The Open University Choir

The Open University Choir is affiliated to the Open University Club and gratefully

acknowledges the financial support of the University for this concert.

Bill Strang conductorwith the Linsdale Singers, Polymnia, Quorum and Paul Daggett organist

Thomas Tallis 40-part motet Spem in alium Andrea Gabrieli 12-part Magnificatand other 16th-century English and Italian music

Saturday 17 June 2017 at 7.30pmSt Mary and St Giles Church Stony Stratford MK11 1BD

Tickets £12 (under 16 free) from Music for All @SMSG

http://www.musicforallsmsg.org/whats-on

PROGRAMME

The focus of this programme is the spectacular motet in 40 parts Spem in alium by

Thomas Tallis. Tallis lived in an era when temporal and spiritual princes were the

principal patrons of music. The specific century in which he was active was

characterised by dramatic religious upheavals and unpredictable political

manipulation, both of which affected his work in various ways.

Born about 1505, Tallis is first recorded as an organist at Dover Priory in 1531, and

later held posts at a London church and at Waltham Abbey in Essex. At the

dissolution of the monastery in 1540, he spent a short time at Canterbury but soon,

in 1543, became a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, towards the end of Henry VIII’s

reign. He held on to this post through the religiously turbulent reigns of Edward VI

(1547–53), Mary Tudor (1553–8) and Elizabeth I (1558–1603). He also held on to

his head and his integrity by careful and inventive responsiveness to each

prevailing mood, writing first for the pre-Reformation Catholic church, then

observing the constraints of the Reformed church, returning to the reinstated Latin

liturgy under Mary, and exploiting Elizabeth’s idiosyncratic approach to liturgical

matters

The Open University Choir conducted by Bill Strang

The Eighth Tune (Psalm 67) from Archbishop Parker’s Psalter

Thomas Tallis (c. 1505–1585)

God grant with grace, he us embrace,

In gentle part, bless he our heart:

With loving face shine he in place,

His mercies all on us to fall.

That we thy way may know all day,

While we do sail this world so frail,

Thy health’s reward is nigh declared,

As plain as eye all Gentiles spy.

Let thee always, the people praise,

O God of bliss, as due it is:

The people whole might thee extol,

From whom all thing they see do spring.

All folk rejoice, lift up your voice,

For thou in sight shall judge them right:

Thou shalt direct the Gentiles’ sect,

In earth that be, to turn to thee.

The earth shall bud his fruits so good,

Then thanks most due, from it shall sue:

And God e’en he our God most free,

Shall bless us aye from day to day.

So God our guide shall bless us wide,

With all increase, no time to cease:

All folk thereby, on earth which lie,

His name shall fear and love him bear.

To God the Father first of might,

To Christ his son, both God and Lord:

To God of them, the Holy Spir’t,

Though three yet one in just accord.

Reign, pow’r and praise, as due by right,

Ascribe we all in open sight.

From this time forth, as it hath been,

Say we thereto. Amen. Amen.

Matthew Parker (1504–75). Psalter completed 1557, publication registered 1567 or 1568

The psalms are the seminal poetry of the Jewish and Christian faiths. In the 16th

century, with the new Reformation thinking about making the meaning of the

Christian faith more accessible to its adherents, many vernacular translations of the

psalms were made and published taking advantage of the new technology of

printing. Archbishop Parker’s Psalter comprises metrical translations of all 150

psalms. Tallis wrote eight tunes, one in each of the old ecclesiastical modes,

designed to demonstrate how Parker’s metrical psalms might be set to music. Each

is prefaced with a rubric describing, in accordance with a longstanding medieval

tradition, the affective characteristics of the mode: ‘The eyghte goeth milde: in

modest pace’.

This very simple hymn-tune is perhaps the most widely known melody Tallis

wrote. The harmonization is ostensibly straightforward, but in fact hides a canon,

the strictest form of imitation, between the tenor and soprano parts.

