English Church Polyphony: Singers and Sources from the 14th to the 17th Century (Variorum Collected Studies)

The theme of the essays in this volume is the identification of the resources which between c.1320 and 1642 the English church saw fit to provide for the performance of the music of its liturgy. Individual essays describe the music and the choirs of Canterbury and Lincoln Cathedrals, Winchester Cathedral Priory and the private chapel of Cardinal Wolsey, while the personnel of the chapels of Edward III, the Black Prince and John of Gaunt emerge from study of the texts of compositions of the 14th century. From the alignment of contemporary musical and archival sources there arises a web of conclusions relating to the size of ensemble, vocal scoring and sounding pitch envisaged by its composers for English church polyphony of the period c.1320-1559. These essays thus encompass the two most profound of the revolutions to which the music of the English church was subject at this period: the inauguration and widespread adoption of choral polyphony in the years c.1455-85 and the liturgical and doctrinal Reformation of 1547 to 1563. Church Polyphony, C.1320-1558: Performance And Notation -- The Performing Ensemble For English Church Polyphony, C.1320-c.1390 (studies In The Performance Of Late Mediaeval Music, Ed. Stanley Boorman. Cambridge, 1983) -- To Chorus From Quartet: The Performing Resource For English Church Polyphony, C.1390-1559 (english Choral Practice, 1400-1650, Ed. John Morehen. Cambridge, 1995) -- The Vocal Scoring, Choral Balance And Performing Pitch Of Latin Church Polyphony In England, C.1500-1558 (journal Of The Royal Musical Society 112. Oxford, 1987) -- Choirs And Their Music From The Middle Ages To The Civil Wars -- Canterbury Cathedral: The Liturgy Of The Cathedral And Its Music, C.1075-1642 (a History Of Canterbury Cathedral, Ed. P. Collinson, N. Ramsey And M. Sparks. Oxford, 1995) -- The Musicians Of The Lady Chapel Of Winchester Cathedral Priory, 1402-1539 (journal Of Ecclesiastical History 45. Cambridge, 1994) -- Lincoln Cathedral: Music And Worship To 1640 (a History Of Lincoln Minster, Ed. Dorothy Owen. Cambridge, 1994) -- The Cultivation And Promotion Of Music In The Household And Orbit Of Thomas Wolsey (cardinal Wolsey: Church, State And Art, Ed. S.j. Gunn And P.g. Lindley. Cambridge, 1991) -- Composition And Employment In Cathedral And Household Chapel -- Fixed Points In The Chronology Of English Fourteenth-century Polyphony (music And Letters 72. Oxford, 1990) -- Some Observations On The Life And Career Of Lionel Power (proceedings Of The Royal Musical Association 102. Oxford, 1975-6). Roger Bowers. Previously Published Articles. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. This series of essays embraces two profound revolutions to which the music of the English church was subject during the period 1320-1559. These were the adoption of choral polyphony and the liturgical and doctrinal reformations of 1547 to 1563.