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Concerts at King’s
Gabrieli
& Venice
Promoted by King’s College
King’s College Choir
His Majestys
Sagbutts
and Cornetts
Stephen Cleobury
conductor
Curated by Iain Fenlon
Giovanni Gabrieli Music from the 1615 Collections
Image: morguefile.com/hotblack
and works by Monteverdi and Lassus
Friday 19 June 2015
King’s College Chapel 7.30pm
2014-2015
Giovanni Gabrieli & Venice
Music from the 1615 Collections and music by
Monteverdi and Lassus
Quem vidistis, pastores? G. Gabrieli
Hodie completi sunt G. Gabrieli
Canzon III à6G. Gabrieli
Surrexit Christus G. Gabrieli
Cantate DominoMonteverdi
Kyrie and Gloria from Missa Bell’ amfitrit
Lassus Jubilate Deo G. Gabrieli
INTERVAL
Magnificat à 12
G. Gabrieli Sanctus and Benedictus
Lassus Adoramus te, Christe Monteverdi Suscipe G. Gabrieli
Canzon II à6G. Gabrieli
Litaniae BVM G. Gabrieli
In ecclesiis G. Gabrieli
King’s College Choir
His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts
Stephen Cleobury conductor
King’s College Chapel, Cambridge
Friday 19 June 2015 at 7.30pm
Welcome from the Artistic Director
The Chapel acoustic continues to be the subject of much discussion: what kind of music is most
suited to its special qualities? I find the effect of brass instruments in this space very satisfying,
none more so than the elegant and unforced sounds of the cornetts and sagbutts of HMSC.
The idea for this concert grew out of a plan to record material from Giovanni Gabrieli’s 1615
collections, as part of the College’s celebrations of the year 2015 (the 500th anniversary of the
complete of the Chapel) fabric. My friend and colleague, Professor Iain Fenlon, writes elsewhere
about the music, and I am grateful to him for his curation of this project, bringing together, as it
does, the music of Gabrieli with that of two of his great contemporaries, Monteverdi and Lassus,
all of these having Venetian connections. I hope you will enjoy the range of textures that you will
hear: brass alone, choir alone, and brass and choir in varying combinations.
Stephen Cleobury, Artistic Director, Concerts at King’s
Music and Magnificence in Renaissance Venice
In 1608 the English
writer, traveller and
eccentric Thomas
Coryat visited Venice.
Among the many
wonders of the city
‘hastily gobled up’ (as
he later described it)
was the celebration
of the feast day
of S. Roch, which
he attended in the main hall of the Scuola
di S Rocco, one of the six main charitable
organisations of the city. There, surrounded
by the vast glowing canvases of Jacopo
Tintoretto, he listened for some three hours to
music ‘both vocall and instrumental, so good,
so delectable, so rare, so admirable, so super
excellent, that it did even ravish and stupifie
all those strangers that never heard the
like.’ His lyrical description goes on to praise
the choir of 20 voices and the instrumental
ensemble of 24 performers (10 trombones,
4 cornetts, 2 violas da gamba, 1 violin and 7
organs), precisely the kind of forces which we
normally associate with Venetian polyphony
of the High Renaissance, the magisterial
polychoral style of Andrea Gabrieli and his
nephew Giovanni. It is the latter’s contribution
to this repertory, drawn from the posthumous
Symphoniae sacrae of 1615, that forms the
Iain Fenlon
core of this evening’s concert.
Reports of the sumptuous musical life of
Venice had become commonplace by Coryat’s
day. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the
great occasions of church and state had come
to be celebrated with increasingly elaborate
music and ceremony. A fundamental element
in these arrangements was the choir of St
Mark’s Basilica, the principal church of the
city; although it was not the cathedral of
Venice, as the private chapel of the Doge
it had been developed over the centuries
“music so delectable, so rare, so
admirable, so super excellent,
that it did ravish and stupifie all
those that never heard the like.”
to become the focal point of the civic and
devotional life of Venice. Since the early
decades of the 16th century the number of
singers at the Basilica had slowly increased,
and, some time later, instrumentalists had
been added to the vocal forces. By the time of
Coryat’s visit to Venice the choir included 24
singers, 2 organists and 16 instrumentalists, an
impressively large ensemble by contemporary
standards.