If ye love me (c. 1548)

Thomas Tallis

If ye love me, keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father, and he shall

give you another Comforter, that he may ’bide with you forever, e’en the spirit of

truth.

John 14, verses 15–17

This short anthem, perhaps his best known, was also written for the Reformed

Church, but in an earlier incarnation under the boy-king Edward VI. Edward,

encouraged by his advisers to adopt extreme religious views, required simple,

accessible music sung in English. Tallis responded with masterly eloquence.

This anthem is usually sung nowadays as a conventional mixed-choir piece.

However, Tallis conceived it as a lower-voice texture ‘for men’ which can

legitimately be performed as here by altos, tenors and basses.

O nata lux

Thomas Tallis

O nata lux de lumine

Jesu redemptor saeculi,

Dignare clemens supplicum

Laudes preces que sumere.

Qui carne quondam contegi

Dignatus es pro perditis.

Nos membra confer effici

Tui beati corporis.

O Light of light, by love inclined,

Jesu, Redeemer of mankind,

With loving kindness deign to hear

From suppliant voices praise and

prayer.

Thou who to raise our souls from hell

Didst deign in fleshly form to dwell,

Vouchsafe us, when our race is run,

In thy fair Body to be one.

Anonymous, tenth century. Translation by Laurence Houseman, 1906

Much of Tallis’s music has been preserved only in manuscript, but in 1575 he

collaborated with William Byrd to produce a collection of motets and hymns

entitled Cantiones Sacrae, which the two composers dedicated to the Queen in

recognition of her grant to them of a monopoly of printed music and music paper.

Title page

from

Cantiones

Sacrae

Although Elizabeth I reverted to Protestantism as the state religion her attitudes to

religious practice were more tolerant – and pragmatic – than those of either her

strictly Protestant younger brother or her fiercely Catholic older sister. Her personal

tastes and usage in her private chapel did not exclude Latin settings. Tallis and

Byrd must also have calculated that their Latin church music would find a

sufficient market among the recusant community – an assumption which in the

event proved to have been misplaced.

The texture of this piece is straightforwardly chordal. However, the rhythm is

subtlety varied according to the stress of the words and the harmony is spiced with

daring linear clashes at cadential points (‘false relations’) which were favoured by

English composers of this period.

Salvator mundi I

Thomas Tallis

Salvator mundi, salva nos,

qui per crucem et sanguinem

redemisti nos: auxilare nobis, te

deprecamur, Deus noster.

O Saviour of the world, save us,

who by thy cross and blood hast

redeemed us: help us, we beseech

thee, our God.

This motet is also from Cantiones Sacrae. The texture throughout is the opposite of

the previous piece – a complex web of interweaving lines spun from a new theme

(or ‘point of imitation’) for each phrase of the text.

Organ solo played by Paul Daggett

Sellenger’s Round

William Byrd (1543–1623) ed. Louis Oesterle, 1904

Although Tallis was active as an organist throughout his long professional career,

very little keyboard music by him has survived – mainly short contrapuntal pieces

to be played between verses of plainsong hymns in a liturgical context. His pupil,

William Byrd, on the other hand, who became one of the great virtuoso keyboard

players of the age, left almost 100 solo compositions, many of them inspired by

secular contexts.

Sellenger’s Round is a set of variations on a simple lilting stepwise melody. There

are four variations: at first the harmony is varied, then the internal texture becomes

more complex and flourishes of shorter notes pass between the hands. The third

variation, with its strings of double thirds, is technically challenging by the

standards of any period; this gives way to a gentler fourth variation and Oesterle

concludes his arrangement with a repetition of the opening of this variation which

features a strong syncopated rhythm.

Quorum directed by Chris Williams

Out from the deep

Thomas Tallis

Out from the deep I call to thee,

O Lord hear my invocation.

Thine ears bow down; incline to me

and hear my lamentation.

For if thou wilt our sins behold,

That we have done from time to tide,

O Lord, who then dare be so bold

As in thy sight for to abide.

