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25.01.2022 Perhaps not as interesting as his recorder collection or music compositions...
24.01.2022 This month's featured Black composer is Vincente Lusitano! This year marks the potential 500th birthday of Vincente Lusitano, who lived from ca. 1520 until at least 1561, when he disappeared from the historical record. An African-Portuguese priest, music theorist and composer, Lusitano is believed to be the first black published composer. Although little is known of Lusitano’s life, we know that he was born in Olivença and became a Catholic priest. He moved to Italy where he ...became a popular music teacher in Padua and Viterbo. His widely-published Introdutione facilissima et novissima de canto ferma (1553) provides an introduction to music, an overview of improvised counterpoint and an explanation of his views on the three music genera. Lusitano’s compositions predominantly consist of choral works and are well known for their adventurous use of chromaticism as well as their pioneering use of free and structured improvisation. He published a collection of motets in 1551, however only two pieces have been transcribed for modern notation, the most famous of which is ‘Heu me domine’. Lusitano is often remembered for the dispute that he had with composer Nicola Vincentino in Rome in 1551. Vicentino took issue with the chromatic nature of one of Lusitano’s compositions, arguing that the composer did not understand the genera for which it was written. Brought before a Vatican tribunal , the verdict found Lusitano in the right, however from then onwards Vicentino worked to damage Lusitano’s reputation by publishing false accounts of the tribunal proceedings and even removing Lustiano’s name from copies of his popular 1553 publication. Unfortunately, Vicentino’s campaign of misinformation succeeded in influencing later generations of composers and music historians, often leading to Lusitano being omitted from history or portrayed in a way which is biased by Vincentino’s misinformation. Lusitano moved to Germany sometime after 1553, perhaps as a reaction to Vicentino’s vindictive actions. Here, he converted to Protestantism and married. In 1561 he entered into the court of Duke Christoph of Württemberg, where, to the best of our knowledge, he lived out the remainder of his life and music career. Listen to the Australian Chamber Choir’s performance of ‘Heu me domine’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5ApDUYxRGc (References: https://blackcentraleurope.com//the-musical-theorist-vice/ https://van-us.atavist.com/vicente-lusitano https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicente_Lusitano)
22.01.2022 Earlier this year a working group of the Tudor Choristers applied to the City of Boroondara's Triennial Grants Scheme, 2020-2023. The result was a small grant of $2,500 a year for 3 years. This is a welcome boost to our income. It will help the choir keep afloat during the pandemic; a halt to performances does not mean a halt to costs! Our thanks go to choristers Margaret O'Connor, Neil Jewell, Johanna Snelleman and David Sharp, who contributed many hours of work to the project.
22.01.2022 Recommending this picture book for kids about a cranky choir master and the joys of joining and singing!
21.01.2022 Here’s a Tudor-era fix for you! https://youtu.be/EfD0g1CyDiE
20.01.2022 Unfortunately, our Winter Warmers concerts (scheduled for August 30 and September 6) can't be held due to the ongoing pandemic However, here is a Tudor recipe to get you into the ‘Winter Warmers’ mood; a nice and warm winter dessert, full of ginger to help keep those nasty colds at bay! This recipe was taken from The Forme of Cury, a medieval English collection of approximately 200 recipes dating to c. 1390. ‘The Master-Cooks of King Richard II’ are credited as its autho...rs. The original recipes are written in late Middle English, but many have since been adapted into modern English recipes so that we can better understand how the (wealthy) people of this time ate! Original recipe (http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/8102/pg8102-images.html): Take wyne and hony and found it togyder and skym it clene. and seeþ it long, do þerto powdour of gyngur. peper and salt, tost brede and lay the sew þerto. kerue pecys of gyngur and flour it þerwith and messe it forth. Modern adaptation (https://www.historyextra.com//recipes-from-the-tudor-kitc/) Ingredients: cup red wine cup honey 1 tsp fresh ginger 1/8 tsp ground ginger Pinch of salt and pepper 2 slices toast Method: Peel the fresh ginger, chop very finely and set aside. Put the wine, honey, ground ginger, salt and pepper into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and simmer until bubbles begin, or until syrup thickens. Spoon over fingers of toast, sprinkle with a little fresh ginger, and serve warm. A member of our community tested the recipe and said: Tastes like a sweet, mulled wine syrup, with hints of ginger and Christmas! Doesn't their photo look appetising? Why not give it a go yourself! (Thankyou to the Stringer Family for the review and image)
