Robert Parsons - Sun 2nd Oct

[ardcarp]

Lucie Skeaping is joined by Professor Magnus Williamson of Newcastle University to explore the life & music of 16th Century composer Robert Parsons, who died 450 years ago this year, at the young age of 37.

[oddoneout]

Lucie Skeaping is joined by Professor Magnus Williamson of Newcastle University to explore the life & music of 16th Century composer Robert Parsons, who died 450 years ago this year, at the young age of 37.

Was it young for those days? Looking forward to this but wondering how much "music in the background" there'll be...

[DracoM]

His Ave Maria is perfection IMO.

[cat]

Was it young for those days? Looking forward to this but wondering how much "music in the background" there'll be...

Yes very much so, life expectancy figures being highly skewed by child mortality. The bible says three score years and ten for a reason.

[smittims]

I dont think 37 was young for those days. Purcell, Bellini, Mozart, Chopin, Schubert, Bizet , all died in their 30s. Shakespeare was regarded as old at 52. Polonius has a teenage daughter and a son at University so would probably be in his 40s, but he is depicted as an old man.

[Mal]

Was it young for those days? Looking forward to this but wondering how much "music in the background" there'll be...

Don't ask us, ask Google! OK I'll do it:

"The average life expectancy at birth was only 35... However many Tudor people died while they were still children... between one third and one half died before the age of about 16..."

So lucky to make it past childhood, but the luck didn't hold?

[rauschwerk]

Parsons did not die a natural death - he drowned in the River Trent. I don't think anyone knows how that came about. Of his work, I know only Ave Maria so will be glad to learn more from this programme.

[oddoneout]

Don't ask us, ask Google! OK I'll do it:

"The average life expectancy at birth was only 35... However many Tudor people died while they were still children... between one third and one half died before the age of about 16..."

So lucky to make it past childhood, but the luck didn't hold?

I have now googled and this was useful https://www.sarahwoodbury.com/life-e...e-middle-ages/ although relating to an earlier period. I had forgotten about the effect high infant mortality has on general life expectancy statistics, probably because it was never thought necessary to point it out during the time I was absorbing such facts... I did know though that being part of the better off section of the population improved one's chances.

[cat]

Tallis lived to 80 and Byrd to 83, so although a younger death would clearly have been more common in the 16th century, it could still be considered unfortunate. His epitaph in a Dow partbook demonstrates he died in his prime:

Parsons, you who were so great in the springtime of life,
how great you would have been in the autumn, had death not come.

[smittims]

Thanks, cat. 'In his prime' settles it for me. I think there have always been unusual people who had it in them to live to great ages. Arthur Rubinstein smoked strong cigars and drank spirits all his life, doubtless in defiance of medical advice, whereas Jana Novotna, who lived a very healthy life...

[MickyD]

Did this episode suffer the same cruel fate as the previous week, namely that ghastly EMS advertising spot in the middle of the programme?

[oddoneout]

Did this episode suffer the same cruel fate as the previous week, namely that ghastly EMS advertising spot in the middle of the programme?

I think about 10 or 15 mins from the end. I had to pop into the kitchen which is next to the living room, where the radio is and heard a change of voice which at first I thought might be a different expert being interviewed but then came odd bits of music and some more gabbling so I assumed it was the tone deaf idiotic news slot - and stayed out until normal service seemed to have resumed. How anyone connected with R3 can think it appropriate to crash into a serious programme featuring pretty intense music with something totally unnecessary that destroys the mood I just cannot fathom - a sad indication of the depths etc.

[Frances_iom]

about 20 mins just before the last piece Parsons's Ave Maria - it was such a bl*dy stupid and insensitive insertion - if thought necessary put at the end of the programme but not in the middle breaking any concentrated listening to what I guess is normally seen/heard as a niche programme. But as previous poster said the BBC has descended so far that it is just amazing that these 'specialist interest' programmes have survived until now and not been replaced by a 'Sunday Smoothie' or similar junk.

[smittims]

This is sad news. As Anna Kallin would say "Ce n'est pas 'troisieme' ". I had a rude shock listening to 'Through the Night 'once when I went to the fridge and returned to find 'Piano Flow ' had started with scarcely a break. Nearly put me off my corn flakes.

[ardcarp]

For me the finest Parsons item was Pour down, you pow'rs devine sung by Michael Chance (at his best) with Fretwork. The choral pieces, most of which I'm ashamed to say, I didn't know (apart from the Ave Maria of course) were very much of the Tallis ilk. Fine though the consorts were, the delivery became a bit 'notey' and one longed for more limear singing. So often I'm reminded of George Guest's perhaps over-stated view that no two adjacent notes should be sung the same way.

I agree with all the posts above which abhor the BBC advert in the middle of EMS. Totally absurd and inappropriate. May I urge Forumistas to email the programme and complain! I have already.

theearlymusicshow@bbc.co.uk