In 1605, Charles de Ligny, a French aristocrat visiting London, was arrested and imprisoned as a spy. The evidence against him was a book of music he was carrying with him. How could music be so dangerous that mere possession of it could get you thrown into prison?
The Fourth Choir’s next concert will follow the fascinating history of polyphony from its earliest beginnings, through the turbulent and dangerous days of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, to the present day. How did composers comply with the diktats of kings, queens and popes - even when they felt that to do so would imperil their immortal souls - and still manage to produce some of the most beautiful choral music ever written?
A thousand years of music will be performed in the Romanesque majesty of the Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great, Smithfield (founded in 1123 and about to celebrate its 900th anniversary). The masterpieces of Josquin, Byrd, Tallis and Palestrina will be paired with more modern compositions by Judith Weir, Kerry Andrew, Rosephanye Powell, Nathaniel Dett and Poulenc, revealing surprising similarities in music composed worlds and centuries apart.