From the late fifteenth century and the music of Josquin des Prez to the present-day arrangement of Mark Hayes; from the early Catholic Mass settings to current spirituals and jazz settings, Mary, mother of Jesus, has inspired composers to celebrate one of the greatest females of all time.
We find numerous liturgical settings for the Virgin Mary all of which had a place in the Mass celebrating Mary’s role in the Biblical story of Jesus. These settings are as early as the thirteenth century to the present day. We will present settings by Josquin des Prez and William Byrd in the sixteenth century to a contemporary of Bach: Jan Dismas Zelenka’s Magnificat, Mozart’s setting of Regina Coeli, Elgar’s Ave Maria, Charles Villiers Stanford’s secular setting: When Mary Through the Garden Went, to the twentieth century with a spiritual by Moses Hogan and a contemporary jazz arrangement by Mark Hayes of Mary Did You Know.
It soon becomes evident that Mary inspired almost every genre of choral music both sacred and secular each celebrating the life of the Mother of God. Join the BCC in this inspirational journey through time that will highlight the choral glory of Mary in numerous genres, some of which may surprise with their creative insights into the most famous woman of all time.
