Celebrating the life of Dr Simon Lindley (1948-2025)
This is a Come and Sing with a difference, as we invite anyone who wishes to join us in a day of celebration and singing as we give thanks for the life and music of our former director, Dr Simon Lindley, who died in February.
Dr Lindley was a giant of the musical scene in West and South Yorkshire, and this event is open to everyone who loves singing choral music or wants to give it a try, including those who may not have known him.
We will rehearse and perform excerpts from two works:
Handel’s Messiah Part I and Hallelujah chorus
The Angel’s Farewell from the conclusion of Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, with internationally renowned mezzo Margaret McDonald taking the solo role.
The singing will be led by St Peter’s Singers, accompanied by Lee Ward and Darius Battiwalla on Leeds Minster’s splendid Harrison & Harrison organ, and directed by St Peter’s Singers’ conductor Alexander Woodrow.
Registration will start at 2.00pm, and the rehearsal will run from 2.30pm-4.00pm. There will be plenty of time and space for refreshments and socialising, and we will conclude the afternoon with a public concert performance running from 5.15pm to about 7.15pm.
Concert bonus!
The performance will also feature David Greed (former leader of the Orchestra of Opera North) playing Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending with Darius Battiwalla. Ms McDonald will join them to sing Erbarme dich from Bach’s St Matthew Passion, and St Peter’s Singers will sing short works by Bairstow and Harris.
So it’s all set for a lot of fun! This will be a fantastic, joyous singing day, with the added opportunity to listen to some world-class musicians.
What you need to know…
Booking here entitles you to participate in the Come and Sing rehearsal and concert performance, together with refreshments and use of loan copies .
We will be using the Novello editions of both works (the Watkins Shaw edition of Messiah). Copies will be available on the day, though you are welcome to bring and use your own if you have one.
Dress is smart casual.
Under 18s are welcome but must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times.
In order for us to prepare well to welcome you, you are asked to book ahead, letting us know one or two important bits of information. Only a very small number of un-notified admissions will be allowed for special cases on the day. Booking will close at 6pm on 15 October.
If you don’t want to sing, but want to listen, you can do that too – audience can book in advance (recommended) or pay at the door for the concert, which will start at 5.15pm and run till about 7.15pm.
You may wish to also come to the Gala Organ Recital at 12.30pm, given by Darius Battiwalla, Carleton Etherington and Jonathan Lilley, who all played at Leeds Parish Church as Assistant Organists or Organ Scholar under Dr Lindley. Admission is free, with a retiring collection to defray expenses.
Learning the music Not sung Messiah or The Dream of Gerontius before? Need some help? You may want to do some prep!
There are a number of websites and apps that may be able to help you (although this comes without warranty!):
ChoralLine : Download an App for your laptop, phone or tablet; costs £9.99-£13.99 per work. The website offers samples so that you can see what you will get before you buy. The rehearsal is accompanied by clear spoken instructions helping you start at the right time, and your voice part is played in a distinct sound to help you identify the notes correctly. The website also makes it simple to purchase a score if you need to. Click here for more information.
Choralia : Free, but the website is much more basic. There are a number of different options, where you can hear just your part, or all the parts with your part standing out, or all the parts with yours at the same volume as the others. Click here for more information.
Please note: it is not possible for us to issue copies ahead of the event on 18 October. You may be able to borrow a copy from your local library.
Access and Accessibility Leeds Minster is about 5 minutes walk from Leeds Bus Station, and about 15 minutes walk from Leeds Railway Station. There is on-street parking on the side streets nearby, as well as the NCP Markets carpark ( 5 minutes) and the John Lewis carpark (10 minutes).
There is ramp access to the main doors beneath the tower, with entrance to the grounds at the West End by the Lamb and Flag pub recommended to avoid the steps up from the street level. Once inside there there is step-free access to the nave and to the City of Leeds Room for refreshments and toilets.
Please contact us on info@stpeters-singers.org.uk if you have any questions or requirements in this respect.
Note: This is an annotated form of the programme notes for this recital, exploiting web technologies to allow readers to delve deeper into the biographies of the composers and the meaning of musical and religious terms as they wish.
My spirit sang all day
Choral songs of the world and the spirit
Programme
Please click on the composers’ names to find about more about them
We begin our programme appropriately with two wonderful works written for performance at Petertide. Both reference the text in St Matthew Ch 16:18-21, where Christ calls Peter his Rock, the foundation for his Church, and gives him the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Thou shalt make them Princes over all the earth, They shall remember thy name, O Lord, Instead of thy fathers, Sons are born to thee. Therefore shall the people praise thee, Alleluia. Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam Thou art Peter, and on this Rock I will build my church
This organ-accompanied anthem dates from 1955. The musical material of the imposing and stately opening ‘Thou shalt make them princes’ is based upon plainsong. A complete contrast ensues with the lively and skittish setting, in compound 6/8 time, of ‘instead of thy fathers, sons are born to thee’, before a return to the original stately theme, this time with the addition of a soprano soloist who sings the Latin ‘Tu es Petrus’ phrases, while the choir sings the English translation very quietly in response.
A masterful piece of Polyphony dating from the 16th century. It was written to be sung a cappella in six parts, with each of the six voices having beautiful interweaving lines, all working together to produce some splendid harmonies. Several times, Palestrina breaks this seamless interweaving to make way for a unified, almost fanfare-like setting of the words ‘claves regni’ (the keys to the kingdom). These words are always presented in a very powerful way to lend them great prominence and to draw our attention to them.
Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam,
You are Peter, the Rock, and on this rock I will build my church,
Et portae inferi non praevalebunt adversus eam.
And the powers of death shall not prevail against it.
Et tibi dabo claves regni caelorum.
And I shall give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Quodcumque ligaveris super terram erit ligatum et in Coelis,
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
Et quodcumque solveris super terra erit solutum et in coelis,
And whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven
Et tibi dabo claves regni caelorum.
