Choral Evensong   Thursday July 22, 2010 6:00 PM St. John's Anglican Church Elora Festival Singers Noel Edison, conductor Jonathan Oldengarm, organ  Magnificat and Numc Dimittis (St Paul’s Service) – Herbert Howells O Lord the maker of all thing – William Mundy   Freewill offering St. Augustine said, “He who sings prays twice”. Evensong, or Evening Prayer, is part of the classic liturgy of the Anglican Church.

The Tudors

Thursday July 22, 2010
8:00 PM
St. John's Anglican Church
Ticket price: $39

Elora Festival Singers
Jonathan Oldengarm, organ
Noel Edison, conductor

 Travel back to these turbulent times and hear the serene sounds of Byrd and other masters of the era.

Gloria in Excelsis Deo – Thomas Weelkes (1576 – 1623)
O Lord the Maker of All Thinge – William Mundy (1529 – 1591)
This is the Record of John – Orlando Gibbons (1583 – 1625)
Christ Rising Again – John Shepherd (1512 - 1563)
My Voice Shalt Thou Hear – Thomas Thomkins  (1572 – 1656)
Mass for Four Voices – William Byrd (1540 – 1623)
Salvator Mundi – Thomas Tallis (1505 – 1585)
If Ye Love Me – Thomas Tallis
When David Heard – Thomas Weelkes
O Clap Your Hands – Orlando Gibbons

The Tudor Monarchs
Henry VII (reigned 1485 – 1509)
Henry VIII (reigned 1509 – 1547)
Edward VI (reigned 1547 – 1553)
Mary I (reigned 1553 – 1558)
Elizabeth I (reigned 1558 – 1603)

The Tudor era began in 1485 when Henry Tudor defeated Richard III at Bosworth Field and became King Henry VII. During the 24 years of his reign, he managed to establish a degree of stability in England, but the throne was far from secure when he was succeeded in 1509 by his son Henry VIII. The new king’s obsession with fathering sons and his consequent parade of wives brought further turmoil to an already volatile situation. Add to this the upheaval of the Protestant Reformation and the creation of the Church of England, the suppression of the monastic orders, as well as Henry’s extravagant lifestyle and spending and instability is as good as guaranteed. Henry was succeeded by his son, Edward VI in 1547, who was nine years old when he acceded to the throne. He died six years later, to be succeeded by Henry’s eldest daughter Mary. Mary at once set about restoring Catholicism in England, executing many of the architects of the Church of England. Her marriage to King Philip of Spain made her very unpopular with her subjects. After five troubled years she died and the throne then went to her half-sister Elizabeth, who turned out to be one of the greatest monarchs in English history and was to reign for 45 years. Elizabeth died childless in 1603, marking the end of the Tudor dynasty.

According to the Biship of Chichester, Thomas Weelkes (1576 – 1623) was “noted and famed for a common drunkard and notorious swearer and blasphemer”. Nevertheless, he spent much of his life as the organist of Chichester cathedral, and wrote some superb church music. Little is known about William Mundy (1529 – 1591), except that he was part of the musical staff of the chapel royal. The text of “O Lord the Maker” is attributed to Henry VIII. Catching the very end of the Tudor era, Orlando Gibbons (1583 – 1625) became the organist of Westminster Abbey.

John Shepherd (1512 – 1563) worked for four of the Tudor monarchs, and adapted his style accordingly. His music from the reign of Edward VI is in English, simpler and syllabic (as the protestants liked it), while the music he wrote while part of Mary’s chapel royal is much more ornate and in Latin, reflecting catholic tastes. Thomas Tomkins (1572 – 1656) spent much of his life as organist of Worcester cathedral. He was a student of William Byrd (1540 – 1623), who remained a staunch catholic although that was against the law. His Mass for Four Voices would have been performed surreptitiously in private chapels.

Thomas Tallis (1505 – 1585) began his career at Dover Priory, and then worked at Holy Cross Abbey at Waltham until it was dissolved in 1540. He too was a master of changing his musical style to suit the political situation, and was a member of the chapel royal during the reign of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. He died at the ripe old age of 80, a rare thing in those turbulent times.

Jurgen Petrenko