Beneath the Surface #7 - John Sheppard: Sacred Choral Music

Composer: John Sheppard (English, c1515-1558)

Works: Missa Cantate; Libera nos, salva nos I; Reges Tharsis et insulae; Gaude virgo Christiphera; Sacris solemniis; Kyrie Lux et origo (Kyrie Paschale); Adesto sancta Trinitas II; Hodie nobis caelorum rex; Verbum caro

Performers: Choir of St Mary’s Cathedral Edinburgh / Duncan Ferguson

Label: Delphian

Background and Critical Reception

It is very difficult to fully appreciate the turbulent climate in which John Sheppard lived. A contemporary of Thomas Tallis and John Taverner, he lived until the year in which Mary Tudor’s short reign ended. His exact year of birth is uncertain, estimated on the basis that he began his studies in 1534.

He is regarded as one of the finest Tudor composers, but a lot of his musical output was lost, and he remains in the shadow of Tallis and near-contemporaries Taverner, Byrd and Palestrina to this day. More recently however recordings of his music have been forthcoming and choral groups such as the Tallis Scholars and The Sixteen have given his work the attention it deserves.

The Tudor period was an incredibly testing time for the church, under a quickly changing succession of monarchs, and in this period Archbishop Cranmer introduced the First Book of Common Prayer in 1549. Shortly after it seems Sheppard was directly involved in composing for the Queen Mary, whose wish was for music of intricate polyphony – that is, a number of different melodic voices sounding together.

At the time a number of composers used the famous melody of the Western Wind as the basis for mass setting, and Sheppard was no exception, completing his own contribution to the form as one of six masses he completed. The Missa Cantate, the main feature of this new disc from the Choir of St Mary's Cathedral Edinburgh and their conductor Duncan Ferguson, is likely to have been written in the mid-1550s, and is a particularly elaborate setting. It is heard together with a number of shorter anthems, often introduced by brief plainsong.

Thoughts

Perhaps inevitably the first thing that strikes home about this music is its continual purity. It has a curious form of perfection, as if precisely calculated from the start to run with great fluency from beginning to end. This of course ties in perfectly with its intended function.

The overall sound is bright and treble-rich, and it is almost always possible to follow a different melody each time you listen, the music fresh on each encounter.

I do sometimes find with the extensive melisma (notes per word) that I prefer not to follow the text too closely, as it can be oddly frustrating having it change so slowly. The reduced passages are clearly sung, and contrast with the wonderful sound the full choir makes, as about 4’40" into the Gloria of the Missa Cantate. The occasional spicy dissonance always helps, too, making the glorious consonance of the harmonies at the end of each section occasions in which to revel.

The Missa Cantate is considerably quicker in this performance than the Sixteen, suggesting the possible use of a different edition, though the tempo to me feels just right, and the choir negotiate the part writing with impressive surety.

Of the shorter pieces, Hodie nobis caelorum rex has a very measured and quite deliberate progression, switching from male to female voices very effectively, while Libera nos, salva nos I begins slowly but surely, the harmonies slowly turning.

Some of the polyphony is dense but in this recording is always very clear and sung with great control, as at the end of Gaude virgo Christiphera, which resolves into a different harmony. The recording is excellent; Delphian's engineers giving the music the room it needs.

Above all the choir really feel this music and its text – a passionate response to music that is doubtless difficult to get right on account of its complexity. Here they make it sound simple!

Verdict

This is music that succeeds in taking its listener to another place, whether that is a musical or spiritual transportation. While it might not be appropriate to work to it certainly helps to relax the mind, but it works even better with closer listening, the intricacies of Sheppard's part writing fully revealed.

Further Listening

This John Sheppard playlist includes a recording by the Salisbury Cathedral Choir and Gabrieli Consort of the Missa cantate, conducted by Paul McCreesh, as well as shorter pieces from discs by the Tallis Scholars and Stile Antico.