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Collected for use in the chapel of Cambridge University’s Peterhouse college in the 1630s, and hidden during the Civil War, the Peterhouse Partbooks represent one of the most important manuscript collections of sacred choral music from the period. In this recording, the Peterhouse choir presents a snapshot of its chapel’s distinctive musical heritage in a programme that reflects both the discovery of recently unearthed music and the foundations of a tradition still very much alive in today’s Anglican church.
Music from the
Peterhouse Partbooks
Hugo Williams, Emma Troman, Shawn Li, OrganThe Choir of Peterhouse, Cambridge
Simon Jackson
With their dramatic history, the Peterhouse Partbooks are among the most significant collections of English sacred music manuscripts from the 16th and early 17th centuries. Including several world premiere recordings, this programme presents a survey of the rich variety in the Peterhouse manuscripts, from the Venetian splendour of Croce’s eight-part anthem Omnes gentes plaudite, to the penitential intimacy of Tallis’s O God be merciful unto us.
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Simon Jackson has been director of music at Peterhouse since 2017. He previously served as organist and director of music at the neighbouring Church of Little St Mary’s. He began his musical training as a chorister at York Minster, and continued his education at Jesus College, Cambridge where he sang as a choral scholar. In addition to his musical activities, he is an award-winning academic. His research focuses on the connections between poetry and music in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Founded in 1284, Peterhouse is the oldest college of the University of Cambridge. In 1635, the college master, John Cosin, established the Peterhouse Choir to sing in the college’s newly consecrated chapel. The college continues to nurture its rich and historic musical tradition to this day, with music associated with Peterhouse Chapel in the 1630s forming a core part of the choir’s repertoire. The choir tours internationally each year, recently in Sweden, France, Lithuania, Latvia, Italy and the Faroe Islands.
– Fanfare
– MusicWeb International
– Gramophone
– ConcertoNet.com ★★★★