20.01.2022 On this day in 1513, the Battle of Flodden commenced, starting a little after 4pm. King James IV of Scotland led an army of 30,000 men against an English army of about 20,000, led by Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey. The battle was Scotland’s attempt to uphold their defensive ‘Auld Alliance’ with the French, an endeavour to distract English attention away from France, where King Henry VIII had been fighting since May. King James IV started rallying men in July and on 22 August t...he Scottish forces crossed into England, breaking the ‘Truce of Perpetual Peace’ signed between England and Scotland in 1502. When the English and Scottish forces met at Flodden Hill, near Branxton, Northumberland, the Scots had the upper-hand: they had a larger number of men, had managed to give some training to the army, and they had the benefit of higher ground on the battlefield. In comparison, the English had been forced to quickly round-up their army when the Scottish invaded; their 20,000 men were made-up of those lesser lords and knights who had been left behind to protect the border. Despite this, the Battle of Flodden was a decisive English victory, with at least 10,000 Scotsmen killed on the battlefield by nightfall on September 9. King James IV was among these slain Scots; he was the last king to die on the battlefield in Britain. The aftermath of the battle had a lasting impact on Scottish politics: James IV was succeeded by James V, his 17-month old son. James V’s mother, the Queen dowager Margaret Tudor, acted as regent, however her relationship with her brother, King Henry VIII, caused fears of English favouritism. Meanwhile, the body of King James IV was never given a proper burial. After the battle, his remains were embalmed and sent to the English Queen regent, Catherine of Aragon, who sent on James’ bloody surcoat to Henry VIII in France so that it may be used by the king as a war banner in battle. Although it would have been easiest to bury the Scottish King’s remains after this, James IV had been excommunicated from the church after breaking the ’Truce of Perpetual Peace’, therefore his body could not be buried in consecrated ground. Thus, his remains were apparently left to dessicate in the woodshed of Sheen monastery in Richmond upon Thames, his head reportedly becoming separated from his body and taken home by the master glazier during the reign of Elizabeth I. The Battle of Flodden was the largest battle ever fought between England and Scotland, and is considered the last great Medieval battle of Britain. Image: King James IV of Scotland (Credit: National Galleries) (Sources: https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Flodden https://www.historyhit.com/the-death-of-a-king-the-legacy-/ https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-23993363 https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-23782082 )
19.01.2022 Three years ago, we celebrated our 55th anniversary in a concert with a new work, classic favourite pieces and special guests! What would you like to see us do for our 60th anniversary?
19.01.2022 Today, 14 November in 1501, Catherine of Aragon and Arthur Tudor were married at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. Catherine was the daughter of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, while Arthur was heir to the English throne, son of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. Plans for the betrothal of Catherine and Arthur were first arranged in the 1489 Anglo-Spanish treaty of Medina del Campo when the couple were only young children. Even still, they were each just 15 year...s old at the time of their wedding. The marriage was a symbol of the new alliance between England and Spain, however it was also a spectacle of Tudor propaganda. Unusual for late medieval England, the wedding was a public affair, designed to entertain the masses and emphasise the power and legitimacy of the new ruling House of Tudor. Unfortunately, the marriage would not last. Arthur died on 2 April 1502 of unknown causes, leaving Catherine a widow after less than six months of marriage. England was also left with a new heir, the future King Henry VIII. Image reference: Painting of Arthur Prince of Wales by unknown artist (left); painting of Catherine of Aragon by Michel Sittow (right) (http://onthetudortrail.com//did-arthur-prince-of-wales-co/) (References: https://www.historyextra.com//prince-arthur-catherine-kat/ ; https://www.historyextra.com//real-history-spanish-prince/ ; http://onthetudortrail.com//did-arthur-prince-of-wales-co/ )
19.01.2022 We here at the Tudor Choristers wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy and Healthy 2021! Now to celebrate the only way we know how: with a Christmas carol (and some figgy pudding!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwqbEwMDv5s... Note: this track is also available on our brand new Christmas album SING NOWELL! via iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1544440838?ls=1&app=itunes or purchase the physical CD here on our Facebook page.
19.01.2022 Don't forget to buy your tickets to our upcoming concert! You can come see us live in Melbourne on June 24th, or buy a digital ticket and watch us from anywhere in the world for up to 72 hours afterwards!