During the course of the 16th century
the organists of St Mark’s had begun to
assume a more important role in the musical
arrangements at the Basilica. The increasingly
heavy burdens of state and religious
ceremonial brought with them extra duties;
new music was required for such occasions,
and the day-to-day organisation of the chapel
was now more complex than ever. With the
employment of Andrea Gabrieli as one of
the two organists of the Basilica, the music
at St Mark’s entered a new phase. Although
Andrea wrote a certain amount of church
music suitable for small groups of performers,
it was the large-scale works for two or more
choirs that earned him his reputation. It
was also this style that was widely imitated,
particularly by his own pupils, of whom the
most important was his nephew. Giovanni’s
Sacrae symphoniae…liber secundus of 1615
represents something of a milestone in
the development of the Venetian tradition,
containing works in the older polychoral style
of music for one or more choirs as well as
pieces in the somewhat different manner
typical of his mature motets. This later style
is seen at its most developed in the final work
in the programme, In ecclesiis, which displays
contrasts not only of tessitura between groups
but also of different styles of writing. While
the use of the basso continuo in this piece
allows solo voices to be accompanied by the
organ as well as by groups of instruments,
idiomatic writing also renders the procedures
of the older polychoral tradition less useful.
One consequence is that dialogues of
alternating passages, often repeating the
same musical material, are now replaced
by sectionalism. In ecclesiis is a remarkably
advanced work which effectively anticipates
some of the features of the mid-Baroque
church cantata.
In other ways too, the generous resources
that were available at St Mark’s inevitably
encouraged composers to exploit them to the
full. In addition to large-scale motets, Giovanni
Gabrieli’s output includes a considerable
number of instrumental pieces, certainly more
than was usual at the time. The Canzoni et
sonate, which was also published in 1615,
is virtually a compendium of the styles of
ensemble music current during Gabrieli’s
lifetime; two pieces from the collection will be
performed this evening.
It is important to realize that instrumental
works which were intended to articulate
the liturgy, and large-scale motets such as
those in the Symphoniae sacrae, were not
designed for everyday use but were reserved
for major occasions. The most important
annual feast-days in the Venetian calendar
might correspond to saints’ days in the Roman
calendar, but equally might commemorate
important events in Venetian history. In this
way what was characteristically Venetian
was associated with what was universally
Christian; patriotism and faith were thus
conveniently and inextricably fused. The most
obvious case is that of St Mark himself, whose
cult lay at the centre of Venetian mythology,
and whose relics were believed to lie in the
crypt under the high altar of the Basilica. No
fewer than four festivals were dedicated to
him, and the symbol of the winged lion was
extensively used as an image of Venetian
authority throughout the Venetian empire,
including the cities of the mainland and as far
away as Crete and Cyprus. It was also on such
feastdays that pieces such as the large-scale
setting of Jubilate Deo, a text which was also
sung during the Ascension Day ceremonies
when, following mass in St Mark’s, the Doge
carried out the annual marriage of Venice to
the sea, would have been performed. In effect
Jubilate Deo was an all-purpose celebratory
piece; Gabrieli composed at least four largescale settings of the text for the use of the
Basilica. Similarly, a work such as the imposing
setting of Quem vidistis which opens this
evening’s concert would have lent some sense
of the specifically Venetian to the celebration
of Christmas.
In addition to texts suitable for these
occasions, Gabrieli set the Magnificat no
fewer than seven times, in all cases for large
forces (the two most grandiloquent are set
for 18 and 33 voices respectively). This is a
reflection not only of the growing strength
of Marian devotion in Italy in the decades
after the closure of the final session of the
Council of Trent, a feature which continued
to inflect devotional practices well into
the 17th century, but also the specifically
Venetian attachment to the cult of the
Virgin. Gabrieli’s setting of the Litany of the
BVM may well have been composed for
performance in front of the Basilica’s prized
icon of the Madonna Nicopeia, a precious
piece of Byzantine art that was allegedly one
of a large number of religious images, sacred
vessels, and sculptures that had been brought
to Venice from the Middle East, much of it
booty captured during the Fourth Crusade.
