal than just the English Chapel Royal. This all points to a first performance in December 1554 when Spanish King Philip, Mary's husband, was in England with his Capilla Flaminca. It is likely that the rich and sonorous Missa Puer natus est nobis ("Onto us a boy is born") was also meant to celebrate that Queen Mary was thought to be pregnant at the time, and hoping for an heir.

Tallis' magnificent mass is interspersed with Advent music from William Byrd's “Gradualia” (1605), written to provide the recusant Catholic community with settings of the Mass Propers. Each of Byrd’s compositions is a small shining jewel of musical inventiveness and text characterisation. The Christmas constellation is completed by music from Tudor times to modern day, including Robert Parsons' exquisite Ave Maria and works by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Boris Ord, Benjamin Britten and Malcolm Ruthven...

...but the stars of Orlando Chamber Choir's Christmas concerts are invariably the audience when they join in with the traditional carols! There will be festive readings too - with wine, mince pies and an interval raffle to complete this all-sensory Christmas evening.

Your events at Classical Events