St Peter’s Choir
About this week’s music
This week’s Mass setting is the Missa Dum Complerentur, by Tomas Luis de Victoria (1548 – 1611), and the anthem is Philip Nunn’s (b. 1961) Spiritus Domini. Evensong canticles in D Minor are by Thomas Attwood Walmisley (1814 – 1856), with the anthem Come Holy Ghost, composed in 1834 by Thomas Attwood.
Victoria’s Missa Dum Complerentur is a parody Mass – a musical setting which uses a pre-existing piece of music (in this case one of Victoria’s own motets, by the same name) as the basis for its melodic and harmonic material. The original motet uses the text from the Pentecost story, which we recall as the choir sings the prayers of the Mass.
This week’s Evensong setting by Walmisley, composed in 1855 but not published until some twenty years later, is widely recognised as the first such to have an independent organ accompaniment. Thomas Attwood Walmisley was an English composer who grew up around church music and worked in church music all his life. His godfather, Thomas Attwood (1765 – 1838), is the composer of this week’s anthem, Come Holy Ghost. Thomas Attwood was an original member of the Royal Philharmonic Society and was employed for some time as the composer of the Chapel Royal; later he became a professor at the newly-established Royal Academy of Music. He studied as a young man under Mozart himself, and his music reflects influences both of Mozart’s own style and of the English tradition in which he was immersed his entire working life.
About the St Peter’s Choir
Founded in 1847, the choir of St Peter's Eastern Hill is one of the oldest continuing Anglican church choirs in Australia.
Music plays an important part in the liturgical life of St Peter’s, with the choir singing at High Mass on Sundays as well as regular Evensongs. Our repertoire ranges from Plainsong to more recent liturgical settings, with a range of familiar and lesser-known composers. We are particularly enjoying re-discovering English Communion settings of the late 19th and early 20th century, alongside the great Mass settings of the Renaissance.
Membership is made up of volunteers, professional musicians, and a quartet of Foundation Scholars who are studying singing at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. The Church recently launched the music foundation to support this endeavour and to provide opportunities for young up-and-coming singers to develop their performance experience while contributing to our liturgy; if you would like more information about this, or to support this vital ministry, please contact the Director of Music, Christopher Watson.
Join the choir
The choir rehearses at 9 am for a 10.30 am service, with no mid-week rehearsal or other commitment. We encourage amateur singers who wish to sing regularly or occasionally to get in touch with our Director of Music, Christopher Watson, to arrange an audition.