1572. In around 1575 Byrd and Tallis were granted a Royal patent for printing music. There were many other talented composers such as William Smith (of Durham) (1603-1645) and Orlando Gibbons (15851625) both of whom wrote music which is still sung in the Minster and other churches and cathedrals. The Gentlemen of the Minster Choir sang the Byrd motet Viri Galilaei on Sunday 24th May at our Zoom service and the full choir sang an anthem by Orlando Gibbons on 31st May. Gibbons’ anthem This is the Record of John is often sung at the Minster Advent Service, and Evensong responses by William Smith are also part of the Minster Choir’s repertoire. In Wimborne, a Grammar School, known as Lady Margaret’s School, was established in the 15th century, to the south of the Minster. Teaching took place inside the Minster (Trinity Chapel), and the boy choristers could enter in procession by the South Door. Thus in a sense we can claim to have had a Choir School attached to the Minster. Lady Margaret School was established as Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in 1563. During this period the most important musical positions were those attached to Cathedrals and College Chapels. Printing was in its infancy and so these musicians wrote the
Choristers of the Chapel Royal in 1603
music for their own establishment, maintaining a living tradition of service to God which continues to this day. The parts for the choir were copied out by hand, with a separate book for each part. The cathedral was the centre of public musical life. The great musicians employed therein produced music for divine worship of a high quality, fitting for the worship of God. There was no place for “art for art’s sake” in a cathedral’s music as it was, and still is, a “visual aid to the message” (Ivor Keys). Most of the music was written a cappella (= ‘in the church’), i.e. for unaccompanied voices. Organs were not as elaborate as today and, of course, needed to be pumped by hand. Choral music suffered
under Cromwell’s Commonwealth but revived after the Restoration in 1660. The original Minster organ was built a few years later. Apparently whatever instrument was in the Minster before the Commonwealth was broken up and the metal used for ammunition! We will hear about some of these new developments next time.
Tenor part of music sung before the Civil War at Queen’s College.
Photo credits: https://www.choirschools.org.uk , choristers of Durham Cathedral; https://www.st-alfege.org, St Alfege, Greenwich; Wikipedia; https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/ news/discover-the-secret-history-of-books
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