The Marian Consort: ‘Treasures from the Manuscripts of Elizabethan England’
St Andrew’s and St George’s Church - 08/10/22
I heard the Marian Consort at the Lammermuir Festival this year and last, and was very impressed, so when I saw that they would be performing as part of the Georgian Concert Society’s Season 2022/23, I determined to go along to the beautiful church of St Andrew and St George in Edinburgh’s George Street, to hear their concert, based around treasures from the manuscripts of Elizabethan England.
I was rewarded with one of the best concerts of Renaissance religious music I have heard for a long time. The Marian Consort is a flexible consort of singers, founded by Scottish countertenor Rory McCleery, who have quickly established themselves as one of the pre-eminent groups in Britain. The Consort specialises in performing works by lesser-known composers, with a view to expanding the repertoire of such vocal groups, both from the past and present. Often, as tonight, they will present a programme of works by famous and less famous composers, demonstrating how the loss or discovery of a simple set of manuscripts can create or destroy a reputation instantly. Particularly in the world of Renaissance and Baroque music, when much that was sung or played existed only in one or two manuscripts, genius can appear or disappear at the stroke of a quill.
We had an example tonight. The Consort began with the first part of the magnificent ‘Lamentations of Jeremiah’, by Thomas Tallis, one of the towering masterpieces of the English Renaissance, a piece I have often sung, and love. Towards the end of the concert, the group sang more ‘Lamentations of Jeremiah’, this time by Osbert Parsley. Who he? Other than that he was, for most of his career, a “Singing Man” in Norwich Cathedral, mentioned in a plaque in the nave, we know nothing. Yet, this exquisite set of Lamentations was delightful, and deserves to be heard more.
The programme for this concert was devised by delving into three contemporary collections by very different musical men in Elizabethan England. Firstly, there was the collection of the Norfolk grocer and merchant, John Sadler (c. 1530-1592), a meticulously copied and illustrated tome, now housed in the Bodleian Library in Oxford. Not far away, in the library of Christchurch in Oxford, are the two manuscripts compiled by John Baldwin (c. 1560-1615), the ‘Baldwin Partbooks’ and ‘John Baldwin’s Commonplace Book’. He was a tenor lay clerk at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, and then became a “Gentleman of the Chapel Royal”, singing at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral and the coronation of James VI and I. Our third collector was Robert Dow (1553-1588), a scholar and bibliophile, who became bursar of laws at All Souls College, Oxford.
These three were always on the hunt for marvellous new music and copied scores carefully into their partbooks. At a time when printing was still in its infancy, these manuscripts are invaluable as sources for modern performance, and Rory McCleery has left no shelf uninvestigated in his quest.
His detective work also enabled him to be one of the best concert announcers I have come across. The RSNO have a member of the orchestra introducing each concert, sometimes it must be said rather dully and with no great insight. I too often find myself rambling and muttering when I try to introduce a recital. Rory was clear, interesting, coherent and witty, with never a pause or stutter. He is a born communicator and might well become a BBC personality in due course.
The end result of this scholarship was a delightful programme of about an hour and fifteen minutes, delivered with poise and precision by the Marian Consort in the superb acoustic of the magnificent church of St Andrew and St George, at the east end of George Street. I am familiar with this lovely building, having sung there frequently in recital myself. It is a remarkable church, built in 1784, the first in Britain to be given an elliptical design. The acoustic is also remarkable, in that it can suit both chamber music and song recitals, and also Renaissance polyphony, and it was perfect for the five voices of the Marian Consort. The five singers – Victoria Meteyard (soprano), Rory McCleery (alto), Sarah Anne Champion (alto), Will Wright (tenor) and Jon Stainsby (bass) – blended wonderfully, and the fact that this was the penultimate concert of a tour was obvious in the almost telepathic way they interacted. Very subtle nods and glances were all that was needed to produce a seamless stream of sound, and their varied dynamics were achieved, not by histrionics, but by long hours of practice and a sense of trust between the singers. I have worked closely with the Hilliard Ensemble, the premiere vocal ensemble in the world over the last forty years, and the best compliment I can give the Marian Consort is that they have achieved near parity with the Hilliards! All fine vocal groups need the outer parts to be outstanding, and that is the case here. In addition, I like the fact that the Marians have both a female and a male alto. This allows Rory to offer a bigger sound while Sarah Anne provides a gorgeous creamy buzz next to him. The clear tenor of Will Wright shines through to complete the blend.
Particular favourites were the Tallis Lamentations, the extraordinary ‘Why do I use my paper, ink and pen?’ by William Byrd (a dangerously recusant piece supporting a Catholic martyr), ‘Ave Maria’ by the sadly short-lived Robert Parsons and the sublime ‘Salvator Mundi’ by Thomas Tallis, for me one of the finest motets of all time, perfect in its simplicity and depth of feeling.
This was a marvellous opening to the Georgian Concert Society’s 2022/23 season, and simply one of my concerts of the year.