Psalm 130, metrical translation, author unknown

This four-part anthem, like If ye love me, was composed for services for the

Reformed Church conforming to the spirit of the Lincoln Cathedral Injunctions

(1548) which required ‘…a plain and distinct note for every syllable one’.

The injunction is followed almost to the letter in the opening chordal section. Even

in the second section, in which a new theme is treated imitatively, the principle of

one note to a syllable is nevertheless observed and the text is audible. As in If ye

love me the second half is repeated – a simple and effective plan.

I call and cry to thee, O Lord

Thomas Tallis

I call and cry to thee, O Lord. Give ear unto my plaint.

Bow down thine eyes and mark my heavy plight,

and how my soul doth faint.

For I have many ways offended thee.

Forget my wickedness, O Lord, I beseech thee.

Author unknown

The same ABB structure is followed in this more extended five-part piece which

uses imitation throughout to glorious effect.

The piece is an example of contrafactum where an English text is set to the music

of a Latin motet or Mass. It is thought that this practice arose from the urgent need

for service music in English following the introduction of the First Book of

Common Prayer in 1549.

In this case the Latin version was O sacrum convivium which was published in

Cantiones Sacrae in 1575, although it may well have started life as an instrumental

fantasia, possibly dating from the 1560s. O sacrum convivium and Salvator mundi,

heard earlier in this concert, were each adapted twice with English texts.

Dum transisset Sabbatum I

John Taverner (c. 1490–1545)

Dum transisset Sabbatum,

Maria Magdalene et Maria Jacobi

et Salome emerunt aromata,

ut venientes ungerent Jesum.

Alleluia.

Et valde mane una Sabbatorum

veniunt ad monumentum orto iam

sole.

Ut venientes ungerent Jesum.

Alleluia.

Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui

Sancto. Alleluia

When the Sabbath was over,

Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of

James and Salome, brought spices

with which to go and anoint Jesus.

Alleluia.

And very early in the morning on the

first day of the week they went to the

tomb, just as the sun was rising.

To go and anoint Jesus.

Alleluia.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Ghost. Alleluia.

Mark 16, verses 1–2

John Taverner belongs to the generation before Tallis and was active in the 1520s

and 30s, during the reign of Henry VIII. His career was probably curtailed by

Henry’s break with Rome in 1534 which cost Taverner his post at the enormously

wealthy parish church of St Botolph in Boston in his native Lincolnshire.

His motet Dum transisset Sabbatum exemplifies the old pre-Reformation style of

polyphony. Here the texture is generated not by imitation techniques but by the

statement in one part of a plainsong melody in notes of even length – in this case

the baritone, second from the bottom – while the remaining four parts weave an

intricate web of free, florid melodies around it. In this style and at this time the

audibility of the words was not considered so important and it was conventional to

set long strings of notes (melismas) to a single syllable. The overall effect is of

rich, sometimes dense, clusters of sound.

In this piece sections in this elaborate polyphonic style replace what would

previously have been straightforward chanting of the plainsong. Now only two

sections of the text, towards the end of the piece, remain as plainsong sung by the

men.

The text is for Easter Sunday morning, a responsory for the third lesson at Matins.

Organ solo

The Carman’s Whistle

William Byrd ed. Louis Oesterle

The title refers to the occupation of carman or carter and to the carmen’s habit of

whistling which was apparently effective in the management of horses. Byrd’s set

of variations is the best-known version of this Tudor song. Like Sellenger’s Round

it was included in My Ladye Nevells Booke, the earliest dated source of his

keyboard music, a beautifully-written manuscript finished in 1591 and one of the

most important collections of Renaissance keyboard music.

As might be expected the theme is a straightforward tune which falls into regular 4-

bar phrases. Such simplicity allows plenty of scope for elaboration throughout eight

variations which involve complex syncopations, countermelodies and imitative

gestures and offer opportunities to exploit the full timbre of the organ. Nearly all

the surviving sources include fingering, which suggests that the piece was used for

teaching purposes.

