Vespers 1592

A concert to commemorate Palestrina’s quincentenary, reconstructing a Vespers service for feasts of the Blessed Virgin, with music composed by Palestrina and his contemporaries.

Thomas Neal - Director
His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts
The Choirs of New College School
The Choir of St Michael the Archangel, Burghclere
Ensemble Res Sacra

Joseph sings in the Solo Quartet for this performance.

“A concert to celebrate the quincentenary of Giovanni Pierluigi 'da Palestrina' (c.1525-1594). The programme is structured as a service of Vespers for the feast of The Annunciation, using music published in Giovanni Matteo Asola's anthology Sacra omnium solemnitatum psalmodia vespertina cum cantico B. Virginis [...] quinque vocibus [...] (Venice: Ricciardo Amadino, 1592), which he dedicated to Palestrina. Music includes compositions by Asola, Giovanni Croce, Pietro Pontio, Girolamo Vespa, Giovanni Giacomo Gastoldi, and of course Palestrina himself--framed by the liturgical 'Gregorian' chants of the feast. Much of this music has been newly transcribed and edited specially for this concert, and may well be being performed for the first time since the sixteenth century.”