And I shall give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Two choral works by Brahms allow the choir to revel in warm, blended tone and luxurious Romantic lines. Geistliches Lied was written in 1856 and has its origins as a contrapuntal exercise based upon a double Canon, the tenor answering the soprano a bar later and a ninth lower; and the bass answering the alto also a ninth lower. That the piece is a hallmark not only of technical skill but of great overall elegance in the choral lines; the organ accompaniment is an exceptional achievement, and the final Amens are sumptuously beautiful.
Lass dich nur nichts nicht dauren mit Trauren sei stille! Wie Gott es fügt, so sei vergnügt mein Wille
Let nothing afflict you With grief; Be calm! As God ordains, So be content my Will
Was willst du heute sorgen Auf Morgen? Der Eine Steht allem für, Der gibt auch dir Das Deine
Why worry today About tomorrow? The One Is in charge Who gives also to you What is yours
Sei nur in allem Handel Ohn Wandel, Steh feste! Was Gott beschleusst Das ist und heisst Das Beste, Amen
In all your doings be steadfast Stand firm! What God decrees Is, and is acknowledged The best, Amen
Text: Paul Flemming (1608-40)
Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen | Johannes Brahms (1833-97)
This is the fourth movement of Brahms’ German Requiem, setting text from Psalm 84, and it is by some margin the best-known stand-alone movement from that wonderful work, with its soaring melodies and elegant phrases, its refined triple-time flow, and the exciting fugato passage ‘die Loben dich immerdar’ which eventually yields to a peaceful ending.
Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen, Herr Zebaoth
How lovely are thy dwellings fair, O Lord of Hosts
Meine Seele verlanget and sehnet sich nach den Vorhöfen des Herrn
My soul hath a desire and longing to enter into the courts of the Lord
Mein Leib und Seele freuen sich in dem lebendigen Gott
Organ solo: Sonata No 3 in A , 1st movement | Felix Mendelssohn (1809-47)
Mendelssohn’s debt to JS Bach is evident in his own organ music. He was himself a fine organist, noted for his mastery of Bach’s works, and as an improviser. This sonata includes a Chorale prelude based on Luther’s hymn “Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir” (From deep affliction I cry out to you).
Appropriately, we are performing the new commission Brides of Christ between two pieces of music focussed upon Mary, Mother of Jesus. This Ave Maria by the founder-director of St Peter’s Singers, Simon Lindley, has found a home in just about every parish and cathedral choir library in the land, on account of its beautiful tunefulness.
Ave Maria, gratia plena.
Hail Mary, full of grace.
Dominus tecum.
The Lord is with thee.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
Blessed art thou among women,
et benedictus fructus ventris tuae, Jesu.
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei
Holy Mary, Mother of God
Ora pro nobis peccatoribus
Pray for us sinners
Nunc et in hora mortis nostrae.
Now and at the hour of our death
Amen
Amen
Brides of Christ(world premiere)| Fiona Pacey & Hannah Stone
This is the first ever performance of this new work, created by two of our members.
Fiona Pacey writes:
Imagine two nuns in a 16th century convent. What brought them here? What sort of life do they have? In this collaboration between poet Hannah Stone and composer Fiona Pacey, we overhear a conversation in which two of them talk about their experience and how they came to be there.
The vocal lines are semi-aleatoric; they sound spontaneous, just as a conversation would. In the background the choir provides episodes of busyness which resolve into unity, as a convent community might come together at the end of a day to sing the divine office.
My father said “Child, you must go And live with these holy women; At home are too many daughters And not enough bread to go around”.
My Father called me, and I heard The still small voice above the clamour Of my home. Mother said “Wait!” But I was sure of my calling .
I said goodbye to my sweetheart, Wept for the babies I did not bear.
Jesus says “Here are your sisters; Those who do the will of God.”
And here, there is food for the belly, A clean shift, a place to lie down; Now I have so many mothers! (Some are stern and some are cheerful).
They tell me how Mary said “yes” When God had work for her to do, That she, another simple girl, Found beauty in obedience.
I submit to no earthly spouse, Rejoice to be a bride of Christ, Wear the breastplate of righteousness Instead of fine robes and jewels. My faith is buckled for a belt; The words of your gospels my pearls.
They teach me – how I like to learn – The many skills they share with me!
The seed of silent contemplation Swelled within me, mothered to life By prayer; birthing peace and mercy. I go to the inner room Of my soul, and there I am heard.
And most of all I love to sing, To blend my voice in Thanksgiving For this little heaven on earth And God’s great favour shown to me.
My spirit swims in the silence, And, when we gather, sings in chords, Sweet harmony in praise of God.
This ecstatic setting of Robert Bridges’ poem My Spirit sang all day is best explained perhaps by the key fact that the composer’s wife was called Joy!
My spirit sang all day O my joy Nothing my tongue could say, Only My joy!
My heart an echo caught O my joy And spake, tell me thy thought, Hide not thy joy.
My eyes gan peer around, O my joy What beauty hast thou found? Shew us thy joy.
My jealous ears grew whist; O my joy Music from heaven is’t, Sent for our joy?
She also came and heard; O my joy, What, said she, is this word? What is thy joy?
And I replied, O see, O my joy, ‘Tis thee, I cried, ’tis thee: Thou art my joy.
Charles Stanford’s motionless, almost hallucinatory setting of Mary Coleridge’s poem provides a complete contrast to the Finzi. It is one of the most popular secular choral pieces from the Edwardian period with its soaring soprano solo, and exquisite image of perfect beauty.
The lake lay blue below the hill. O’er it, as I looked, there flew Across the waters, cold and still, A bird whose wings were palest blue.
The sky above was blue at last, The sky beneath me blue in blue. A moment, ere the bird had passed, It caught his image as he flew.