The Venetians believed that the Nicopeia,
which consists of a central image of the Virgin
framed by sixteen small enamels, had brought
good fortune to those who had carried it
in battle in Asia Minor; it was venerated
in Venice it in the hope that it would bring
similar blessings upon the Republic. Although
for much of the 16th century the Madonna
Nicopeia was kept in the upper sacristy of
the Basilica, away from the public gaze, it
was sometimes carried in procession in St
Mark’s Square. The comparatively simple
style of Gabrieli’s setting of the Litany would
have been particularly effective in outdoor
performance at such moments.
Venetian official policy regarded the
musical and ceremonial life of church
and state as intimately related and vital
components of the elaboration of the ‘Myth
of Venice’, a political idea which upheld
the reputation and unique qualities of the
Republic and deployed them as a powerful
weapon of propaganda. Throughout the early
modern period the essence of this concept
was endlessly repeated, not only in books
but also through paintings, sculpture, and
architectural schemes. It was also expressed
through music, both instrumental and vocal,
that was designed to project the majesty
and grandeur of the Venetian state and the
principles upon which it was founded, even
at a time when the long process of political
and economic decline, which was eventually
to culminate in the arrival of Napoleon, had
already begun.
Iain Fenlon © 2015
Quem vidistis
Quem vidistis, pastores, dicite,
annunciate nobis, in terris quis apparuit?
Christum salvatorem de virgine natum vidimus
et choros angelorum collaudantes Domino.
Mariam et Joseph vidimus
in terra stratos supplices
et natum carum pariter adorantes humiliter.
Gratia Deo, qui dedit nostris victoriam
per Jesum Christum, salvatorem nostrum.
O magnum mysterium,
et admirabile sacramentum,
ut animalia viderent Dominum natum,
jacentem in præsepio. Alleluia!
Whom did you see, shepherds, tell us,
proclaim to us: who has appeared on earth?
We saw Christ the saviour born of a virgin,
and choirs of angels praising the Lord.
We saw Mary and Joseph,
prostrate upon the ground in supplication
and humbly worshipping the dear child.
Thanks be to God, who delivered to us victory.
through Jesus Christ, our saviour.
O great mystery
and wondrous sacrament,
that animals should see the newborn Lord
lying in a manger. Alleluia!
Hodie completi sunt
Hodie completi sunt dies Pentecostes,
alleluia: hodie Spiritus Sanctus
in igne discipulis apparuit,
et tribuit eis charismatum dona:
misit eos in universum mundum prædicare,
et testificari:
Qui crediderit et baptizatus fuerit,
salvus erit, alleluia.
Today the days of Pentecost are fulfilled,
alleluia: Today the Holy Spirit
appeared in fire to the disciples,
and gave unto them the gift of grace:
He hath sent them into all the world to foretell
and bear witness:
that whosoever believeth and is baptized shall
be saved, alleluia.
Surrexit Christus
Surrexit Christus Dominus de caelo intonuit :
Alleluja.
Et altissimus dedit vocem suam. Alleluja.
In die solemnitatis vestrae inducam
vos in terram fluentem lac et mel : Alleluja.
Populus acquisitionis annuntiate virtutes ejus.
Alleluja.
Christ has risen and the Lord has thundered
from heaven: Alleluia.
and the most high gave voice: Alleluia.
In the day of your solemn feast
I shall lead you into a land
flowing with milk and honey: Alleluia.
Ye people of his inheritance,
proclaim his virtues: Alleluia.
Cantate Domino
Cantate Domino canticum novum;
quia mirabilia fecit.
Psallite in cithara et voce psalmi.
Kyrie eleison
Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
Gloria
Gloria in excelsis Deo,
Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.
Laudamus te, Benedicamus te,
Adoramus te, Glorificamus te,
Gratias agimus tibi propter
magnum gloriam tuam.
Domine Deus, Rex caelestis,
Deus Pater omnipotens.
Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe;
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris.