Combined Choirs conducted by Bill Strang

Spem in alium

Thomas Tallis

Spem in alium nunquam habui

praeter in te, Deus Israel, qui

irasceris et propitius eris,

et omnia peccata hominum in

tribulatione dimittis.

Domine Deus, creator caeli et

terrae, respice humilitatem nostram.

I have never placed by hope in any

other than you, O God of Israel, who

can show both anger and

graciousness, and absolve all the

sins of suffering man.

Lord God, creator of heaven and

earth, be mindful of our humiliation.

It is not certain when or why this extraordinary piece was written, but in recent

decades it has been associated with the visit to London of the Italian composer

Alessandro Striggio whose Mass in 40 and 60 parts had been performed in at least

two of the courts he had visited as he travelled from Florence across Europe in

1567 on diplomatic business. An early 17th-century anecdote by one Thomas

Wateridge, a law student at the Temple, claims that a certain Duke, ‘bearing a great

love to Musicke’, upon hearing Striggio’s multi-part ‘songe’,

‘asked whether none of our Englishmen could sett as good a song, and Tallice

being very skilfull was felt to try out whether he could undertake ye Matter,

wch he did and made one of 40 partes which was songe in the long gallery at

Arundell house’.

If Wateridge’s anecdote is true and performances of, or at least knowledge of the

existence of, Striggio’s 40-part piece sparked the idea for Tallis’s spectacular

composition, it seems that there were elements of international competitiveness

involved in its genesis. It also means that this piece was probably not written for

performance in a church, but for a secular occasion and context, although the

religious text chosen by Tallis refers to the meaning of hope, the absolution of sins

and the blessedness of humility – sentiments at the time particular to the suppressed

Catholic church, of which Tallis was still a member.

It is scored for eight separate choirs, each of five parts, which are used in such a

way that the thematic material treated imitatively travels across the entire

ensemble. When the full ensemble is used simultaneously the 40 real different parts

contribute to an immensely rich and complex texture. In a later section the choirs

are used antiphonally, that is, answering one another, in a way that implies spatial

separation. Extensive exploitation of this device is not common in English music of

the period: however, it was a favourite of contemporary Italian composers and it is

the principal device used in another piece by Striggio, his 40-part motet Ecce

beatam lucem. It is as if Tallis may be saying, I can do that too, but I can do so

much more: I can write a piece for 40 independent polyphonic parts. And English

music was genuinely as good and as inventive as any other at this time.

INTERVAL of 20 minutes: Tea, coffee and juice will be served at various

locations in the church during the interval. Donations welcome.

Combined Choirs

Magnificat à 12 (pub. 1587)

Andrea Gabrieli (c. 1510–1586)

Magnificat anima mea Dominum.

Et exultavit spiritus meus, in Deo

salutari meo. Quia respexit

humilitatem ancillea suae: ecce enim

ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes

generations.

Quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est

et sanctum nomen eius.

Et misericordia eius 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

eius in saecula.

Gloria Patri et Filio, et Spiritui

Sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et

nunc et semper: et in saecula

saeculorum, Amen.

Luke 1, verses 46–55

My soul doth magnify the Lord,

and my spirit hath rejoiced in God

my Saviour. For he hath regarded the

low estate of his handmaiden: for

behold, from henceforth all

generations shall call me blessed.

For he that is mighty hath done to me

great things; and holy is his name.

And his mercy is on them that fear

him from generation to generation.

He hath showed strength with his

arm; he hath scattered the proud in the

imagination of their hearts. He hath

put down the mighty from their seats,

and exalted them of low degree.

He hath filled the hungry with good

things: and the rich he hath sent

empty away. He hath helped his

servant Israel, in remembrance of his

mercy; As he spoke to our fathers, to

Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in

the beginning, is now, and ever shall

be, world without end. Amen.