Ralph Vaughan Williams is well known for collecting English folksongs in an attempt to preserve this important part of our culture. His gift for arranging them without losing their essential character is beautifully demonstrated by this charming love song.
Fare you well my dear I must be gone and leave you for a while If I roam away I’ll come back again Though I roam ten thousand miles, my dear Though I roam ten thousand miles
So fair though art my bonney lass So deep in love as I But I never will prove false to the bonney lass I love Till the stars fall from the sky my dear Till the stars fall from the sky
The sea will never run dry my dear Nor the rocks never melt with the sun But I never will prove false to the bonney lass I love Till all these things be done my dear Till all these things be done
O yonder doth sit that little turtle dove He doth sit on yonder high tree A making a moan for the loss of his love As I will do for thee my dear As I will do for thee
Text: Traditional
Soloist: David Hawkin
My love dwelt in a Northern land | Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Edward Elgar’s emotive setting of Scottish poet Andrew Lang’s Romance does full justice to the eerie, dream-like text, complete with the final twist. Listen out for how the staccato rhythms in the middle parts, set against the long tune sung by sopranos and tenors, create that strange, dream-like quality.
My love dwelt in a northern land A dim tower in a forest green Was his, and far away the sand, And gray wash of the waves were seen, The woven forest boughs between.
And through the northern summer night The sunset slowly died away, And herds of strange deer, silver white, Came gleaming through the forest gray, And fled like ghosts before the day.
And oft, that month, we watch’d the moon Wax great and white o’er wood and lawn, And wane, with waning of the June, Till, like a brand for battle drawn, She fell, and flamed in a wild dawn.
I know not if the forest green Still girdles round that castle gray, I know not if, the boughs between, The white deer vanish ere the day. The grass above my love is green, His heart is colder than the clay.
Robert de Pearsall’s mournful but lush 8-part setting of words by Beaumont and Fletcher titled Lay a Garland is the earliest of these part-songs. Enjoy the sumptuous harmonies!
Lay a garland on her hearse Of the dismal yew Maidens, willow branches bear Say she died true Her love was false, but she was firm From her hour of birth; Upon her buried body lie Lightly, thou gentle earth.
Text: adapted by the composer from words by Beaumont and Fletcher
Organ solo: The Prayer | David Foster (arr Lee Ward)
Enjoy Lee’s arrangement of David Foster’s song, made famous by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli.
Come and enjoy an uplifting evening of mid- summer song! With a wide variety of music on offer, both spiritual and worldly, old, modern and even brand new, there’s something for everyone.
Marking the feast day of St Peter, the programme includes the moving and spiritually profound music of Palestrina, marking 500 years since his birth, Britten, Brahms and Grieg. Simon Lindley’s popular Ave Maria will follow and pave the way for the world premiere of a striking new piece about two nuns (by two of our members) …
In a lighter second half, following interval refreshments, romance will take centre-stage with the music of Elgar, Finzi, Vaughan Williams and Stanford, with songs from Bernstein’s West Side Story supplying some fizz to finish!
So there is something for everyone to enjoy, and something to maybe touch the soul where other songs don’t reach. Bring a friend and have a great evening out!
St Peter’s Singers are passionate about the music we sing and want to share it with as many people as possible. We do all we can to make anyone who comes to our concerts feel welcome and at ease. So if you’ve not tried this music out before, why not come along and bring a friend? Everyone is welcome.
St Peter’s is an accessible venue with good facilities. For details of arrangements for disabled access, please visit the church’s website.
Note: This is an annotated form of the programme notes for this recital, exploiting web technologies to allow readers to delve deeper into the biographies of the composers and the meaning of musical and religious terms as they wish.
My spirit sang all day
Choral songs of the world and the spirit
Programme
Please click on the composers’ names to find about more about them
There’s no doubt about it: Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B Minor is a masterpiece. It is one of the most exhilarating and satisfying works both to perform and to listen to, and probably receives more performances now than at any time in its 275-year history.
We are thrilled to be performing it at Leeds Minster on Good Friday 18 April at 7pm. Tickets are available and you will be very welcome.
At St Peter’s Singers, we’ve been enjoying some wonderful rehearsals: those of us who know the work have loved returning to it afresh, discovering new things we hadn’t heard before; and those who don’t know it have been blown away by the beauty of the music as well as the technical demands it makes on us as singers.
The B Minor Mass is the product of a formidable intellect, a synthesis of Bach’s musical and theological knowledge, his spirituality and understanding of the human condition, and his artistic mastery. And despite its immense complexity, it remains accessible and deeply moving, resonating with audiences across centuries.
You only have to hear the first four spine-tingling bars, as they build to the most impassioned pleading from the human soul, to know that despite the Latin words and the unfamiliar text, this music can speak both to you and for you, whatever you do or don’t believe.
And with those four bars a journey begins, with music that gives voice to deep sadness and grief, wildly joyful dance and celebration, cheeky intimacy, solemn formality, prayerfulness, awe, longing, confidence, even doubt – an astonishing range of human feelings and experience. And all the while working through the Latin text of the Catholic Church’s Mass!
It’s extraordinary to think that Bach himself almost certainly never heard it in its entirety: he only completed it in the last year of his life, and almost certainly didn’t have the resources it requires at his disposal in Leipzig. Listening to it complete, as we do, is a privilege.
But it was composed long ago, and the world has changed, so what does it mean for us today, and does performing it on Good Friday mean anything?
The answer varies, of course, depending on your perspective.
For many, the music still speaks deeply on its own, with a spirituality that touches the parts that little else can reach. It provides a much needed stability and counterweight to the shallow and fly-by-night nature of our Social Media-driven world. The opacity of the Latin ensures that the text is not intrusive. Perhaps the Easter weekend, with its two bank holidays, may bring a slight jolt in the normal rhythms of life, and with it perhaps a prompt to seek out meaning and connection with something deeper than daily life normally offers. Perhaps a live performance in the grandeur of a beautiful church may prove more meaningful than a recording played in the living room.
