English Motets

Exploring Renaissance masterpieces from the Golden Age of polyphony in England. 

During the renaissance, musical composition flourished, but it was a time of great change, fueled by religious division. This program traces music written by some of the English Renaissance masters over a period of two hundred years, encompassing florid medieval-sounding works Sheppard and Forest, intricately woven polyphonic works by Tallis and Byrd, and the beautiful simplicity of Tomkins and White.

 “The whole program moved forward by alternating between homophonic and polyphonic textures; between relative simplicity and complexity; between relaxation and tension… the effect was mesmerizing.” - Limelight