The style which Tallis was referencing in the latter part of Spem in alium was the

polychoral style of contemporary Venetian music. The most famous venue with

which this kind of music is associated is St Mark’s Basilica in Venice, where there

is a series of separate galleries along each side of the church. However, it seems

that the split choir music was intended to be performed in the fairly limited area of

the chancel, where there was an organ on each side to accompany performers.

In 1587 Giovanni Gabrieli published a collection of music by himself and his

recently deceased uncle, Andrea, who had preceded him as principal organist of St

Mark’s. Presumably one purpose of this edition was to gather together a number of

previously unpublished works by Andrea which his nephew considered worthy of

perpetuation, and so the precise year of composition is not known. But it is a

celebratory piece on a big scale, reflecting not only the Byzantine grandeur of that

building, but matching the elaborate ceremonies through which Venice projected

its wealth and success.

The Linsdale Singers directed by Dennis Pim

Missa Aeterna Christi munera, selected movements

(pub. 1590)

Giovanni da Palestrina (c. 1525–1594)

Although Venice could boast spectacular musical achievements in the 16th century

it was Rome as the headquarters of the Catholic church that had the greater pull on

composers from across Europe. On a par with any of the imported composers,

however, was one who had been born and trained locally: Palestrina spent most of

his career deeply rooted in the papal Rome of the ascendant Counter-Reformation,

steeped in the musical traditions of three of the oldest and most celebrated Roman

churches, including St Peter’s.

The suave style of imitative polyphony he cultivated, which subsequently came to

be regarded as the exemplar of Renaissance style, was in part a response to the

demands of the Catholic church which, in the wake of the Protestant Reformation,

undertook its own process of reassessment. Some delegates to the Council of Trent

were opposed to the use of secular models for liturgical music and were also

anxious to ensure the intelligibility of sacred texts when these were set to music,

just as the Protestant reformers were. One of the ways composers responded was by

returning to ancient religious music instead, and there was renewed interest in

basing mass settings on plainsong melodies. About 30 of Palestrina’s 104 masses

are based on plainsongs.

Missa Aeterna Christi munera, a late work written when he was at the height of his

creative powers, is based on the hymn that is sung at Matins on Feasts of the

Apostles and Evangelists. Palestrina uses each melodic phrase of its four-line verse

as the basis for thematic material, which he mainly treats imitatively between the

parts. However, as the last line is an exact repetition of the first – a beautiful

construction in its own right – there were in effect only three different phrases

available.

Kyrie

Kyrie eleison.

Christe eleison.

Kyrie eleison.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

The Kyrie straightforwardly uses the first phrase of the hymn for the first ‘Kyrie’

section, the second phrase for the ‘Christe’ section and the third phrase for the

second ‘Kyrie’ section.

Gloria

Gloria in excelsis Deo,

et in terra pax hominibus bonae

voluntatis.

Laudamus te, benedicimus te,

adoramus te, glorificamus te.

Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam

gloriam tuam.

Domine Deus, Rex coelestis,

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.

Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace to men of good

will.

We praise Thee, we bless Thee,

We adore Thee, we glorify Thee.

We give Thee thanks 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.

Who takest away the sins of the

world, have mercy on us.

Thou who takest away the sins of the

world, receive our prayer.

Thou who sittest at the right hand of

the Father, have mercy on us.

For Thou only art holy, Thou only art

the Lord,

Thou only art most high, Jesus Christ.

With the Holy Ghost in the glory of

God the Father. Amen.

This movement begins, as does almost every other movement of this Mass, with

a reference to the first phrase of the plainsong hymn – a useful and well-

established unifying device. Very soon, however, a dialogue ensues between

pairs of high and low voices (‘Laudamus te’) based on the second phrase. Later

the third phrase of the tune is exploited in various guises.

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.