For Christians, anything that illuminates faith and encourages prayer may be welcome. For those who, on Good Friday, may have experienced a week of intense and dramatic re-enactment of Jesus’ last days and hours, the evening – with Jesus now laid to rest in the tomb – brings a spiritual, almost eerie, peace, and the chance to step back and ponder what it all means. The Mass, reflecting as it does on the sacrifice made by Christ on the cross, is an ideal and – in translation – familiar text, and Bach’s music, as it explores and illuminates it almost clause by clause can undoubtedly bring insight, joy and prayerfulness.
But wherever we come from, Bach’s mighty Mass in B Minor can speak to us all. On the one hand it is steeped in his mature and very considerable understanding of the text, and yet on the other he presents to us the most opaque, mysterious words written in a rich but dead language. It is the music that speaks, conjuring up a sense of great spiritual mystery, meaning and prayerfulness, maybe drawing our tears of sorrow and voicing our pleas but above all calling us to the dance.
Note: This is an annotated form of the programme notes for this recital, exploiting web technologies to allow readers to delve deeper into the biographies of the composers and the meaning of musical and religious terms as they wish.
Mass in B Minor
Johann Sebastian Bach
1685-1750
Ruby Hendry
soprano
Lucy Appleyard
mezzo
Joanna Gamble
contralto
Toby Ward
tenor
Quentin Brown
bass-baritone
St Peter’s Singers
National Festival Orchestra
Sally Robinson leader
Shaun Turnbull continuo
Alexander Woodrow conductor
We would like to thank Canon Paul Maybury, Rector, and the Churchwardens of Leeds Minster for their significant support for St Peter’s Singers, and for hosting tonight’s event.
We would also like to thank The Friends of the Music of Leeds Minster for their generous support.
We remember tonight with the deepest affection and gratitude our Founder and former Director of Music
Photo by Nicki Roach
Dr Simon Lindley (1948-2025)
He was passionate about the music of JS Bach and conducted many inspired and memorable performances
Mass in B Minor
Missa
Kyrie eleison
chorus
Christe Eleison
soprano I, soprano II duet
Kyrie eleison
chorus
Gloria in excelsis Deo
chorus
Et in terra pax
chorus
Laudamus te
soprano II solo
Gratias agimus tibi
chorus
Domine Deus
soprano I, tenor duet
Qui tollis peccata mundi
chorus
Qui sedes ad dextram patris
alto solo
Quoniam to solus sanctus
bass solo
Cum sancto spiritu
chorus
Symbolum Nicenum (Credo)
Credo in unum Deum
chorus
Patrem omnipotentem
chorus
Et in unum Dominum
soprano I, alto duet
Et incarnatus
chorus
Crucifixus
chorus
Et resurrexit
chorus
Et in spiritum sanctum
bass solo
Confiteor
chorus
Et expecto
chorus
Sanctus, Osanna, Benedictus and Agnus Dei
Sanctus
chorus
Osanna
chorus
Benedictus
tenor solo
Agnus Dei
alto solo
Dona nobis pacem
chorus
Text and Translation
The Latin text and an English Translation can be accessed here.
About the B Minor Mass
Bach only completed his ‘Great Catholic Mass’ late in his life, and remarkably, he almost certainly never heard it performed complete. Along with the Kunst der Fuge (‘Art of the Fugue’) on which he was also working in his final years, he seems to have thought of it as a final legacy, a statement both of his faith and of his mastery of Counterpoint. And yet it was not composed in a single act, and he may not have envisioned the whole work when he started on it. So how did this masterpiece come into being ?
Some background: Bach had arrived at Leipzig to his new post as Cantor at the churches of St Thomas and St Nicholas in 1723. He immediately set about re-invigorating the music and for the next five years composed at an astonishing rate: on average a 20-30 minute Cantata every week. In addition, 1724 saw the first performance of the St John Passion, and the St Matthew Passion was composed in 1727. By the last years of the decade he was effectively burned out, at odds with his employers, and settled at that point for using previous compositions to fulfil his church duties.
Composition and genesis
The creation of the B Minor Mass spans several decades but didn’t start in any formal sense until 1733, when he composed a Missa for the Elector of Saxony, which consists of the Kyrieand Gloriasections of the full Mass. He was hoping to secure the title of Court Composer. An offer was eventually forthcoming, but not one that provided the hoped-for exit from Leipzig, and the score was left to gather dust. But this initial offering eventually blossomed into what we now recognize as the B Minor Mass, and actually comprised all the music that precedes tonight’s interval.
The Missaof 1733
The Missa which Bach presented to the Elector of Saxony in 1733 was crafted with meticulous care, showcasing Bach’s ability to intertwine complex Counterpoint with expressive melody, as well as florid duets in the Neapolitan operatic style then in vogue at the Dresden court.
Some of the movements drew on music he had written a long time previously, which he adapted and, as was his custom, took great care to improve. Much of it was composed while he was at Dresden in the spring of 1733, and it was almost certainly performed in the July of that year, but whether Bach directed the performance we don’t know.
With extended fugues and complex choral Counterpoint, ecstatic dances, operatic duets and moments of tender introspection, all underpinned by the considerable resources of the Dresden Court orchestra (three high trumpets, two bassoons et al), it was on a scale never seen before.
This Missa set the standard for the subsequent movements, which Bach would add some fifteen or so years later.
Expansion and completion
It wasn’t until sometime around 1747 that Bach decided to expand the 1733 Missa into a full Mass. Driven perhaps by personal reflection in his later years, Bach embarked on the ambitious task of composing the remaining sections: the Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus, andAgnus Dei. He prepared for this by a thorough study of stile antico (a term meaning ‘ancient style’) exemplified in Mass settings by the likes of Palestrina, Caldara and Lotti.
