This should be good. It's the same day as our Solemn High Mass in Crowle,
which is why one or two Rudgate stalwarts, can't sing with us there. I'm
hoping to get back to York in time to listen to this.

I'm attaching a pdf file containing more information + picture for those of
us who can read them, but the basic information is as follows:

Newsletter
May 2003
Next concert:
Saturday 7th June at 8 p.m.
St Olave's Church, Marygate, York
Marion Best writes….
I think that it was the music of Tallis and Byrd that first suggested to me
the idea of a concert of music written for the Roman Catholic Church in
England. They lived and composed through times of religious dispute and yet
evidence suggests that they succeeded in remaining devout Catholics, in
composing for both Catholic and Anglican services and managed to keep in
favour with the head of the Anglican Church, Queen Elizabeth I. As the
Anglican Church has maintained a strong choral tradition almost without
break it is not surprising that compositions for Anglican services by Byrd
and Tallis tend to be more familiar nowadays than their Latin sacred music.
(There are some obvious exceptions to this generalisation - such as Byrd
Masses in 3, 4 and 5 parts.) Our programme will include well known motets -
Tallis's O nata Lux and In Ieiunio et Fletu and Byrd's Laudibus in Sanctis-
as well as some less familiar music - Tallis's Videte Miraculum and some of
Byrd's Gradualia for the Mass of Pentecost.
It is largely thanks to Christopher Robinson with the choir of St. John's
College, Cambridge and their recent recordings for Naxos that there has been
a revival of interest in the sacred music of Edmund Rubbra. The Missa in
honorem Sancti Dominici was written as a personal response to his own
conversion on the feast day of St. Dominic in 1948. Lennox Berkeley
described it as "beautifully done - dignified and simple".
The music of James Macmillan is becoming increasingly well-known -
understandably as it is beautifully crafted and reveals a highly individual
voice. Macmillan's long held Catholic beliefs underpin most of his choral
music - and though much of it has been commissioned by the Episcopalian and
Anglican Churches the Mass written for Westminster Cathedral Choir is one of
his most profound works. However Cantores are going to perform Christus
vincit commissioned for St. Paul's Cathedral for the St. Cecilia's Day
service in 1994 and Tremunt videntes angeli commissioned by St. Mary's
Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh and first performed on Ascension Day 2002.
As I attempted to plan this concert and obtain the music I wanted I realised
that my original concert title 'Music for the Roman Catholic Church in
England' would not be entirely accurate and would not reflect the influence
of other churches on composers of sacred music - hence the modification for
posters - though I'm afraid it still fails to acknowledge Macmillan's
Scottish nationality.
Tickets, including free programme are priced at £7 and £5.50 concessions.
Autumn Concert 2003
Music from Scandinavia and the Baltic States
Saturday 8th November 2003
St Olave's Church, Marygate
York
Advance tickets & season tickets can be obtained from the Editor of this
Newsletter.
David Henderson (Editor)
Tel. 01904 769910
e-mail hendo@...
Mike