For the Sanctus, Palestrina uses the three phrases like in the Kyrie – the first

phrase for the ‘Sanctus’, the second phrase for the ‘Dominus Deus’ and the third

phrase for the ‘Pleni sunt coeli’. The ‘Hosanna’ returns to the first phrase again

(or the fourth line of the hymn).

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.

The Benedictus is based on the second phrase of the hymn, but Palestrina uses

longer note values to create a more relaxed mood. As was the convention, he also

sets this movement with a reduced number of parts. The concluding ‘Hosanna’

returns to the first phrase (fourth line of the hymn) and is back in four parts.

Organ solo

Master Tallis’s Testament, No. 3 from Six Pieces (1940)

Herbert Howells (1892–1983)

Like many composers of his generation, Howells looked back to earlier English

composers for inspiration. Unlike the Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis by

Vaughan Williams, however, this tribute by Howells is a free composition which

nevertheless refers to the modal harmonic language of his hero.

The piece opens gently with a slow theme in G minor which lasts about 2 minutes

and falls into three phrases. There follow two variants of this theme which

gradually increase in intensity, complexity and volume. In typical Howells style the

music builds to a rousing climax for full organ before a quiet echo supplies a coda

and a peaceful ending in the major.

Polymnia directed by John Byron

Ave verum Corpus from Gradualia ac cantiones sacrae

(pub. 1605)

William Byrd

Ave verum corpus, natum

de Maria Virgine,

vere passum, immolatum

in cruce pro homine

cuius latus perforatum

fluxit aqua et sanguine:

esto nobis praegustatum

in mortis examine.

O Jesu dulcis, O Jesu pie,

O Jesu, fili Mariae.

Miserere mei. Amen.

Hail, true Body, born

of the Virgin Mary,

having truly suffered, sacrificed

on the cross for mankind,

from whose pierced side

water and blood flowed:

Be for us a foretaste [of the Heavenly

banquet] in the trial of death!

O sweet Jesus, O holy Jesus,

O Jesus, son of Mary,

have mercy on me. Amen.

Ave verum corpus is a short Eucharistic hymn that dates from the 14th century and

has been attributed to Pope Innocent VI. Since its inception, it has been set to

music by various composers – the poem is a meditation on the Catholic belief in

Jesus’s Real Presence in the sacrament of the Eucharist, and ties it to the Catholic

conception of the redemptive meaning of suffering in the life of all believers.

In the highly volatile and oppressive atmosphere of his times, Byrd played a

dangerous game in refusing to conform to the new religion; he composed music for

use in Catholic services (held secretly in private residences), more often than not in

Latin. He managed this rebellion without loss of life or livelihood, due in part both

to his exemplary musical skill and by frequently dedicating publications to the

Queen. It is widely accepted that Byrd intended his Latin motets for use either in

these underground Masses, or for publication in books for use in homes, much like

madrigals. Either way, the music was most likely performed with one or two

singers or players per part, and with female sopranos.

Combined Choirs

Spem in alium

Thomas Tallis

A second performance of this remarkable piece which brings together the modern

style of imitative polyphony, the melismatic style of older generations and, in the

second half, Italianate antiphonal effects, in the context of an extraordinary spatial

concept.

The Open University Choir The Open University Choir is a work-place choir with approximately 80 members,

drawn largely from Open University staff, retired staff and students, but also including

singers from the local community. Formed by 1973, the choir presents three main

concerts each year. It has a reputation for performing a varied repertoire, and includes

drawing on research done by members of the Music Department and commissioning

and encouraging new work as particular features of its activities. This is the Choir’s

third visit to St Mary and St Giles. www.open.ac.uk/wikis/ouchoir/OU_Choir

The Linsdale Singers Formed in 1977 and this year celebrating their 40th anniversary, the Linsdale Singers

specialise in unaccompanied choral music although the choir also performs works

accompanied by piano, organ or chamber orchestra. This established choir enjoys a

reputation for high quality choral singing in Leighton Buzzard and the surrounding

area, but their reputation spreads far beyond as they have spent many successful

weekends singing in British cathedrals and other churches. www.linsdale.org.uk.

