From Despair to Joy: Holy Week with Tomás Luis de Victoria
Tutor: David Allinson
Didsbury Baptist Church, Beaver Road, Manchester M20 6SX
BOOK ONLINE BY 28 FEBRUARY 2026 for early bird discount
We are delighted to welcome David Allinson back for our AGM workshop. Always a popular tutor, early booking is recommended. Our AGM will be held during lunch, and will be livestreamed for those members who are not attending the workshop.
SOPRANO AND ALTO PLACES NOW FULLY BOOKED – places still available for tenors and basses
In 1585 while working in Rome, Victoria published his Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae, a large collection of Tenebrae Responsories, Lamentations and Passions for the Holy Week liturgy. The intensity and purity of his writing makes this one of the high watermarks of sacred polyphony. We will sing a representative selection of his responsories, along with his setting of the Lamentations for Holy Saturday. This is music full of poignancy and drama.
To counterbalance the Lenten mood we will also look ahead to Easter, singing two motets which burst with joy at news of the resurrection: Ascendens Christus and Surrexit pastor bonus, both from Victoria’s audaciously good first book of motets, published in 1572.
As ever, repertoire is subject to change according to forces signing up, and we especially need a strong contingent of Tenors and Basses to balance the likely strength in the upper voices. So please sign up early! Please also indicate on the form if you’d like a music booklet provided on the day, or if you’ll bring your own music/read from a tablet.
Click here to access full music list
The numbers on the right hand side indicate the number of pages for each piece should you choose to print off your own music. A PDF booklet of the music will be circulated in advance of the workshop.
Tomas Luis de Victoria, Tenebrae Responsories (selection)
| Amicus meus a4 SATB https://victoria.uma.es/pdf/TR01-Amicus_Meus.pdf | 2 |
| Unus ex discipulis a4 SATB https://victoria.uma.es/pdf/TR03-Unus_Ex_Discipulis.pdf | 1 |
| Una hora a4 SATB https://victoria.uma.es/pdf/TR05-Una_Hora.pdf | 2 |
| Tamquam ad latronem a4 SATB https://victoria.uma.es/pdf/TR07-Tamquam_Ad_Latronem.pdf | 2 |
| Caligaverunt oculi mei a4 SATB https://victoria.uma.es/pdf/TR12-Caligaverunt_Oculi_Mei.pdf | 2 |
| O vos omnes a4 SATB https://cpdl.org/wiki/images/0/09/O_vos_omnes_Tenebrae_Victoria.pdf | 2 |
Victoria, Lamentations for Holy Saturday a6 SSATTB
| Lectio prima (‘Heth. Misericordiæ’) S(S)AT(T)B https://victoria.uma.es/pdf/LJ7-Heth_Misericordiae_Domini.pdf | 4 |
| Lectio secunda (‘Aleph. Quomodo’) pp.1-3: S1+A1/S2+A2/T/B; pp.4: SATTB https://victoria.uma.es/pdf/LJ8-Aleph_Quomodo_Obscuratum.pdf | 4 |
| Lectio tertia (‘Incipit … Recordare’) SSATTB https://victoria.uma.es/pdf/LJ9-Incipit_Oratio_Jeremiae.pdf | 9 |
Victoria, Ascendens Christus in altum a5 SSATB
Victoria, Surrexit pastor bonus a6 SSATTB
[Total: 41 pages]
DJA, last updated 19.xi.25
Click here to access a downloadable PDF file of the list.
Click here to access the Spotify playlist
To help us have the best possible day of singing, please do private score preparation beforehand. This Spotify Playlist is supplied to inspire you. Remember that pitch, tempo, ficta, underlay, etc., may differ from ours. Other recordings are available.
The expected timetable is as follows, but is subject to minor changes on the day.
TIMETABLE
10.00 Registration and tea/coffee
10.30 Morning session (with short comfort break)
12.45 Lunch break (incorporating short AGM for NWEMF members)
14.00 Afternoon session (with tea/coffee break)
17.00 Conclusion
Venue
Didsbury Baptist Church, Beaver Road, Didsbury, Manchester M20 6SX
Didsbury Baptist Church is a regular venue for NWEMF, situated in the heart of Didsbury, south Manchester. Didsbury is easily accessed by road from the M60 ring road. There is limited disabled parking next to the church, and parking is otherwise on the residential streets surrounding the church. It is worth leaving plenty of time for parking.
If travelling from the south, there is a free ‘park and ride’ car park at East Didsbury tram stop (just off the A34), which is one stop from Didsbury Village. The church is a 10-15 minute walk from Burnage and East Didsbury train stations.
If travelling by public transport, the church is opposite the Didsbury Village tram stop. There is a regular bus and tram service from Manchester city centre.
There are plenty of shops and cafes near the church. There is no need to bring a mug to this workshop – these will be provided by the church.
Please join as a member before submitting your workshop application form.
Workshop fees
Please book as soon as possible – apply by 28 February to benefit from the early bird discount. All applications should be received by 7 March so we can prepare sufficient scores for all participants who want them (please contact us if you can only apply after this date).
£20 for NWEMF members and other EMF members before 28 February (£25 if booked after this date)
£25 for non-members before 28 February (£30 if booked after this date)
£5 for full-time students
If you would like us to provide you with a printed music booklet which you are free to keep, please confirm this on the form, and include an additional £3 when sending your remittance.
Payment details
Please send the appropriate workshop fee by bank transfer to:
Account Name ‘N W E M F’ (include the spaces between each letter)
Sort code 09-01-56
Account number 79658106
Payment reference – “21Mar” followed by your own surname
You can also pay by cheque made payable to “NWEMF” or by cash – either bring it with you on
the day (let us know that you intend to do this), or send it to the organiser, Anna Wright (details are on the PDF application form). You can also contact Anna directly by email at treasurer@nwemf.org.
Please complete the online application below, completing a separate form for each adult person attending. If you are attending as a family, include details of all full-time students in the “Any other information” box including name(s), voice and/or instrument.
Your place on the workshop will not be confirmed until payment has been received.
Thank you – we will be in touch shortly
In the rare event that any technical issues persist after a few attempts, simply email Anna with the required information to treasurer@nwemf.org.
If you would prefer to download and print the application form, click here.
The Tutor
Dr David Allinson is a freelance conductor, singer and academic who has led hundreds of workshops and masterclasses in the UK and on the continent. His special love is Renaissance polyphony, and as well as holding university posts in music history and performance at Oxford, Bristol and Canterbury, he has tutored for every UK Early Music Forum, for organisations such as RunbySingers and Beauchamp Summer School and for numerous private workshops. He is known for his combination of scholarship, technical know-how and humorous positivity. David has been the musical director of the Renaissance Singers (London) since 2010 and has conducted numerous other choirs including his own ensemble, Cantores. Under his direction the Renaissance Singers recently made two broadcasts of compline on Radio 3 and have just released the first-ever recording of Vivanco’s Requiem.
