music by Morales & Vivanco alongside Kerensa Briggs & James MacMillan’s settings of John Henry Newman in The Sixteen’s 2026 Choral Pilgrimage

We started with Christus factus est professional nobis by Sebastian de Vivanco (c1551-1632), whose profession was solely in Spain as he rose to turn into maestro de capilla in Avila and Salamanca. Christus factus est professional nobis is for 3 four-part choirs creating an austere but complicated musical construction. The opening with its gradual constructing of traces in imitation grew in richness, although Vivanco delighted in making traces seem and disappear, the feel ebbing and flowing.

Cristobal de Morales (c1500-1553) was considerably extra celebrated, his profession spanning Spain and Rome. In Rome, he was within the Papal Choir, however returned to Spain as maestro de capilla in Toledo. His five-part Emendus in melius had a targeted depth to it; the music flowed and the polyphony created outstanding richness. Vivanco’s Assumpta est Maria created a somewhat particular impact right here sung by six voices with out basses. The consequence was each mild and stuffed with ardour, with scalar passages and rhythmic invention livening the textures. There was a restrained sense of exuberance to Morales’ Gaude et Laetare Farrariensis civitas, the piece being written for a service in Ferrara Cathedral celebrating Ippolito II d’Este’s appointment as cardinal. Although progressively the music threw off constraint and labored itself as much as richly textured conclusion.

Kerensa Briggs’s Lead Kindly Gentle units the textual content of John Henry Newman’s hymn, with Briggs weaving in additionally threads from Vaughan Williams’ Dives and Lazarus. The work opened with a solo soprano and solo alto, later joined by the choir with the ensuing music having a beautiful melodic move to it with Briggs actually enriching the harmonies. The music was unashamedly melodic, with Briggs making concord and counterpoint move round this melodic core, enriching and thinning textures in a fluid method. The piece was melodic and approachable, but rewarding and by no means simplistic.

The primary half completed with Vivanco’s Magnificat octavi toni the place Vivanco set the odd numbered verses to polyphony of peculiar richness for as much as eight voices, contrasting with the even versed plainchant which was vibrantly sung by the tenors and basses. There was a outstanding selection to Vivanco’s invention within the polyphonic passages with moments of actual ardour. Complexity of texture, variety of voices, and rhythms have been all diverse, but the music remained its personal. It concluded with some great rhythmic pleasure within the ‘Gloria patri’ but we ended with the mantra, the place we started.

Morales’s Jubilate Deo omnis terra opened the second half with restrained rejoicing and rhythmic liveliness. Written for the Truce of Good between Francis I of France and Emperor Charles V in 1538, Morales in-built a cantus firmus primarily based on the phrase ‘Gaudeamus’ (allow us to rejoice). The center part, ‘O pleased age’, was slower and extra intense however constructed to a climax of rhythmic felicity. 

Vivanco’s O quam suavis est, Domine in 4 elements was constructed of gradual sinuous traces with a lot use of imitation, the music rising in depth. Morales’s Exaltata est sancta Dei Genitrix featured wealthy counterpoint which constructed to a vibrant climax of peculiar ardour. The identical composer’s Lamentabatur Jacob had lengthy gradual traces in austere counterpoint rising with a sure depth. The second verse, the place Jacob prostrates himself earlier than God, constructed from rhythmic liveliness to depth.

Vivanco’s Caritas Pater est was a celebration of the Trinity utilizing three three-part choirs (SAB, ATT, STB) with the center choir (ATT) sung one to an element thus offering some hanging textural contrasts. Because the three teams interacted, Vivanco created some outstanding textures, and he appeared to relish the way in which he may interfold the teams, utilizing the complete 12-part ensemble solely hardly ever. A bit memorable for hanging textures and luscious moments.

We adopted this with James MacMillan’s Nothing in Useless. Now I’ll say from the beginning that I cherished the piece, nevertheless it was clear that apart from just a few moments (Mark Dobell’s tenor solo, the concluding traces) the textual content was largely unintelligible and also you sensed that MacMillan was utilizing it as a supply of inspiration somewhat than any didactic function. Quite than readability of texture we had richness of invention. The piece started from a solo soprano singing MacMillan’s acquainted Gaelic chant-inflected music with its attribute ornaments and MacMillan expanded this to create a extremely satisfying choral texture. The work was written for double choir, although moments of choral dialogue have been uncommon, as a substitute MacMillan used his forces to increase and skinny the variety of traces, ebbing and flowing between complexity and austerity. There have been moments of intense anxiousness (the work is contemplating the person’s relationship to God) and the sopranos have been definitely pushed to limits. The top was highly effective certainly and right here we may hear the phrases: ‘Nothing in useless’.