18.01.2022 Congratulations to chorister Chloe Stringer on this tremendous news!
18.01.2022 This month we remember the life of José Mauricio Nunes Garcia! José Mauricio Nunes Garcia was a prolific Afro-Brazilian composer and musician who is known for promoting western classical style music in the Americas. He was born in Rio de Janeiro on 22 September 1767, the grandson of African slaves. From a young age, José Mauricio was encouraged to pursue a musical education by his mother and aunt. He began teaching music when he was just 12 years old, and produced his first m...Continue reading
17.01.2022 Last week, Dr Kathleen McGuire hosted an online workshop for our members on music theory! It was a great opportunity to keep in touch with fellow choristers while also brushing-up on an important skill. The workshop had us drumming rhythms in our homes and learning lots of fun new mnemonics for key signatures! To help with the workshop we used the valuable resource, ‘Score reading for choral singers: the basics’, by the late Dr. Ben Leske
16.01.2022 Last week, our Musical Director Kathleen McGuire led us in a very interesting workshop: 'Demystifying the art of conducting'! From learning about the power of gesture to understanding the sheer number of things that conductors must consider when leading an ensemble, we were all very grateful to be able to learn from Kathleen's expertise. The photo below is of workshop attendees preparing to cue their own imaginary ensembles with their left hands - we had not quite advanced to the level of simultaneously keeping time with our right!
15.01.2022 On this day in 1514, Mary Tudor married King Louis XII of France by proxy. Mary, the younger sister of King Henry VIII, had renounced her marriage to Prince Charles of Spain earlier the same year after being proxy married to the Spanish heir for six years without them ever meeting in person. Changing political tensions, along with the continued delay of the formal marriage of the couple by Charles’ grandfather, Holy Roman Emperor Maximillian I, led King Henry VIII to seek an ...alternative match for his sister. The union with King Louis XII was brokered as part of a treaty after the unsuccessful Anglo-French War of 1512-14: 18-year old Mary would marry the 52-year old French monarch and, in exchange, England would keep the captured city of Tournai (located in modern-day Belgium). The proxy wedding took place in the Great Hall at Greenwich Palace with the Duc de Loungueville standing-in for King Louis XII. After the ceremony, a symbolic ‘consummation’ of the marriage took place: Mary, dressed in a decorated night gown with one leg left bare to the thigh, laid down in bed with the Duc de Loungueville, who was also fully dressed except for one leg naked to the thigh. When their naked legs connected the marriage was deemed consummated, and thus, indissoluble. King Louis XII held his own proxy wedding to Mary Tudor on September 14, 1514, and Mary finally left for France at the end of September that year. The marriage did not last long; Louis, who is known to have suffered from gout, among other illnesses, died on 1 January 1515. Picture: A tapestry of the marriage of Mary Tudor and King Louis Xii, hung today in Hever Castle (https://ployradford.com//08/01/three-tapestries-hever-cas/).
15.01.2022 Tune in now to watch Christmas at Home hosted by the City of Boroondara! Click here (available from now until Monday 21 Dec, Melbourne time). https://youtu.be/3XL1eptJVYQ
14.01.2022 Asparagus season is in full swing, so why not try 'Steamed Asparagus Spears in Orange Sauce', a Traditional Elizabethan dish which originates from Granada. Asparagus is thought to have been first introduced to Britain by the Romans, although the French type of asparagus, which is eaten in Britain today, was not introduced until the 17th century. Ingredients: - 12 spears of asparagus - Juice of 6 Seville oranges (NB: if using other oranges, add a dash of lemon juice to accou...nt for the sourness of Seville oranges) - 1 tbsp brown sugar - 1 tbsp butter - Pinch of salt Method: Snap off the woody base of the asparagus, and steam the spears for about 8 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile heat the orange juice in a saucepan. Add the sugar and a pinch of salt and whisk in the butter. Allow to thicken for a few minutes. Arrange the asparagus on a plate, pour over the orange sauce and serve immediately. Enjoy! (References: https://www.medievalists.net//recipes-from-the-tudor-kitc/; http://blog.fruitandveg.co.uk/history-of-the-british-aspar/) (Image reference: https://www.sydneymarkets.com.au//asparagus-the-king-of-t/)
12.01.2022 This month's featured Black musician is George Bridgetower! George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower was a 9-year-old violin prodigy who stunned audiences through Europe from the late 18th into the 19th century. George was born in Poland in 1780 to Frederich Bridgetower, a polyglot from West Indies employed in the Austro-Hungarian court, and Ann Bridgetower, an eastern European woman. George debuted as a soloist in 1789 and was soon after introduced to England, where he found hi...mself entertaining members of the British royal family. One performance in December of 1790 at the Pump Rooms at Bath was held for an audience of 550 people, including King George III, and was given rave reviews in the local newspapers! Soon after, George was given patronage by the Prince of Wales (the