Francesca Caccini: Lasciatemi Qui Solo Context Francesca Caccini was born in Florence in September 1587. Her parents were both musical, so she grew up in the artistic community of the Medici court – one of the most cultured in all of Europe. At a very young age Caccini, taught by Read more…
Arnold Schoenberg: Friede auf Erden Context Arnold Schoenberg composed Friede auf Erden in 1907, with the style reflecting his late Romantic influences. The work was premiered in 1911, after many cancellations from the choir as they struggled to get through it. Schoenberg was very aware of the troubles that choirs Read more…
Robert Nathaniel Dett: The Chariot Jubilee Context Robert Nathaniel Dett composed The Chariot Jubilee in 1919 after a commission came from Howard Lyman and the Syracuse University Chorus. The Chariot Jubilee is thought to be the first ever symphonic work based solely on Negro spirituals. After the premiere the orchestral Read more…
John Rutter: A Gaelic Blessing Context Commissioned by the Chancel Choir of the First United Methodist Church in Omaha, Nebraska in 1978, John Rutter’s A Gaelic Blessing is one of his most popular works. Written for SATB choir, A Gaelic Blessing is primarily known for the repeated chants of the Read more…
Paul Drayton: Masterpiece Context Paul Drayton was born in the East of Yorkshire, 1944. After taking an academic route at a young age, Drayton successfully completed his advanced performing diploma of the Royal Academy of Music by the time he was sixteen. After this, he went to study his undergraduate degree Read more…
Howard Goodall: The Lord is my Shepherd Context Known for his choral music and his music for television, English composer Howard Goodall CBE is a household name. After studying music at Christ Church, Oxford, Goodall has since been a professional composer and broadcaster. His work for television includes theme tunes Read more…
Morton Lauridsen: O Magnum Mysterium Context Morton Lauridsen is known today as one of the leading choral composers, due to his extensive collection of works, recordings and awards he’s picked up along the way. By far the most popular piece to come from Lauridsen’s pen is his setting of O Magnum Mysterium. Morton Read more…
Florence Price: Moon Bridge Context Born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1887, Florence Beatrice Smith Price received early musical training from her mother. Price went to study at the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music, graduating in 1906 with a Soloist’s Diploma in Organ Performance, and a Teacher’s Diploma in Read more…
Paweł Łukaszewski: Daylight Declines Context Regarded as one of Poland’s greatest musical talents of his generation, Paweł Łukaszewski is perhaps best-known for his choral works. As well as an active composer, Łukaszewski is also a conductor and is currently the Artistic Director of the Musica Sacra choir in Warsaw. Łukaszewski Read more…
Giuseppe Verdi: Dies Irae Context Born in October 1813, Giuseppe Verdi grew up in Le Roncole, a small village in Italy. After learning the organ, Verdi showed a real interest in learning music, to which he parents acknowledged and bought him a spinet for the family house (a spinet is a Read more…