Britten: Hymn to the Virgin Hymn to Saint Cecilia Advance Democracy Sacred and Profane
Cornysh: My love she mourn’th Salve Regina Ave Maria, Mater Dei Woefully array’d Ah, Robin, gentle Robin
William Cornysh and Benjamin Britten were prolific writers of both sacred and secular music. Cornysh is actually two people, quite possibly father and son. Both were court musicians who excelled at writing complex and adventurous antiphons for the church, as well as beautiful secular songs for the courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII. As far as who wrote what is concerned, the truth may never be known and so here they are linked as one. Britten is celebrated for his ability to mix sacred and secular expertly in order to showcase the voice in all its multifaceted glory. A perfect example of this is Sacred and Profane, where he gives us a fascinating mixture of the devotional and the rumbustiously secular. The final song ‘A death’ is a wicked blend of horror and gallows humour far removed from the melancholic canon Ah, Robin, gentle Robin by Cornysh. In 2018 The Sixteen’s Choral Pilgrimage tour entitled ‘Sacred and Profane’ featuring music from Britten and Cornysh will visit 30 towns and cities across the UK including London, Oxford, Cambridge, York, Manchester, Cardiff and Edinburgh.