St Peter & St Paul Church, Stondon Massey, Brentwood, Essex. CM15 0LD
Welcome to our Festival blog
We are a small congregation commemorating the 400th anniversary of the death of the village's Elizabethan composer, William Byrd (c.1540 - 1623).
We are planning to erect a permanent memorial to Byrd to mark the quatercentenary since his death, and have begun a fundraising appeal. Our events this year have included a talk on The Life and Times of William Byrd (30 June), including book release; a Commemorative Service of BCP Evensong (2 July); and, welcomed The Stondon Singers who gave a sell-out William Byrd Anniversary Concert on the actual day (4 July). Stondon Massey has also featured on BBC Radio 3's 'Composer of the Week' programme (3-7 July).
This website contains everything you need to know about William Byrd's life and music as well as his links with Stondon Massey. /
Friday, 12 August 2011
Byrd in America
The 14th William Byrd Festival begins in Portland, Oregon today (technically tomorrow if you are in England). For more information visit www.byrdfestival.org . We would love to hear from anyone who is attending the three-weekend event.
Greetings to the William Byrd Festival in Stondon Massey! I am a soprano with Cantores in Ecclesia, and have sung in Portland's William Byrd Festival for 13 of the 14 years, and consider it a great privilege to sing such extraordinary music. Each year we do Solemn Latin masses with Byrd's three masses (3,4,5 voice), a Choral Evensong (this year was the Third Service), an Order of Compline, Mass for the Feast of the Assumption (pieces from the Gradualia of 1607, and concludes with a festival choral concert. These musical events along with three lectures, occur over 3 weekends. This year's festival concert featured two manuscript works (Circumspice hierusalem, Deus in adjutorium) works from the 1575 and 1589 Cantiones Sacrae, and three pieces from the 1611 Psalms, Songs, and Sonnets in celebration of the 400th anniversary of that publication. Mark Williams from Jesus College Cambridge, and festival organist since 2000, ably stepped in to conduct in place of Dr. Richard Marlow, Trinity College, Cambridge, who is recovering from an illness. Portland is a lovely place in the summer; please consider coming for a visit during a future festival! I don't know the dates of the 2012 festival, but it generally the last two weeks of August. All best wishes for the continued success of your William Byrd Festival! Best regards, Ann Wetherell, soprano, Cantores in Ecclesia
1 comment:
Greetings to the William Byrd Festival in Stondon Massey! I am a soprano with Cantores in Ecclesia, and have sung in Portland's William Byrd Festival for 13 of the 14 years, and consider it a great privilege to sing such extraordinary music. Each year we do Solemn Latin masses with Byrd's three masses (3,4,5 voice), a Choral Evensong (this year was the Third Service), an Order of Compline, Mass for the Feast of the Assumption (pieces from the Gradualia of 1607, and concludes with a festival choral concert. These musical events along with three lectures, occur over 3 weekends. This year's festival concert featured two manuscript works (Circumspice hierusalem, Deus in adjutorium) works from the 1575 and 1589 Cantiones Sacrae, and three pieces from the 1611 Psalms, Songs, and Sonnets in celebration of the 400th anniversary of that publication. Mark Williams from Jesus College Cambridge, and festival organist since 2000, ably stepped in to conduct in place of Dr. Richard Marlow, Trinity College, Cambridge, who is recovering from an illness. Portland is a lovely place in the summer; please consider coming for a visit during a future festival! I don't know the dates of the 2012 festival, but it generally the last two weeks of August. All best wishes for the continued success of your William Byrd Festival!
Best regards,
Ann Wetherell, soprano, Cantores in Ecclesia
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