Qui tollis peccata mundi,
miserere nobis.
Qui tollis peccata mundi,
suscipe deprecationem nostram.
Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis.
Quoniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dominus;
Tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe,
cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.
Jubilate Deo
Jubilate Deo omnis terra,
quia sic benedicetur homo
qui timet Dominum.
Deus Israel coniugat vos
et ipse sit vobiscum.
Auxilium de sancto
tueatur vos et de Sion.
Benedicat vobis Dominus ex Sion
qui fecit coelum et terram.
Servite Domino in laetitia!
O sing unto the Lord a new song;
for he hath done marvellous things.
Sing unto the Lord with the harp, and the
voice of a psalm.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Glory be to God on high,
And in earth peace, goodwill towards men.
We praise thee, we bless thee,
We worship thee, we glorify thee.
We give thanks to thee
for thy great glory.
O Lord God, heavenly King,
God the Father almighty.
O Lord the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ;
O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father.
Thou that takest away the sins of the world,
have mercy upon us.
Thou that takest away the sins of the world,
receive our prayer.
Thou that sittest at the right hand of the God
the Father, have mercy upon us.
For thou only art Holy, thou only art the Lord;
O Christ, with the Holy Ghost,
art most High, in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.
O be joyful in the Lord, all ye lands,
for blessed is the man
that feareth the Lord.
The God of Israel unite thee
and unite himself with thee.
[May he send thee] help from his holy place
and protect thee out of Sion.
The Lord bless thee out of Sion
who made heaven and earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness!
St Mark’s prized icon of the
Madonna Nicopeia, a precious
piece of Byzantine art, allegedly
one of a large number of
religious images, sacred vessels,
and sculptures that had been
brought to Venice from the
Middle East, much of it booty
captured during the
Fourth Crusade.
Magnificat
Magnificat anima mea Dominum,
Et exultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo.
Quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae:
Ecce enim ex hoc beatam me
dicent omnes generationes.
Quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est,
et sanctum nomen ejus.
Et misericordia ejus a progenie
in progenies timentibus eum.
Fecit potentiam in brachio suo;
dispersit superbos mente cordis sui.
Deposuit potentes de sede,
et exaltavit humiles.
Esurientes implevit bonis,
et divites dimisit inanes.
Suscepit Israel puerum suum,
recordatus misericordiae suae,
Sicut locutus est ad patres nostros, Abraham
et semini ejus in saecula.
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto;
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded
the lowliness of his hand-maiden:
For behold, from henceforth
all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath magnified me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him
throughout all generations.
He hath shewed strength with his arm;
he hath scattered the proud in the
imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat,
and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy
hath holpen his servant Israel,
As he promised to our forefathers, Abraham
and his seed for ever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum.
Amen.
to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
Sanctus
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,
Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of thy glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Benedictus
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the
Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Adoramus te
Adoramus te, Christe,
et benedicimus tibi,
quia per sanctam crucem tuam
redemisti mundum.
Miserere nobis.
We adore thee, O Christ,
and we bless Thee,
who by thy Holy Cross
hast redeemed the world.
Have mercy upon us.
Suscipe, Domine
Suscipe, clementissime Deus,
oblationem istam quam tibi offerimus hodie
in spiritu humilitatis in honorem
sancti Joannis Baptistae.
Veni et benedic hoc sacrificium
immensae maiestatis tuae preparatum,
quam laudant angeli et archangeli
qui non cessant clamare quotidie;
Tu solus sanctus, tu solus Dominus
altissimus, Jesu Christe.
Hear, O most merciful God,
this oblation which we offer today
in the spirit of humility, in honour
of St John the Baptist.
Come and bless this sacrifice
prepared for thy great majesty,
which angels and archangels praise
and proclaim daily without ceasing:
Thou alone art holy, thou alone art the Lord
most high, Jesus Christ.
Litaniae BVM
Kyrie, eleison. Christe, audi nos.
Christe, exaudi nos.
Pater de caelis Deus,
miserere nobis.
Fili, Redemptor mundi Deus,
miserere nobis.
Spiritus Sancte Deus,
miserere nobis.
