Tudor Choristers: Lenten Contemplations

William Byrd made his life in England and Tomás Luis de Victoria journeyed from Spain to Rome and back again. There is no evidence that they ever met, but their music reveals a shared spiritual vision that makes them twin pillars of Renaissance Catholic polyphony. Rather than the grand, multi-voiced sound often associated with Renaissance choral music, this program focuses on works written for just four voices – revealing music of clarity and quiet luminous power for the dark hours of Holy Week.

Victoria’s Tenebrae Responsories, composed for the office of Matins during Holy Week, and Byrd’s Mass for Four Voices are models of concise writing and profound devotion. This concert offers a rare opportunity to hear these works as they were conceived: quiet, contemplative, and deeply moving.