Guerrero: Missa Surge Propera
St Mary’s Church, Church Rd, Yatton, Bristol BS49 4HH
10am
£30 (non-members); £25 (EMF members); £10 (18-25's).
Organiser: Clare Griffel / clare@griffel.org
https://swemf.org.uk/event/12475/
The Workshop
Francisco Guerrero (1528 - 1599) was born in Seville and, ordained a priest, spent his entire adult career serving the cathedral there, though his repute sometimes took him on travels around Europe to present and promote his music, which was widely published. His control of polyphony and harmony, his expressive use of mode and dissonance, and the sheer “singability” of his music made him rightly famous throughout the continent both during and after his lifetime. He also wrote a best-selling book about his travels to the Holy Land in 1589.
Guerrero, like many Spanish composers, would have been well-acquainted with sackbuts, cornets, and other instruments such as shawms and the bajón, as they formed a major part of liturgical life in the country’s major churches and cathedrals. By the middle of the Sixteenth century, Seville cathedral boasted a full-time staff to play two sackbuts and three shawms (also doubling on cornet and recorder). The cathedral’s chapter acts and other records from this period are almost complete and provide a detailed account of how the instruments were used: frequently, with much colour and variety, some ornamentation, and more than occasionally replacing voices in the choir completely rather than just doubling them.
We will study the Kyrie, Gloria, and Agnus Dei movements of the Missa Surge Propera (Rome, 1582), a parody mass based on an unknown motet of the same name - it is the only mass by Guerrero scored for six voices and is unusually sonorous. If time allows, we will also look at the Marian antiphon Ave Virgo Sanctissima (1560), perhaps Guerrero’s best-known work, a beautiful hymn where the two soprano parts are in canon.
The music
The music will be made available to download, and participants are asked to print the music and bring a ring binder or folder. If you can do some preparation – great!!
Pitch for the day will be A 440. Forces required are SATB voices plus strings and winds - as mentioned above, the latter were commonly used as voice substitutes, and we will extend this principle to strings as well.
The Leader
Huw Morgan (b. 1975) is a conductor, organist, composer, teacher and journalist. Huw was formerly manager and record producer for His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts, and director of the Merbecke Choir of Southwark Cathedral. He now lives in Bristol, where he directs the Clifton Singers and the Redland Green choir and is associate director of music of All Saints Clifton; he is also director of music of Weston Choral Society and deputy editor of Organists’ Review. His compositions are published by Firehead Organ Works and have appeared on numerous recordings, broadcasts and at festivals throughout Europe and North America. He also gives regular “mainly slow organ music” concerts in Bristol and beyond, showcasing experimental music by living composers. You can read more here:
https://organslow.mystrikingly.com/
https://fireheadorganworks.com/huw-morgan
The Venue
Coffee, tea and biscuits will be provided in the morning and afternoon breaks. There are pubs and cafes in Yatton for lunch, or bring a packed lunch. The venue, which is fully accessible, will be supervised at lunchtime and belongings may be left there safely.
Yatton station is on the Bristol – Weston-super-Mare line. In addition to trains from Temple Meads, there is a roughly hourly service direct from stations on the Avonmouth line.
There is plenty of parking at the church – please make sure you are in the church car-park and not the adjacent public one.
Further Details and Application Forms:
To book multiple places on a workshop, please fill in a separate form for each person, but a single payment is fine.
Workshop information (to print out and keep)
Paper booking form (to print out and post)
Online application form:
Please note:
- The online form below does not currently support the special 18-25's price. If you fall into this category, please explain in the "Other information" box and send the appropriate amount.