It was a lovely summer’s day in Chester when we met at All Saint’s Church Parish Centre in Hoole, Chester for a workshop with George Parris. With 20 singers and 7 instrumentalists, George took us through the double choir The Full Moon Mass by the somewhat forgotten Italian composer, Guiseppe Corsi de Celano (1631/32–1691). We played through all movements except the Credo, and included a short ‘plague’ motet, Adoramus te, Christe, which provided a nice contrast to the much richer, and occasionally bombastic, mass setting. Thanks to all who came, and to those who provided the lovely home baking. A full review of the day will be published in our September newsletter.
More information about the day
This workshop with choir conductor and singer George Parris explores an exquisite Italian work from an almost forgotten Italian composer, Guiseppe Corsi da Celano (1631/32 – 1691). Until his arrest and imprisonment for allegedly raping a spinster, Corsi had been enjoying a busy career as one of Rome’s foremost maestri di cappella. Born to a noble family, he is also known to have been a priest and had a wife and children.
Little is known about the Mass’s date or why it is called ’The Full Moon’, but it was probably written before Corsi’s incarceration at the Albornoz Fortress in Narni between 1677-1681. The work is florid, tuneful, and inventive, with moments of daring and colourful harmony combining with gestures of grand opulence. Also included is the more intimate 4-part motet Adoremus te, Christe, which is no less expressive and inventive.
George told us a bit more about why he chose this particular piece for this workshop. “I first discovered this music when some friends of mine were performing it in Finland (of all places) – it was essentially being reconstructed in the wonderful medieval cathedral of Turku, and my friends showed me the score, waxing lyrical about how glorious the music was, and in some places pretty crazy. I suspect that it may have originally been performed on Easter Day – the title maybe refers to the Paschal Full Moon – and this certainly explains its more opulent moments. The Christe eleison is really beautiful – just for upper voices. I usually like to do this unaccompanied. And the Agnus Dei is so exquisite – I’ve never seen harmony like it in a Mass from the late Renaissance/early Baroque! Sadly there isn’t a recording of this work, and hardly any of his music has been professionally performed or recorded. There is a YouTube video of a motet by Corsi, Stella Caeli, performed with voices and instruments on the balconies of the Basilica of San Petronio, Bologna, which is quite impressive.”
The Tutor
Photo: Kai Bäckström
George Parris trained as an early-music singer and then studied choral conducting and ensemble singing at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. In 2011 he founded The Carice Singers, now a professional ensemble, and works across Europe as a singer, chorus master, and conductor. His work is varied and far-reaching, from being Artistic Director of the Aurore Renaissance Music Festival in Helsinki, performing vocal works by Kaija Saariaho and Luciano Berio, and mentoring the next generation of choral composers on schemes for Cheltenham Music Festival, Spitalfields Music Festival and the Three Choirs Festival.
