Chalice Consort Performs 'Music by John Sheppard' April 28, 2012

"The English composer John Sheppard (c.1515-1558) was one of the leading contemporaries of Thomas Tallis. The two men collaborated in writing music for the English Chapel Royal during the reign of Queen Mary Tudor (1553-58), when, after the Anglican Reformation, Catholicism was restored in England for a brief period. The two composers collaborated together on producing a new repertoire of English sacred music for the Catholic Rite, of unparallel richness and imagination. The militant restoration of Catholicism during Queen Mary's years was combined with a renewed veneration of the queen's namesake, Mary the mother of Jesus. Sheppard's grandest works, often written in honor of Mary, were extravagant examples of the Church Militant during the Reformation; at the same time, they were superb musical adornments of the queen's own royal chapel, as politics and prayer became one.

On Elizabeth I's accession in 1558, Anglicanism again became the official religion in England. Since much of Sheppard's Latin music was not suited for the new liturgies, it rapidly fell out of favor and was no longer sung. His highly personal musical language, with sturdy melodic lines and unusual harmonies, makes him a composer whose artistic creations are worthy to be heard again today, bringing pleasure to modern audiences."

~Davitt Moroney, Director

The San Francisco concert is presented by The Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption.

Date: April 28, 2012 - 8pm; doors open at 7:30pm
Parking: Free parking behind the church; enter on 23rd

Official Website: http://www.chaliceconsort.org/concerts.html