Sancte Trinitas unus Deus,
miserere nobis.
Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis.
Sancta Dei genitrix, ora pro nobis.
Sancta Virgo virginum, ora pro nobis.
Mater Christi, ora pro nobis.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven,
Christ, graciously hear us: have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Holy Spirit,
Christ, graciously hear us.
Holy Trinity, one God,
Christ, graciously hear us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of virgins, pray for us.
Mother of Christ, pray for us.
Mater divinae gratiae, ora pro nobis.
Mater purissima, ora pro nobis.
Mater castissima, ora pro nobis.
Mater inviolata, ora pro nobis.
Mater intemerata, ora pro nobis.
Mater amabilis, ora pro nobis.
Mater admirabilis, ora pro nobis.
Mater Creatoris, ora pro nobis.
Mater Salvatoris, ora pro nobis.
Virgo prudentissima, ora pro nobis.
Virgo veneranda, ora pro nobis.
Virgo prædicanda, ora pro nobis.
Virgo potens, ora pro nobis.
Virgo clemens, ora pro nobis.
Virgo fidelis, ora pro nobis.
Speculum iustitiæ, ora pro nobis.
Sedes sapientiæ, ora pro nobis.
Causa nostræ lætitiæ, ora pro nobis.
Vas spirituale, ora pro nobis.
Vas honorabile, ora pro nobis.
Vas insigne devotionis, ora pro nobis.
Rosa mistica, ora pro nobis.
Turris Davidica, ora pro nobis.
Turris eburnea, ora pro nobis.
Domus aurea, ora pro nobis.
Fœderis arca, ora pro nobis.
Janua cæli, ora pro nobis.
Stella matutina, ora pro nobis.
Salus infirmorum, ora pro nobis.
Refugium peccatorum, ora pro nobis.
Consolatrix afflictorum, ora pro nobis.
Auxilium Christianorum, ora pro nobis.
Regina Angelorum, ora pro nobis.
Regina Patriarcharum, ora pro nobis.
Regina Prophetarum, ora pro nobis.
Regina Apostolorum, ora pro nobis.
Regina martirum, ora pro nobis.
Regina confessorum, ora pro nobis.
Regina virginum, ora pro nobis.
Regina sanctorum omnium, ora pro nobis.
Agnus Dei,
qui tollis peccata mundi,
parce nobis, Domine.
Agnus Dei,
qui tollis peccata mundi,
exaudi nos, Domine.
Agnus Dei,
qui tollis peccata mundi,
miserere nobis.
Mother of divine grace, pray for us.
Mother most pure, pray for us.
Mother most chaste, pray for us.
Mother inviolate, pray for us.
Mother undefiled, pray for us.
Mother most amiable, pray for us.
Mother most admirable, pray for us.
Mother of our Creator, pray for us.
Mother of our Saviour, pray for us.
Virgin most prudent, pray for us.
Virgin most venerable, pray for us.
Virgin most renowned, pray for us.
Virgin most powerful, pray for us.
Virgin most merciful, pray for us.
Virgin most faithful, pray for us.
Mirror of justice, pray for us.
Seat of wisdom, pray for us.
Cause of our joy, pray for us.
Spiritual vessel, pray for us
Vessel of honour, pray for us
Singular vessel of devotion, pray for us
Mystical rose, pray for us
Tower of David, pray for us
Tower of ivory, pray for us
House of gold, pray for us
Ark of the covenant, pray for us
Gate of heaven, pray for us
Morning star, pray for us
Health of the sick, pray for us
Refuge of sinners, pray for us
Comforter of the afflicted, pray for us
Help of Christians, pray for us
Queen of Angels, pray for us.
Queen of Patriarchs, pray for us
Queen of Prophets, pray for us
Queen of Apostles, pray for us
Queen of martyrs, pray for us
Queen of confessors, pray for us
Queen of virgins, pray for us
Queen of all saints, pray for us
O Lamb of God,
that taketh away the sins of the world,
spare us, O Lord.
O Lamb of God,
that taketh away the sins of the world,
graciously hear us, O Lord.
O Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of
the world,
have mercy upon us.