Polymnia Polymnia is a chamber choir of around twenty voices, and has performed in

Edinburgh, Cambridge, Mantua, Croatia and Andalusia as well as in many places in

the locality. Formed in 2006, it celebrated its 10th anniversary with a Gala concert in

Milton Keynes, the soloist for which was its patroness, Lesley Garrett CBE.

www.polymnia.org.uk

Quorum Formed in 1984, Quorum is a chamber choir specialising in performing sacred music

by renaissance and contemporary composers. The choir, based at St Mary Magdalene

Church, Willen, is widely praised for its excellent and expressive singing and

innovative programming of contemporary pieces alongside renaissance music.

Quorum performs as part of religious services at Willen church, as a visiting choir at

UK cathedrals, and also at concerts. www.quorummk.org.uk

Paul Daggett Paul Daggett studied piano, organ and trombone at the Royal Academy of Music

and at Liverpool University where he was organ scholar at the Anglican Cathedral.

His illustrious teachers have included Roger Sayer, Christopher Bowers Broadbent

and Noel Rawsthorne. Paul has accompanied local choirs the Linsdale Singers and

the Danesborough Chorus. He is currently Head of Music School at Walton High,

and organist at Hockliffe Street Baptist Church in Leighton Buzzard.

Music for All @ SMSG Music for All @ SMSG promotes access to a wide range of music performed by a

broad range of talent, with an emphasis on performance opportunities for young,

developing, and local musicians. We are developing our own music programme

with a number of different strands, including organ festivals, classical concerts,

Come & Sing days, drop in and outreach musical events. See our website at

www.musicforallsmsg.org.

Forthcoming concerts

The Open University Choir Thursday 23 November 2017 1pm–2pm, Hub Theatre, The Open University

This MK50 event will include the world première of a new piece commissioned by

the Open University Choir. A different kind of urban by Liz Lane will celebrate the

50th birthday of Milton Keynes. The lyrics specially written by Judi Moore will be

set for choir with brass and percussion ensemble.

The Linsdale Singers Sunday 16 July 2017, 4pm, St Barnabas Church, Leighton Buzzard LU7 2NR

Celebrate! Choral music to sing in the summer

The programme includes Songs and Sonnets, George Shearing’s popular jazzy

settings of Shakespeare’s texts and a selection of Linsdale favourites to celebrate

their 40th anniversary. Concert and tea £5 at the door (accompanied children free).

All proceeds in aid of St Barnabas Church. Further details www.linsdale.org.uk

Polymnia Saturday 11 November 2017, 7.30pm

Autumn Concert

Programme and venue to be confirmed

Quorum Sunday 23 July 6 pm Patronal Evensong at St Mary Magdalene Church, Willen

Saturday and Sunday 29–30 July Visiting Choir at Coventry Cathedral

Sunday 24 September, 6 pm Evensong at St Mary Magdalene Church, Willen

Saturday and Sunday 21–22 October Visiting Choir at Bristol Cathedral

Music for All @ SMSG Willis Pipe Organ Festival, 8–10 September 2017

Friday 8 September, 7.30pm Enjoy popular organ showpieces at the Festival

Gala Organ Concert with acclaimed Leeds City Organist Dr Simon Lindley

(£10, under 18s free).

Saturday 9 September, 7.30pm Join us for detective family fun in the Silent

Movie Sherlock Jnr starring Buster Keaton with Odeon Leicester Square organist

Donald Mackenzie accompanying on the Willis organ (£10, under 18 free).

Online booking opens 24 June from www.musicforallsmsg.org/whats-on/festival/

Programme Notes by Bill Strang, with contributions from Dennis Pim,

Eleanor Thompson and John Byron

Produced by Gill Smith

Cover design by Mandy Forbes

Cover image: Thomas Tallis, 18th-century engraving; a posthumous invented portrait by

Gerard Vandergucht