BBC4 Tues, 17th 9 p.m. Development of Evensong

[Miles Coverdale]

And does anyone have any idea why the Josquin was included?

I can only assume that because it's in Latin and a Marian text (though that wasn't mentioned), it was meant to represent Mary's Catholicism.

[Vox Humana]

Everything in the programme had a cathedral/Chapel Royal context in fact, and we weren't told what might have been happening in ordinary parish churches, so were left to assume it would have been much the same. But do we even know?

Quite a lot of work has been done in recent years on music in the pre-Reformation parish church. Broadly speaking, where there was money parish churches maintained choirs. The complexity (or otherwise) of the music varied depending on resources and one might suppose that standards of performance also did. Churches that couldn't afford choirs might nevertheless be able to satisfy the "requirement" for festal polyphony by having an organ, although they might be reliant on a visiting musician to play it. Under Elizabeth (if not before) the general standard of parish church music seems to have been poor, but some places like Ludlow parish church evidently managed to keep the flag flying.

[Vox Humana]

... indeed, what kind of music wd there have been in little rural churches prior to the Reformation?.

In most places, none, unless the priest chose to sing. I imagine that the church in Morebath on Devon Exmoor was typical. Then again, there's the equally little Norfolk church of St Helen, Ranworth with its glorious antiphonal (as featured in the programme). To have such a MS the church must have had a choir of some sort, even if it didn't sing polyphony.

[jean]

A footnote on choir dress.

Yesterday I heard a service sung by some of the choir of St Bavo's Cathedral, Haarlem.. As you can probably see, they all wear cassocks and surplices - but the men and boys wear little polo-neck things underneath, while the girls of all ages, and the MD (extreme right of the image) wear ruffs.

[Triforium]

I thought I heard her converting R into W with some words.....wasn't sure if she was going to introduce Mr. Williams.