future King George IV) and tutored in violin and composition. The Prince of Wales organized for George to play a variety of concert venues, such as Hanover Square and Coventry Gardens. He also held the role of first violinist in the Prince’s orchestra at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, a role that he fulfilled until 1809. In 1803, while on tour in Germany and Austria, George befriended Beethoven. Beethoven once described George as "a very able virtuoso and an absolute master of the instrument." On May 24, they premiered Beethoven’s Violin Sonata no. 9 (opus 47) which was a huge success, despite the pair having no time to rehearse together. In fact, the second movement was so popular with the audience that they repeated it immediatelynot bad for a concert held at 8 in the morning! The piece was originally dedicated to the young violinist, however Bridgetower and Beethoven fell-out before its publication causing Beethoven to rename the piece ‘Kreutzer Sonata’, despite the violinist in question, Rodolphe Kreutzer, refusing to perform the piece. George Bridgetower continued to play for audiences all throughout Europe. He gained his Bachelor of Music from the University of Cambridge in 1811 and was an accomplished piano teacher, contributing to the literature on the teaching of this instrument. George was even an original member of the Royal Philharmonic Society, which formed in 1813! He died in London in 1860, and is today buried in Kensal Green Cemetery. Listen to a recording of Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata, originally dedicated to George Bridgetower and premiered with the young violinist in 1803: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF9fneQ50Us (Sources: https://spartacus-educational.com/SLAbridgetower.htm; http://chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com/bridge.html) (Image: Drawing of George Bridgetower by Henry Edridge (1769-1821) The Trustees of the British Museum)
10.01.2022 This month our recipe is likely to seem quite familiar as it is believed to be one of the earliest recipes for Macaroni and Cheese! The earliest known recipe for something resembling the famous dish appears in the 13th century Latin cookbook, Liber e coquina, written by someone connected to the Neapolitan court of Charles II of Anjou. The recipe in question is called de lasanis and involves cutting pasta sheets of fermented dough into 5cm squares which are then cooked in... water and tossed with grated cheese, likely parmesan. A recipe for Macrows appears in the 14th century English cookbook, Forme of Curry, written by the master-cooks of King Richard II. Therefore, the dish was likely enjoyed by English royalty into the Tudor period. Unlike the earlier Neapolitan dish, this recipe calls for a mixture of grated cheese and butter. Original recipe (Middle English): Take and make a thynne foyle of dowh. and kerve it on peces, and cast hem on boillyng water & seeþ it wele. take chese and grate it and butter cast bynethen and above as losyns. and serue forth. Modern English translation: Make a thin sheet of dough and cut it in pieces. Put them in boiling water and boil them well. Grate cheese and add it with butter beneath and above as with losyns [a dish similar to lasagne], and serve. The first modern recipe for the dish can be found in Elizabeth Raffald’s ‘The Experienced English Housekeeper’, published in 1769. This recipe differs from earlier versions by using a bechamel sauce with cheddar cheese to mix with the macaroni, before sprinkling the dish with parmesan and baking it. Of course, the recipe has since taken on a life of its own as a staple of American cuisine. Although its history within the United States continues to be debated, one of the most famous stories involves future US President Thomas Jefferson and James Hemings, his chef and slave, bringing the dish back to America after travelling around Europe in the 1780s. James Hemings can be attributed with introducing adaptions of several dishes of French haute cuisine to the USA, including macaroni and cheese, ice cream, whipped cream, and French fries. So, next time you are enjoying this simple comfort food, remember its rich history and consider that it may even have been enjoyed by King Henry VIII! (References: https://qnholifield.com//the-hidden-history-of-macaroni-a/; https://historydaily.org/mac-n-cheese-the-history-of-americ; http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/8102/pg8102-images.html; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaroni_and_cheese) (Image: Macaroni and Cheese (reference: https://historydaily.org/mac-n-cheese-the-history-of-americ)