The Credo(or ‘Symbolum Nicenum’) was conceived on a scale to match the Gloria, making it too long for use in a Church Service (although this has happened!).
Much of it was composed from scratch to fit a carefully designed structural scheme which placed at its centre the three narrative movements recounting the bare facts of Christ’s birth, death and resurrection (Etincarnatus, Crucifixus, Et resurrexit) on which the Christian faith is founded. Of these the Et incarnatus, composed late in 1749 in a late change of plan, is probably the last complete piece of music he wrote, while the Crucifixus, which follows seamlessly on, was originally composed with German words for a Cantata as far back as 1714. The structural change created by the insertion of the Et incarnatus, ensured that in line with Lutheran theology of the Cross, the Crucifixus became the central piece in the structure of the Credo.
It seems that the Symbolum Nicenum left a particularly strong impression on the next generation, with his son Emmanuel, now in Hamburg, composing a Magnificat in 1749 that was clearly indebted to his father’s latest work.
The remaining movements (Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei) were partially assembled from earlier compositions (the six-part Sanctus from 1724, the Agnus Dei (whose origins lay in the Ascension Oratorio BWV 11 or even earlier), and the Dona nobis pacem (which like the Gratias movement in the Gloria repeats music from the 1731 Cantata BWV 29), while the eight-part Osanna and the Benedictus were fresh compositions.
It is extraordinary, but perhaps the hallmark of Bach’s genius, that despite the diversity of styles and forms, the long gestation, and the re-use of earlier material, the B Minor Mass is imbued with a deep sense of coherence, unity and purpose, allowing it to resonate on multiple levels. This may be partially explained by Bach’s incredibly careful planning of the work’s structure, but also by recurring use of themes, motifs and symbolic musical gestures, such as the cross-motif and the use of numerology, even his B-A-C-H signature (German notation for B flat, A , C, B natural – but inverted on this occasion).
Impact and legacy
Since its completion, the B Minor Mass has been celebrated as one of the pinnacles of Western music. Although it was never performed in its entirety during Bach’s lifetime, its significance has only grown with time. His sons performed sections of it, and allowed copies to be made, one of which, remarkably, came into the hands of Samuel Wesley, father of Samuel Sebastian (who was the first organist of this church). So the work never quite fell into the obscurity that befell the St Matthew Passion for a century. Musicians and scholars alike have marvelled ever since at its complexity, beauty, and spiritual depth.
What is the meaning of the Mass in B Minor?
This question is essentially impossible to answer, such is the richness of the music within which Bach wraps the text.
But perhaps the place to start is with the Catholic Mass, which is the primary form of worship in the Catholic Christian Church (including much of the Anglican church, even if it prefers the term ‘Eucharist’). In this service of thanksgiving, the Church remembers and gives thanks for Christ’s sacrificial act of Love in his death by crucifixion on the Cross, through which fallible humankind is reconciled to God. The service re-enacts the Last Supper that Jesus shared with his disciples, and goes right back to the earliest days of the Church’s existence. As such it combines ritual, re-enactment and prayer.
It follows a basic pattern that includes an act of penitence and forgiveness as preparation (including the Kyrie), then an expression of praise and worship (Gloria), reading of Scripture and teaching, an assertion of Christian beliefs (Credo), prayers for those in need, and then the great thanksgiving and sharing of the bread and wine in memory of the Last Supper (incorporating the Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei).
The words usually set to music for the Western Catholic Mass, as here in the Mass in B Minor, consist of what is known as the ‘Ordinarium’ – the texts in the service that never vary from week to week:
A sequence of statements beginning I believe… which lay out the central tenets of the Christian faith, as determined at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. Note: this was a bit like the final communique from a modern G7 or COP summit, with every clause having been fought over, hence some of the rather strange formulations designed to hold the line against popular heresies (false doctrines). It expresses the core teaching of the Christian faith as it had developed over the three hundred or so years since Christ’s death.
The Sanctus, which quotes Isaiah’s Vision of the Lord , comes early in the Great Prayer of Thanksgiving where those on earth join the heavenly hosts in praise of God. The Benedictus expresses a blessing on Christ.
A prayer to Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb of God, to have mercy and grant us peace.
On the one hand these texts have to be seen as part of an extremely rich ritual whose significance is appreciated more fully with repetition and practise. It should not be forgotten that for millions of Christians over the ages this ritual was conducted in Latin, an opaque and ancient language whose words they may have learnt by rote, but of which they may have had little understanding. So in some senses it was the ritual that was important, not the precise meaning of the words. As such, this means that with musical settings such as the Mass in B Minor, understanding the words is not necessarily essential and the music may convey meaning in its own right.
But on the other hand, it is impossible, especially with the Mass in B Minor, to ignore Bach’s response to the meaning of the words. To take a few examples: the prayerful upward inflections and downward sighs in the first KyrieFugue, the festive joy of the opening of the Gloria, the sense of mystery in Qui tollis and Et incarnatus, the unbridled liberation at the first mention of the Holy Spirit in Cum sancto spiritu, the extraordinary sinking feeling as Jesus’ burial is recorded at the end of the Crucifixus, the chatty intimacy of the Soprano and Tenor soloists as God the Son comes into the picture in Domine Deus, the initial hesitation when the words et expecto are first introduced (‘I look for the resurrection of the dead’) at the end of the Confiteor, and so many more. All these reflect a profound understanding of the theology, and express it in human terms, the musical language of human emotions, thereby repaying the listener’s engagement with a text that may otherwise be opaque and unapproachable.
For Christians, Good Friday is the culmination of a week in which re-enactment of Jesus’ last days and hours is often the primary means for trying to enter into and discover the meaning of those events. But by the evening of Good Friday, with Jesus dead and his body laid to rest, the opportunity arises to step back and reflect on what it all means. There could hardly be a better opportunity for this than that provided by Bach’s Mass in B Minor.
