On a fair Wednesday, within the heart of Chicago, a British gentleman proceeded to the 2nd west level of Gallery 37 Center of the Arts. His presence was of clear existence within a windowed room that housed the Vocal Arts students. " Can you name me five European composer's?" His English accent bounce heavily among the students. Some of us (the students) found the assignment baffling. As for the others, the task came across as sweet as French toffee. "Okay, who would like to give it a try?" his voice flooded the room once more. After several minutes of contemplating composers and English choral procedure, King Henry the 8th was the topic of discussion. And on this topic, this is some of what we learned:
King Henry the 8th was an infamous king to the Catholic Church which had a huge, if not the largest, influence on the Western European Choral Tradition as we know it today. Known for the price of his wives head to end his marriages, King Henry couldn't help but to steal our attention. Because of King Henry's ideals in marriage, with his power and status in society, he had managed to break away from the Catholic Church and start his own: "The Church of England". What spurred from this great movement was a new style of choral music. Another important fact to note is that King Henry suggested that music should be written down so that music played within the walls of his church would be of his approval, thus the tradition of oral music had died. This was a revolution in that it made it easier for religious music pieces to be learned far and wide with accuracy, just as the original composer had intended.
"Can I hear you sing!" our guest asked us. It took us a few minutes to assemble, but nevertheless, we took to our positions and sang "Rejoice". After the small performance, the English gentleman proceed on to the next task his day had set for him and, like the rest of the world, we proceeded on with ours as well. Thank you, Mr. Stirling, for taking a little time to share
King Henry the 8th was an infamous king to the Catholic Church which had a huge, if not the largest, influence on the Western European Choral Tradition as we know it today. Known for the price of his wives head to end his marriages, King Henry couldn't help but to steal our attention. Because of King Henry's ideals in marriage, with his power and status in society, he had managed to break away from the Catholic Church and start his own: "The Church of England". What spurred from this great movement was a new style of choral music. Another important fact to note is that King Henry suggested that music should be written down so that music played within the walls of his church would be of his approval, thus the tradition of oral music had died. This was a revolution in that it made it easier for religious music pieces to be learned far and wide with accuracy, just as the original composer had intended.
