The Sixteen's Blog

Sacred Music: A Christmas History

I am not sure how many shopping days there are until Christmas, but here is an early entry in the premature mentions of the festive season stakes.  Our new DVD Sacred Music: A Christmas History has just been released and is available from our online shop.

Harry Christophers and The Sixteen join Simon Russell Beale for two special Christmas programmes that look beyond the familiar carols and festive songs to reveal two millennia of music and texts from across Europe.

A CHRISTMAS HISTORY
Simon Russell Beale takes a journey through Italy, Britain, Germany and Austria as he explores how the sound of Christmas has evolved in response to changing ideas about the Nativity. His story takes us through two millennia of music, from a fragment of papyrus preserving the earliest known piece of Christian music to the stories behind Hark! the herald angels sing, Silent Night and In the bleak midwinter, and the work of popular Christmas composer, John Rutter all performed by Harry Christophers and The Sixteen.

A CHORAL CHRISTMAS
Simon Russell Beale introduces a programme of choral music for Christmas from across the centuries, featuring performances of some of the works featured in the accompanying documentary. Harry Christophers and The Sixteen, perform music including J.S. Bach’s harmonisation of the medieval carol In dulci jubilo, A spotless rose by Herbert Howells and the Christmas text O magnum mysterium, set as a motet by Tomás Luis de Victoria.

Media partner BBC FOUR

Allegri’s Miserere continues to be one of the most popular pieces of choral music (number 23 in Classic FM’s Hall of Fame) and BBC FOUR has been rebroadcasting our Sacred Music programme about it.  Simon Russell Beale describes its history and the programme includes a complete performance. In this multimedia world, you can either watch it on iPlayer (for 6 more days), order a copy of the DVD, or order our CD recording.

BBC FOUR is also rebroadcasting tonight our programme Tallis, Byrd and the Tudors tonight at 19.30.