14 October is the Feast of St. Calixtus, an early pope, so our programme is structured like a mass with the Propers for that feast and Palestrina’s glorious Missa tu es Petrus based on his motet Tu es Petrus (Thou art Peter). We will be singing the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus and Agnus Dei from the mass, with the Latin Credo by Stravinsky.
The choral music will be interspersed with music for unaccompanied clarinet, including Stravinsky’s Three Pieces. To complement this, the vocal ensemble will be singing all three of Stravinsky’s Latin Motets (Ave Maria, Pater Noster and Credo)
The Propers are sung in plainchant, but include William Byrd’s Sacerdotes Domini setting a text related to the Introit, Sacerdotes Dei. And we will be using Bruckner’s male-voice setting of the Gradual, Inveni David, and an anonymous early polyphonic setting of the Alleluia, Amavit eum David.
The plainchant Offertory will be sung in an arrangement by Robert Hugill which combines plainchant with clarinet improvisation. Stanford’s 6-part motet Beati quorum via forms our Offertory motet, and we will also include Robert Hugill’s 5-part O Salutaris Hostia, setting a text which frequently used to be sung at the elevation. We conclude with a group of Marian motets by Robert Hugill, Josquin and Stravinsky.
The concert is part of the Herne Hill Festival