A Renaissance Christmas

Saturday 8 December at 7:30pm, St Peter’s Church, St Albans.

Polychoral Christmas music from the royal courts and cathedrals of 16th and 17th century Europe.

Two outstanding masterpieces by Franco-Flemish composers form the centrepiece of this concert of multi-part music.

Josquin des Prez (c. 1450/1455–1521) composed the six-part motet Praeter rerum seriem towards the end of his career. A  parody  mass  of  the  same name for seven voices by Cipriano de Rore (1515/1516–1565) was probably written as a homage to his predecessor at the court of the Dukes of Ferrara in northern Italy.

Giovanni Gabrieli (c. 1554/1557–1612) was organist at St Mark’s Cathedral in Venice from 1585 to 1612. We will be performing his setting of the Magnificat for 17 voices.

Pierre de Manchicourt (c. 1510–1564), another Franco-Flemish composer, composed the six-part motet O Virgo virginum in 1534 while maître de chapelle at Tournai Cathedral in Belgium.

Several eight-part motets complete the programme: Nesciens Mater  by  Jean  Mouton (c. 1459–1522), Hodie Christus natus est by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525–1594) and two settings of In dulci jubilo by the German composers Hieronymus Praetorius (1560–1629) and Samuel Scheidt (1587–1654).

Conducted by John Gibbons

Please join us afterwards for drinks and party nibbles in the Octagon room

Tickets £15 (£5 child/student)

Call 07570 454744 or e-mail tickets@stalbanschamberchoir.org.uk

or buy online at TicketSource