Choir News
Minster choristers record a medieval liturgical drama

On Wednesday 14 February 2007, the senior seven Southwell choristers made the three-hour trip to London to record for Harmonia Mundi in St Jude’s Church, Hampstead Garden Suburb.

With the Dufay Collective, a group of musicians specialising in the repertoire of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, they sang the medieval liturgical drama The Play of Daniel (Ludus Danielis) under the direction of William Lyons, the group’s Director. This colourful and dramatic work, performed for the recording in a new edition by Dr Lyons, presents familiar episodes from the Book of Daniel. It was written for Beauvais cathedral’s extensive music foundation in about 1140 and is today preserved in a 13th-century manuscript at the British Library.

The drama is sung entirely in Latin. Minster choristers are used to singing Latin as part of their daily service routine—but in a modern, anglicised pronunciation. For the recording, they had the interesting experience of learning to sing Latin with a medieval French accent.

Accompanied by bells, portative organ, rebecs, recorder and two hurdy-gurdies, and singing together or alternatively with a small group of professional sopranos, tenors and basses, the Southwell boys acquitted themselves extremely well, to the applause of the other performers. We all look forward greatly to the international release of this CD in 2008.

visit the Dufay Collective web site (site opens in a new window)

article date: 15th February 2007