These notes owe a substantial debt to John Eliot Gardiner’s superlative book on Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven. If any of the above has aroused your interest, you would doubtless be richly rewarded by giving it some time.
It is with the deepest sadness imaginable that we mourn Dr Simon Lindley, who passed away on 25 February, aged 76. He founded the choir in 1977 with his friend Harry Fearnley, and directed us until 2021.
Many of us somehow thought this would never happen. He had been a presence in Leeds for fifty years, involved in almost every musical occasion and the driving energy behind so many of them. A musical force of nature with an unquenchable appetite for making music, he shared his music with anyone and everyone, and most generously with those of us fortunate enough to work with him. His legacy, bequeathed to countless people, is an incalculable debt of gratitude for so many unforgettable musical experiences, and warm memories of an inspirational and generous friend.
Despite being one of the finest organists of his generation, there appeared to be little or no distinction for him between amateur and professional musicians. What counted was how you responded to the music, and he had an extraordinary gift for recognising and encouraging innate musicianship, and imbuing singers with the confidence to express themselves and make music with him. He was a wonderfully instinctive musician, with whom no two performances were ever the same, but with whom every performance bore his hallmark: a live and highly musical interpretation, full of passion, energy and feeling.
For St Peter’s Singers and others this meant the thrill of being drawn into spur-of-the-moment, unrehearsed responses to the music. This was partly because he led us to perform so much music that there often wasn’t time to rehearse it in detail. He wanted fresh, responsive performances and an understanding developed between us (and indeed those who sang for him in other choirs) that led to some very fine music-making. As the vicar of a parish hosting a recital once put it, ‘Ladies and Gentleman, we have just witnessed the mystical union that exists ‘twixt Simon Lindley and the St Peter’s Singers’.
His musical instincts were incredibly strong, but also highly informed both by his extensive knowledge about music and the work in question, and by the depth of his understanding of the usually sacred texts we were singing.
One occasion stands out in the memory – a Good Friday performance of Messiah the first time we collaborated with the National Festival Orchestra. Emboldened no doubt by the quality of their playing, the bass aria Why do the Nations so furiously rage together began with a larger than usual sniff from him on the upbeat (always the harbinger of some excitement) followed by an adrenaline-charged, unbridled gallop which had players and soloist clinging on for dear life (and at least one chorus soprano reduced to helpless giggles).
But what followed was so impressive – the energy was maintained and indeed grew through the succeeding numbers reaching an astonishing climax in an electric Hallelujah chorus – Handel’s and Jennens’ intent revealed afresh by a touch of genius, a deep understanding of the work, his relish for musical drama, and the intense rhythmic vitality he brought to all his music-making . His ability to pace performances of Messiah in ways that illuminated it differently was a revelation every time we performed it.
With the odd curious exception, such as Beethoven, Dr Lindley’s musical tastes were quite catholic, and we were fortunate to be drawn along for the ride as he explored all sorts of different musical avenues and untrodden paths.
Frequent performances of Messiah and other works by Handel, together with the B Minor Mass, the Passions, Christmas Oratorio and numerous cantatas by J S Bach revealed a strong love of these composers. But the Good Friday presentations he started at Leeds Parish Church (now Leeds Minster) also included multiple performances of Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, the Stabat Maters of Haydn and Dvorak, and Brahms’ German Requiem.
He loved Victorian and Edwardian church music. He was a fine interpreter of his earliest predecessor at LPC, SS Wesley, and an authoritative one of the more recent Edward Bairstow, thanks in part to his longstanding friendship with Bairstow’s pupil and successor at York, Dr Francis Jackson. This friendship led to a commission and to memorable performances and recordings of Dr Jackson’s dramatic monologues Daniel in Babylon and A Time of Fire. Other revivals of neglected works included Somervell’s The Passion of Christ, and in 2005 William Lloyd Webber’s woefully underrated CantataThe Saviour. Under his leadership we commissioned a new work at least once every decade, and he was a strong champion of Matthew Oglesby’s remarkable Penthos.
But he had a deep love of 20th century French music too, and not just for organ or choir: this writer still remembers his exquisite impromptu playing (from memory) of some piano music by Ravel at the conclusion of an LPC Lay Clerk’s funeral in Huddersfield when the organ had also given up the ghost. His pianism was remarkable and made him an exceptional accompanist, especially in the English 20th century Song repertoire, as a number of us were fortunate to enjoy.
Dr Lindley had a genius for programming: who in their right mind would choose to follow Dvorak’s Stabat Mater with Parry’s Blest pair of Sirens, especially on Good Friday? But it proved a masterstroke, with the blazing optimism of the Parry foreshadowing Easter Day and rescuing us all from the immense sadness of the Dvorak. He was equally adept at making unusual selections of pieces that would work together, his last recital with us (a Carol concert at Bolton Priory in 2019) being a case in point.
All this adds up to an extraordinary legacy of musical experiences, many life-shaping, for all those of us who sang in St Peter’s Singers. But it only tells half the story.
Dr Lindley’s personality was strong, complex, eccentric and hugely charismatic. He was highly knowledgeable and articulate, with colourful turns of phrase and an engaging gift for public speaking. Rehearsals were both educational and entertaining. Anecdotes and quotes abound with phrases such as ‘Come on basses, it’s not Lutoslawski’ or ‘Well tenors, I’m glad you’re not guiding me around the dance floor’ enduring in the mind as characteristically humorous rebukes for poor sight-reading or rhythm.
Sometimes he could be exasperating, but those who got to know him will remember him above all for a generosity and personal warmth that transcended these moments. Despite taking on a punishing workload in support of causes he believed in, he was prodigal with his time and energy in support of others, not just young musicians whose careers (musical or otherwise) he would seek to further through advice, coaching or writing references, but also the many grieving families, whose funerals he would transform, compassionately, through his organ-playing, often for little or no charge.