King’s College
Choir
Bless the Lord in congregations. Alleluia.
In all the high places
bless the Lord, my soul. Alleluia.
In God is my salvation and my glory.
God is my help
and my hope is in God. Alleluia.
Our God, we call upon thee, we praise thee,
we worship thee.
Free us, save us, give us new life. Alleluia.
God, our help in all eternity. Alleluia.
Paul Grover
In ecclesiis
In ecclesiis benedicite Domino. Alleluia.
In omni loco dominationis,
benedic anima mea, Dominum. Alleluia.
In Deo salutari meo et gloria mea.
Deus auxilium meum
et spes mea in Deo est. Alleluia.
Deus noster, te invocamus, te laudamus,
te adoramus.
Libera nos, vivifica nos. Alleluia.
Deus, adiutor noster in aeternum. Alleluia.
For more
than half a
millennium,
King’s College
Chapel has
been the
home to one
of the world’s
most loved
and renowned
choirs. Since
its foundation
in 1441 by the
19-year-old
King Henry VI,
choral services
in the Chapel,
sung by this
choir, have been a fundamental part of life in the College.
Through the centuries, people from across Cambridge, the UK and more recently the world
have joined the Choir for these services, including many famous people: British monarchs, from
Elizabeth I to Victoria, to the present Queen, have come to hear it; political leaders such as
Winston Churchill and Mikhail Gorbachev have made their way to the Chapel to hear the Choir;
Wordsworth wrote about the Choir’s ‘heart-thrilling strains’, while Charles Darwin loved the
Choir so much that he engaged the choristers to come and sing in his rooms when he was at
Cambridge. Nowadays even people who aren’t able to attend services in the Chapel have heard
King’s Choir, thanks to its many recordings and broadcasts, and its tours that have taken it to
leading international concert venues across Europe, America, Asia and Australia.
The consistently high standards achieved by the Choir over such a long course of time owe
much to the five musicians who have been responsible for nurturing it over the course of the
last 140 years: A.H. Mann (1876), Boris Ord (1929); David Willcocks (1957), Philip Ledger (1974)
and, since 1982, Stephen Cleobury.
The College was founded with six “singing men” and 16 choristers, which were to be
poor boys “of a strong constitution and an honest conversation”. Today the Choir comprises
16 boys and 14 men, although nowadays the men are choral scholars who are studying as
undergraduates at the College, rather than older lay clerks, as was the case up until 1927. From
the 1870s the boys have been educated at King’s College School, just across the river from the
College, a thriving and famously happy school now comprising some 420 girls and boys. Prior to
the 1870s, the choristers enjoyed less favourable conditions, often having to supplement their
meals with left-overs from the college dinners at which they served!
Today the treble boys in the Choir, who are aged between 10 and 13, are given generous
bursaries from the College for their education. Their Choir commitments are before and after
school hours, and their walk over to the College for evensong wearing top hats, in what they
call ‘the croc’ (crocodile), is a daily feature of Cambridge life. Prior to becoming choristers they
spend two years being taught as ‘probationers’, and they are gradually introduced to performing
at services and at concerts, so that by the time they are full choristers they are familiar
with what it feels like to stand up before an audience. By the time they leave King’s they are
proficient musicians, and take with them invaluable skills that last them a lifetime. A gratifying
number of them aspire to return to King’s as choral scholars.
The men of the Choir (countertenors, tenors and basses) are students at the University,
who have all attained the necessary academic requirements to become undergraduates at
Cambridge. They study many different academic subjects, from music to modern languages to
natural sciences.
King’s Choir has seen many a great musician pass through its ranks over the centuries.
Orlando Gibbons was a chorister in the 1590s, when his elder brother was organist, and the
20th century saw many of the country’s leading musicians beginning the careers as a chorister
choral scholar or organ scholar at King’s, including conductors Sir Andrew Davis and Edward
Gardner; singers Michael Chance, Gerald Finley, James Gilchrist, Andrew Kennedy, Stephen
Varcoe and the late Robert Tear; and organ recitalists Simon Preston, Thomas Trotter, David
Briggs and David Goode. Some, such as Francis Grier and Bob Chilcott, are composers, whilst
others are distinguished instrumentalists, such as the violinist and conductor, Roy Goodman,
clarinettist, Andrew Marriner of the LSO, and former Young Musician of the Year, cellist Guy
Johnston.
