It’s been a whole year since I started these monthly blogs. A quick word of thanks for taking the time to read my posts every month – I am grateful for the opportunity to keep in contact with you all as we are not able to do so in person.

Unfortunately, we do have some sad news to bring to you. As some of you may know, we lost a loyal member of the choir recently, Steve Ramm. He bravely battled his illness until the very end, but sadly lost the fight. For me, Steve always looked out for every member of the choir, including myself, and was such a key member for us. His wit, talent and generosity will be greatly missed. May he rest in peace.

Composers of the Month

Claudio Monteverdi (15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643)

It is not certain that Monteverdi was born this month, but he was baptised in May and is an important figure in the choral world, so I believe it is important to note his influence on the music industry. Monteverdi is usually described as an "Italian" composer, even though in his lifetime the concept of "Italy" existed only as a geographical entity. Although the inhabitants of the peninsula shared much in common in terms of history, culture and language, in political terms the people experienced various layers of authority and jurisdiction.

There is no clear record of Monteverdi's early musical training, or evidence that (as is sometimes claimed) he was a member of the Cathedral choir or studied at Cremona University. Monteverdi's first published work, a set of motets, Sacrae cantiunculae (Sacred Songs) for three voices, was issued in Venice in 1582, when he was only fifteen years old.

Monteverdi is known as the composer who linked the Renaissance with the Baroque style of writing. He was criticized constantly by his fellow composers. However, he suffered from publicised attacks from conservative music theorist Giovanni Maria Artusi the most. Artusi reprimanded Monteverdi’s unique harmonic language in many of his works including the harmonies in the Fourth Book of Madrigals. To react to Artusi’s criticism, Monteverdi responded in the preface of his new publication, the Fifth Book of Madrigals explaining to Artusi that what he had criticized so publicly was simply a new way of thinking or seconda practica.

Monteverdi was mostly an operatic composer and a writer of madrigals, therefore was heavily involved in the development of vocal music. Some of his most notable works include L’Orfeo, L’Arianna and his Vespers. Here is one of his vocal compositions also included Beatus Vir, here performed by the Taverner Choir and Consort, conducted by Andrew Parrott: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPNZeT_7OR4

Judith Weir CBE (11 May 1954 – present)

Weir is a successful contemporary composer who has numerous accolades to her name. She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. She went on to Cambridge University, where her composition teacher was Robin Holloway; and in 1975 attended summer school at Tanglewood (near Boston USA), where she worked with Gunther Schuller. After this she spent several years working in schools and adult education in rural southern England; followed by a period based in Scotland, teaching at Glasgow University and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

As resident composer with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in the 1990s, she wrote several works for orchestra and chorus (including Forest, Storm and We are Shadows) which were premiered by the orchestra’s then Music Director, Simon Rattle. She has been commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra (Music Untangled and Natural History) the Minnesota Orchestra (The Welcome Arrival of Rain) and the London Sinfonietta (Tiger under the Table); and has written concert works for some notable singers, including Jane Manning, Jessye Norman, Dawn Upshaw, Alice Coote, Ailish Tynan and Ruby Hughes. She has composed Concertos for Piano (William Howard) and Oboe (Celia Craig).

Here is Sydney Chamber Choir, conducted by Sam Allchurch, performing her composition Love Bade Me a Welcome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLyG0eulLuc

Also, please make sure to check out her own blog – she is publishing a number of them a month, so well worth checking out!

Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900)

Sullivan was the son of an Irish musician who became bandmaster at the Royal Military College; his mother was of Italian descent. He joined the choir of the Chapel Royal and later held the Mendelssohn Scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music, London, where he studied under Sir W. Sterndale Bennett and Sir John Goss. He continued his studies at the Leipzig Conservatory. In 1861 he became organist of St. Michael’s, London, and in the following year his music to The Tempest achieved great success at the Crystal Palace. Then followed his Kenilworth cantata (1864); a ballet, L’Île enchantée, produced at Covent Garden (where Sullivan was organist for a time); a symphony and a cello concerto; the In Memoriam and the Overtura di Ballo overtures; and numerous songs.

Sullivan, with W.S. Gilbert, established the distinctive English form of the operetta. Gilbert’s satire and verbal ingenuity were matched so well by Sullivan’s unfailing melodiousness, resourceful musicianship, and sense of parody that the works of this unique partnership won lasting international acclaim. Together, they composed a large number of operas including The Pirates of Penzance, The Gondoliers and Patience. From these compositions came a rise in popularity and, nowadays, we see many groups called the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, showing just how much of an influence they both had on the art industry.

I would like to introduce a piece Sullivan composed himself, The Long Day Closes performed by the King’s Singers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7auORa69vAw

All of these pieces are well worth a listen, so please have a listen to them. I hope you are all looking forward to the relaxations of lockdown over a number of months and do enjoy meeting family and friends as much as possible!

Tomos