Our first workshop of the year took place in Wilmslow United Reformed Church, a new venue for us and one we will be returning to. Laurie Stras led a wonderful workshop with 38 singers, all upper voices (including some intrepid men), viol and recorder players, accompanied by continuo. We worked through 12 pieces of beautiful music all taken from the Biffoli-Sostegni manuscript from the San Matteo convent in Arcetri, the only surviving manuscript of polyphonic repertoire from a sixteenth-century convent. Laurie brought this music to life, describing how it would have been sung by the nuns of the day, and how the music played an integral part in monastic living. A full review of this workshop will follow in our next newsletter.
Two complete recordings were made through the day – and you can hear them in full below (and they are worth a listen). The Sancta Dei genetrix was recorded with the choir singing from the gallery. And if you scroll down to the end, you’ll find a short video compilation of the day with the first part of the Salve Regina.
Audio file – Salve Regina
Audio file – Sancta Dei genetrix