Despite its deep roots in musical history, the Choir has always been at the forefront of
technological innovation. The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, inaugurated at King’s in 1918,
was first broadcast by the BBC in 1928, making it the longest-established annual broadcast
in history; meanwhile, the televised Christmas service, Carols from King’s, celebrated its 60th
anniversary in 2014. The Choir now releases four recordings a year on its “impeccable” own
label, and broadcasts services on its website from King’s College Chapel to a growing worldwide
audience.
Altos
Tenors
Patrick Dunachie
Philip Barrett
Colm Talbot
Toby Ward
Oliver Finn
Daniel Lewis
Rupert Scarratt
Julius Haswell
Isaac Jarratt-Barnham Sebastian Johns
Organ Scholars
Tom Etheridge
Richard Gowers
Basses
William Geeson
Hugo Herman-Wilson
Benedict Kearns
Robin Mackworth-Young
James Jenkins
Stewart Bates
Jeremy West
cornett
Jamie Savan
cornett
Helen Roberts
cornett
Abigail Newman alto & tenor sackbutt
Adam Woolf alto & tenor sackbutt
Steve Saunders bass sackbutt
Having celebrated its 30th birthday in
2012, His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts
(“the pre-eminent group of its kind”, born
1982) continues in the same spirit as
His Majestys Sagbutts &
always: aiming to bring the sound of its
Cornetts
noble instruments, through pan-European
repertoire from the 16th and 17th centuries
to the 21st century, attracting new
audiences via recordings, radio, television and (best of the lot!) live performance.
The group’s illustrious-sounding name is taken from Matthew Locke’s ‘five-part tthings
for His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts’ that were probably played during the coronation
celebrations for King Charles II in 1661. Essentially a recital group comprising three cornetts,
three sackbutts and chamber organ / harpsichord, HMSC often joins with singers and string
players, and is frequently asked to take part in projects with choirs: Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s
Monteverdi Choir, the BBC Singers, Ex Cathedra, the choirs of King’s, St John’s and Trinity
Colleges, Cambridge, as well as those of Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s and Westminster
Cathedrals, London.
Activities over the group’s thiry year history have been diverse, ranging from sound and
vision recordings for the BBC comedy The Two Ronnies, to appearances in the Salzburg Festival,
St Mark’s, Venice, the Sydney Opera House and at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall.
Individual members of HMSC teach at conservatoires and universities throughout the UK
and Europe and the group is often invited to give masterclasses and workshops as a part of its
educational activities.
HMSC has more than twenty recordings to its credit, among them A Bach Album (Hyperion),
‘recording of the year’ in Gramophone Magazine 2002; and 2007 marked the launch of
the group’s own recording label, sfzmusic. HMSC’s first recording with the new label was
the complete instrumental works of Giovanni Battista Grillo; The Twelve Days of Christmas,
Buccaneer, an Anglo-Spanish celebration, and Canzone per sonare, a collection of music by
Giovanni Gabrieli and his contemporaries, have since followed. For His Majestys Pleasure,
a 65 minute opera without words by the English composer Martyn Harry, the group’s first
commission from a living composer, was released in 2012.
In 2012 HMSC celebrated the life and work of Giovanni Gabrieli in a unique collaboration
with Concerto Palatino and Ex Cathedra. This was marked with a new recording on Hyperion as
well as performances in England and Germany and at the Edinburgh International Festival.
His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts has played at, for, in, on or with all of the following and
many more… Athens, BBC radio, tv & Proms, Canterbury Cathedral, Deutsche Gramophon,
Edinburgh, Festspielhaus Salzburg, Granada, Hong Kong, Israel, King’s College Cambridge,
Lufthansa Festival London, Melbourne, New York, Oslo, Paris to Perth, Queen’s University
Belfast, Sydney Opera House, Taipei, Utrecht Early Music Festival, Venice St Mark’s, Westminster
Abbey, Ex Cathedra, York and Zaragoza.
