Summertown Choral Society

Instruments of Time and Truth

Duncan Saunderson Conductor

Mozart “Great” Mass in C Minor

H. Purcell Funeral Music for Queen Mary

H. Purcell They that go down to the sea in ships

Mozart’s ‘Great’ Mass in C minor was composed in Vienna in 1782/3 and is regarded as one of his finest works. Scored for large orchestra and double choir, it shows the influence of Bach and Handel, whom Mozart had been enthusiastically studying. The soprano solos, written for his wife Constanze, are some of the most ravishing soprano solos he ever wrote. She too adored the work of Bach and Handel and the Mass has been described as a love offering to her.

Purcell’s Funeral Music for Queen Mary was first performed in 1695 in Westminster Abbey. The music, showing Purcell at his absolute best, completely transcends the sombre words, and the hauntingly beautiful instrumental interludes played by brass and drum are unforgettable.

They That Go Down to the Sea in Ships is an extraordinary anthem featuring an extended bass solo originally written for the Reverend John Gostling, a ‘basso profondo’ well known to Purcell. These voices, plumbing the depths of the bass clef, are a rarity, but SCS think they have the man!