09.01.2022 Handing out Mince Pies to the audience at our Sing Nowell concerts is a Tudor Chorister tradition. This Christmas, we hope to bring Mince pies into your home with a traditional recipe! During the Tudor period, Mince pies still contained meat, sweetened with honey and dried fruits. As our palates have changed significantly since the medieval period, this recipe is not for a Tudor mince-meat pie, but instead a modern adaptation of a 16th century recipe for shallow fried parc...els of spice fruit paste, known as ’Ryschewy close and fry’. This recipe is believed to have reached England via the Crusades. ~~Ryschewys Close and Fryez~~ (This video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLKIPv0b6JM) provides a tutorial on how to make the parcels, and a recipe can be seen below) Ingredients - 3 dried figs, chopped. - 2 dates, chopped. - 1 tbsp currants. - 1/2 tsp each of mace, black pepper, and cinnamon. - 100g flour. - A dessertspoon of sugar. - Pinch of saffron dissolved in 1/2 cup of water. Method 1. Pound the figs with a mortar and pestle. Add the dates and currant and pound further to create a paste. 2. Grind the spices and add them to the fruit mixture. Combine. 3. To make the pastry, mixture flour, sugar, and saffron water together until it forms a dough. 4. Roll the dough out very thin and cut out circles (about the circumference of a water glass/mug). 5. Place about 1/2 teaspoon of fruit mix in the centre of each circle, wet the edges with water, and seal in a half-crescent shape. 6. Shallow or deep fry for a couple of minutes until golden brown and serve hot, sprinkled with sugar. Enjoy! (Recipe source: https://1of7billionweb.wordpress.com//historical-recipes-/) (Further information about Tudor mince pies: http://blog.english-heritage.org.uk/recipe-for-real-mince-/)
08.01.2022 Miss seeing us in the Boroondara Christmas at Home festival over the weekend? Never fear! Versions of our performances are now online Watch our virtual performance of Good King Wenceslas here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQewOO6AD3o)! It combines audiovisual recordings that choristers made at home with live audio recordings from one of our past Sing Nowell concerts
07.01.2022 Another treat from our Music Library! Herbert Howells, the English musician, is thought to have composed the beautiful anthem Take him Earth, for Cherishing following the death of his nine-year-old son Michael, from polio, in 1935. The work was made famous in 1964 when it was performed at a service to commemorate the death in 1963 of President J. F. Kennedy. The Tudors sang the piece at Christchurch South Yarra in June 2012. Our library holds 49 copies. If there is a perf...ect match between music and language, this must surely be it. The text is a translation of a Latin poem by a Spanish Christian, Prudentius, (348 413). The translator, Helen Waddell, (1899 1965) an Irish classics scholar and historian, is best known for her books The Wandering Scholars, and Peter Abelard. Together the words and music of the unaccompanied anthem create a sustained expression of profound grief. The opening lines are: Take him earth, for cherishing, To thy tender breast receive him’ Body of a man I bring thee, Noble even in his ruin. The poem closes with: Grave his name and pour the fragrant balm upon the icy stone. Listen to the piece, sung by Tenebrae, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpDIK26zeO4
07.01.2022 A step in the right direction toward singing together again!
02.01.2022 Each month, we hope to bring you a short biography on a different composer or musician. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, we will be focusing on composers and musicians of African ancestry over the next few months, highlighting some of their beautiful works and great achievements. We begin, this month, with Joseph Boulogne, Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Born on a plantation in the French Caribbean colony of Guadeloupe in 1745, Joseph Boulogne was the son of an Afr...Continue reading
02.01.2022 "Can't come to Melbourne for our concert? Enjoy the first program of our 60th Season from WHEREVER YOU ARE via Melbourne Digital Concert Hall. We encourage you to support MDCH's award-winning efforts to sustain live music and musicians." - Dr Kathleen McGuire, Music Director
01.01.2022 On this day in 1537, the future King Edward VI was born. Edward was the only legitimate (and much-awaited) son of King Henry VIII and was born to Henry’s third wife, Queen Jane Seymour. Unfortunately, Jane Seymour died only 12 days later on October 24th. In the past, some believed that the Queen died from complications relating to a C-section. The story goes that, as the Queen was having a difficult labour, King Henry VIII was made to choose whether he would rather save his ...son or his wife. Choosing his son, the doctors performed a C-section to ensure the safety of the boy but, as a result of the surgery, Jane Seymour died. However, historians have since debunked this story believing that it was devised long after the Queen’s death as a form of propaganda against the Protestant King. Instead, it is believed that Jane died of childbed fever. The young Edward went on to be crowned King Edward VI in 1547, at the tender age of nine. A council of regency was formed to rule on the young monarch’s behalf, although the Duke of Somerset, and later the Duke of Northumberland, ultimately ruled with supreme power. During his reign, the English reformation was further consolidated. Edward died of tuberculosis in 1553. (References: https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/did-jane-seymour-have-a/ https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/24-october-1537-death-q/ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-VI) (Image: Edward in 1546/1547, painted by William Scrots (https://www.rct.uk/collection/404441/edward-vi-1537-53))
01.01.2022 Last week we had a wonderful workshop on breathing techniques, led by Kathleen and soprano section-leader, Katrena. Each chorister was sent a letter in the mail containing 'vital singing equipment' to help with the exercises - a balloon and a straw! Simple tools, and yet so effective in helping us improve our singing technique