Paul Grover
Stephen Cleobury has for over 30 years been associated with
one of the world’s most famous choirs, that of King’s College,
Cambridge. His work at King’s has brought him into fruitful
relationships with many leading orchestras and soloists,
among them the Academy of Ancient Music, the Philharmonia
Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia and the BBC Concert Orchestra. He
complements and refreshes his work in Cambridge through the
many other musical activities in which he engages throughout
the world.
At King’s, he has sought to enhance the reputation of the
world-famous Choir, considerably broadening the daily service
Stephen Cleobury repertoire, commissioning new music from leading composers
and developing its activities in broadcasting, recording and
touring. He introduced the highly successful annual festival,
Easter at King’s, from which the BBC regularly broadcasts, and, in its wake, a series of highprofile performances throughout the year, Concerts at King’s, which this season has already
seen performances with Alison Balsom, Gerald Finley, Rachel Podger and Andreas Scholl. One of
the most exciting innovations in this context was the first ever live simultaneous transmission of
a concert (Handel Messiah) direct to cinemas across Europe and North America.
From 1995 to 2007 he was Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers and since then has been
Conductor Laureate. During his time with the Singers he was much praised for creating an
integrated choral sound from this group of first-class professional singers. With the Singers he
relished the opportunity to showcase challenging contemporary music and gave a number of
premieres, including Giles Swayne Havoc, Ed Cowie Gaia, and Francis Grier Passion, all with the
distinguished ensemble, Endymion.
Since 1983 he has been closely involved in the Cambridge University Musical Society, one of
the UK’s oldest music societies, where he has nurtured generations of young talent. Highlights
have included Mahler Symphony No. 8 in the Royal Albert Hall and Britten War Requiem in
Coventry Cathedral on the 60th anniversary of its bombing. As part of the 800th anniversary
celebrations of Cambridge University in 2009 he gave the premiere of The Sorcerer’s Mirror by
Peter Maxwell Davies.
Beyond Cambridge he is in demand as a conductor, adjudicator and leader of choral
workshops: 2013 saw engagements in Baltimore, Salt Lake City and Baton Rouge, USA, in Hong
Kong and in Sydney, Australia, as well concerts with the East Anglia Chamber Orchestra, of which
he is President. Last year he took up a residency at Louisiana State University.
In recent seasons he has performed as an organ recitalist at Houston, Delaware,
Minneapolis-St Paul, Geneva, Finland, Newcastle, Aberdeen, Gloucester, St David’s and
Westminster Cathedrals, Wymondham and Bath Abbeys, Great Malvern Priory, Bridgewater Hall,
Manchester, Leeds Town Hall, and at the La Verna, Rotterdam and Toledo Organ Festivals. The
latest addition to his many organ recordings is a CD released in May of music by Mendelssohn,
Reubke and Liszt.
Stephen has played his part in serving a number of organisations in his field. From his
teenage years until 2008 he was a member of the Royal College of Organists, of which he is
a past President. He has been Warden of the Solo Performers’ section of the Incorporated
Society of Musicians and President of the Incorporated Association of Organists; he is currently
Chairman of the IAO Benevolent Fund, which seeks to support organists and church musicians in
need. He was appointed CBE in the 2009 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Concerts at King’s
Promoted by King’s College
OrganGala
Widor
Toccata arr.Willcocks
Berlioz
Te Deum
Saint Saëns
Thomas Trotter organ
King’s College Choir
CUMS Chorus
BBC Concert Orchestra
Stephen Cleobury conductor
Curated by Flora Wilson
Organ Symphony
Thomas Trotter
Wednesday 11 November 2015
King’s College Chapel 7.30pm
Performance will finish c 9.30pm
Tickets: £60, £40, £30, £22, £15 (£5 students)
Broadcast live on Radio 3.
In partnership
with the
Cambridge
Music Festival
Tickets from: The Shop at King’s, 13 King’s Parade, Cambridge, 01223 769340
For the full programme of concerts and services visit www.kings.cam.ac.uk/events/easter-at-kings