Preces Festal Psalms And Verse Anthems

Pagination: xvi + 140 pp.

Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656), a major figure of the Golden Age of British music, was arguably the greatest of all Welsh-born composers. Living through one of the most revolutionary periods in British history, his professional life was spent in the service of the Crown and the Church at both the Chapel Royal and Worcester Cathedral. Surviving the Civil War, the suppression of the music of the English Church, the closure of the Chapel Royal, the destruction of his organ at Worcester and the devastation of the city, Tomkins was able to find the strength and inspiration to continue composing secular music of fine quality. Much of Tomkins's output has survived, including his collection of music for the Anglican rite, Musica Deo Sacra, published posthumously in 1668. His work embraced both sacred and secular vocal music, pieces for keyboard and for viol consort, thereby proving him to be one of the most versatile figures of English Renaissance music. The first part of the book provides an absorbing biography of Tomkins, setting his life into fascinating historical context. The second and third parts include major essays on Tomkins by Denis Stevens, Bernard Rose, Peter James and David Evans, all authorities on the music of the period with each providing perceptive insights into Tomkins's music. The result is a successful piece of collective work that properly places Tomkins and his achievements in his time and enables readers to reassess him properly in relation to his elders and contemporaries. Tomkins has still not reached the 'household name' status of his great teacher, William Byrd, or of his close friend and colleague, Orlando Gibbons, but he is undoubtedly worthy of much greater recognition. The book complements the increasing number of live performances and recordings of Tomkins's music, both sacred and secular, and such a comprehensive account of the man and his work should appeal to early music scholars, performers and music lovers alike.

xvii + 114 pp.

A dictionary containing 3500 biographical entries, each representing a composer whose work has been used within the worship of the church in Britain and Ireland.

Graham Parry offers an accessible survey of the achievements of Laudian culture, so much of which was destroyed in the Civil Wars, taking into account every area and medium which it influenced.

The period covered by this volume is one of the most eventful and fruitful in the history of English music. This selection - embracing the motet, festal psalm, anthem, canticle and devotional song - has been edited according to modern scholarly standards, but with the needs of practical performance in mind. The choice of music gives a comprehensive picture of the period, with many well-known works included as outstanding examples of their kind. Less familiar compositions are also featured, and they fill important gaps in the available repertory - notably settings of the Nunc dimittis by Tye, Robert Parsons and Thomas Tomkins, a festal psalm by Tallis, verse anthems by William Mundy and Walter Porter, and full anthems by Amner, Batten, Thomas Tomkins and William Child. A general historical introduction and a calendar of events are supplied, together with notes on each piece and a list of the sources used.

Presents issues that affected the course of music within the church of England during the reformation.