He was deeply loyal and built personal relationships with all those whom he got to know, remembering details of family members and enquiring frequently after their wellbeing, a master of the personal touch. His generosity included a remarkable propensity to forgive, which often inspired those with whom he crossed swords to reciprocate.
Much of this stemmed from his Christian faith, instilled in him by his upbringing but completely absorbed and made his own, and founded on genuine humility, a humility that explains his desire for a very simple funeral.
It may somehow also explain his love of the simplicity of musical miniatures, such as Bairstow’s I sat down under his shadow, which characteristically somehow say so much more by saying much less. This simplicity characterises his own compositions, not least the Taylor Trilogy whose first performance, on the day he was finally taken ill, he sadly missed.
We could not be more proud to have commissioned this last work. His choice of words by Bishop Jeremy Taylor was highly personal and revealing of this warm and generous man, whom we now mourn with every passing breath. May he rest in peace.
Let’s sing Him up again ! Each man wind up his heart To bear a part In that angelic choir, and show His glory high as He was low ! Let’s sing towards men good will and charity, Peace upon Earth, glory to God on high Hallelujah, Hallelujah ! Mysterious God, regard me when I pray: And when this load of clay Shall fall away, O let Thy gracious hand conduct me up, Where on the Lamb’s rich viands I may sup: And in this last Supper I May with Thy friend in Thy sweet bosom lie For ever in Eternity. Allelujah.
St Peter’s Singers return to the superb acoustics of St John’s, Sharow with another programme that offers a superb variety of choral music with something for everyone to enjoy.
Refreshments will be served and the concert will finish about 4.15pm
What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon?
Held within the exquisite venue of St John’s, Sharow, this concert offers a choral tapestry celebrating and illustrating the wonderful variety and richness of Western choral music.
Alongside a heady mix of Romantic-era poetry and love songs, the programme includes the spiritually profound music of Palestrina, marking 500 years since his birth, and a contemporary masterpiece of Sir James MacMillan, born in 1959.
So there is something here for everyone to enjoy, and something to maybe touch the soul where other songs don’t reach.
St Peter’s Singers are passionate about the music we sing and want to share it with as many people as possible. We do all we can to make anyone who comes to our concerts feel welcome and at ease. So if you’ve not tried this music out before, why not come along and bring a friend? St. John’s Church is an accessible venue with good facilities. Everyone is welcome.
Note: This is an annotated form of the programme notes for this recital, exploiting web technologies to allow readers to delve deeper into the biographies of the composers and the meaning of musical and religious terms as they wish.
Programme
Vast Ocean of Light
Jonathan Dove (b 1959)
A Taylor Trilogy
Simon Lindley (b 1948)
Miserere
James MacMillan (b 1959)
Messe Solennelle
Jean Langlais (1907-1991)
Dr Lindley’s work A Taylor Trilogy was commissioned by St Peter’s Singers of Leeds in grateful recognition of the composer’s generous and inspirational leadership, 1977-2021, and here receives its first performance.
Vast Ocean of light, whose rayes surround The Universe, who know’st nor ebb, nor shore, Who lend’st the Sun his sparkling drop, to store With overflowing beams Heav’n, ayer, ground, Whose depths beneath the Centre none can sound, Whose heights ‘bove heav’n, and thoughts so lofty soar, Whose breadth no feet, no lines, no chains, no eyes survey, Whose length no thoughts can reach, no worlds can bound, What cloud can mask thy face? where can thy ray Find an Eclipse? what night can hide Eternal Day?
Jonathan Dove (b. 1959) is a versatile composer in a host of genres, and studied composition with Robin Holloway at Cambridge University. Vast Ocean of Light (2010) sets poetry by Phineas Fletcher, metaphysical English poet of the Renaissance. Dove has said, ‘Light […] has always been a source of inspiration to me, and the heavenly bodies often provoke a desire to create some kind of numinous music’. Listen out for the ostinato sparkling quavers of the organ accompaniment, the dazzling harmonies, the striking use of Canon between the voices, and the overall sense of spaciousness and awe which the music evokes.
What glorious light!
How bright a Sun after so sad a night Does now begin to dawn!
O dearest God preserve our souls In holy innocence; Or if we do amiss, Make us to rise again to th’life of Grace, That we may live with thee, and see thy glorious face, The crown of holy Penitence. Allelujah.
Lord, let the flames of holy charity, And all her gifts and graces slide Into our hearts, and there abide; That thus refined, we may soar above With it unto the element of love, Even unto Thee, dear Spirit, And there eternal peace and rest inherit. Amen.
Let’s sing Him up agen !
Each man winde up’s heart
To bear a part
In that angelick quire, and show
His glory high as He was low !
Let’s sing t’wards men good will and charity,
Peace upon Earth, glory to God on high
Hallelujah, Hallelujah !
Mysterious God, regard me when I pray:
And when this load of clay
Shall fall away,
O let Thy gracious hand conduct me up,
Where on the Lamb’s rich viands I may sup:
And in this last Supper I
May with Thy friend in Thy sweet bosome lie
For ever in Eternity.
Allelujah.
Commissioned by St Peter’s Singers, Simon Lindley’s A Taylor Trilogy is a caring yet confident setting of extracts from the writings of Jeremy Taylor, Bishop of Down and Connor. Taylor is arguably under-represented in the choral repertoire, and so this composer’s very personal selection is most welcome. The sensitive choral writing ebbs and flows unhindered by gratuity and in so doing allows the text to thrive by its own great merit.
Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam: et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum, dele iniquitatem mean
Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea: et a peccato meo munda me
Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco: et peccatum meum contra me est semper
Tibi soli peccavi et malum, coram te feci: ut justificeris in sermonibus tuis, et vincas cum judicaris
Ecce enim in iniquitatibus conceptus sum: et in peccatis concepit me mater mea
Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti: incerta et occula sapientiae tuae manifestasti mihi
Asperges me hyssopo, et mundabor: lavabis me, et super nivem de albabor
Auditui meo dabis gaudium et laetitiam: et exsultabunt ossa humiliata
Averte faciem tuam a peccatis meis: et omnes iniquitates meas dele
Cor mundum crea in me, Deus: et spiritum rectum innova in visceribus meis
Ne projicias me a facie tua: et spiritum sanctum tuum ne auferas a me
Redde mihi laetitiam salutaris tui: et spiritu principali confirma me
Docebo iniquos vias tuas: et impii ad te convertentur
Libera me de sanguinibus, Deus, Deus salutis meae: et exsultabit lingua mea justitiam tuam
Domine, labia mea aperies: et os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam
Quoniam si voluisses sacrificium, dedissem utique : holocaustis non dedectaberis
Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus: cor contritum et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies
Benigne fac, Domine, in bona voluntate tua Sion: ut ædificentur muri Jerusalem
Tunc acceptabis sacrificium justitiae, oblationes et holocausta: tunc imponent super altare tuum vitulos
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness: in your great tenderness wipe away my faults;
Wash me clean of my guilt: and purify me from my sin
For I am well aware of my faults: my sin is constantly in mind
Against you, you alone, I have sinned, I have done what you see to be wrong: that you may be justified in your words, and victorious when you give judgement
You know I was born sinful: a sinner from the moment of conception
But you delight in sincerity of heart: and in secret you teach me wisdom
Purify me with hyssop until I am clean: wash me until I am whiter than snow
Let me hear the sound of joy and gladness: and the bones you have crushed will dance
Turn your face away from my sins: and wipe away all my guilt
Create a clean heart in me, O God: and renew a resolute spirit within me
Do not banish me from your presence: do not take away your holy spirit from me
Give me back the joy of your salvation: keep my spirit steady and willing:
I shall teach transgressors your way: and the sinners will return to you
Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, God my saviour: and my tongue will acclaim your righteousness;
Lord, open my lips: and my mouth will speak out your praise
Sacrifice gives you no pleasure, or I would offer it: but you do not desire burnt offerings Sacrifice to God is this broken spirit: you will not scorn this crushed and broken heart, O God
In your graciousness do good to Zion: rebuild the walls of Jerusalem
Then there will be proper sacrifice to please you – holocaust and whole oblation: then shall young bulls to be offered on your altar
Psalm 51
Sir James MacMillan (b. 1959) studied composition with Wakefield-born Kenneth Leighton and John Casken, his music being inspired by many things, including his Catholic faith and the folk music of his native Scotland. Miserere Mei is a substantial ‘a cappella’ work, setting verses from Psalm 51 (as Allegri famously did centuries earlier), and placing significant technical and expressive demands upon the choir. The music has a small number of principal musical themes that occur in various guises throughout the work. There is some amazingly virtuosic soprano writing early on, and a number of very powerful and dramatic moments, a superbly affecting section of simple homophonic free chant at the centre, and at the end a great sense of peace and tranquillity when the writing gives way to a beautiful E major hushed cadence.
Gloria in excelsis Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonæ voluntatis. Laudamus te. Benedicimus te. Adoramus te. Glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam. Domine Deus, Rex cælestis, Deus Pater omnipotens. Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe. Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris. Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis. Quoniam tu solus Sanctus. Tu solus Dominus. Tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe. Cum Sancto Spiritu, in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.
Sanctus Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt cæli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis.
Benedictus Benedíctus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis
Agnus Dei Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi miserere nobis Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi miserere nobis Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi dona nobis pacem
Lord, have mercy upon us Christ, have mercy upon us Lord, have mercy upon us
Glory be to God on high, and in earth peace, good will towards men. We praise you. We bless you. We worship you. We glorify you. We give thanks to thee For your great glory. O Lord God, Heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesu Christ; O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father. Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. You who takes away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. You who sits at the right hand of the Father, have mercy upon us. For you only are holy. You only are the Lord. You only are most high, Jesus Christ, With the Holy Spirit, In the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Holy, holy, holy Lord Lord God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, grant us your peace
Roman Missal
Jean Langlais (1907-1991) was a famous, blind Parisian-based organist, composer and teacher. A pupil of Marcel Dupré and Paul Dukas, he held the position of organist at the Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde in Paris for some 43 years. The Messe Solennelle (1949) is written for choir and two organs, one exceedingly powerful and set at the West End of the church (the Grand Orgue) and one much more accompanimental in nature (the Petit Orgue). As titular organist, Langlais would have played the Grand Orgue and his assistant organist the Petit Orgue; this afternoon, however, Darius manages to blend both organ parts seamlessly into one, making the most of the distinction between the thrilling ‘tutti’ sound of the Leeds cathedral organ for the tutti moments, juxtaposing with the softer stops for supporting the choir.
The five movements comprise some thrilling music. The influence of plainchant, and indeed organum (parallel harmony, Medieval in feel) is never far away, but with a thrilling 20th century use of harmony (in common with the wonderful Requiem by Duruflé, contemporary of Langlais, that was written just a few years earlier). Always attentive to the text that is set, Langlais’ setting of the Mass alternates skilfully between ethereal and tender; and ecstatic and thrilling, using a very distinctive and utterly ‘French’ tonal palette.
Get your Christmas celebrations off to the best possible start in the company of St Peter’s Singers and the beautiful setting of St Oswald’s Church in Guiseley!
With a fine mix of traditional Christmas music and carols, old and new, this will be the perfect opportunity to set aside the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations, find some peace, and feed the soul.
St Peter’s Singers are directed by Alexander Woodrow, with Shaun Turnbull accompanying on the organ.
