Cristóbal de Morales
Missa Mille regretz Lamentabatur Jacob
Lamentatio ~ Zain Taedet animam meam
Parce mihi Domine Circumdederunt me
Cristóbal de Morales, a close contemporary of Thomas Tallis, was Spain’s first great composer. He was widely renown throughout Europe in his day and an important link between the generation of Josquin des Prez and that of Francisco Guerrero and Tomás de Victoria. His music combines the elegance and the imitative virtuosity of the Josquin generation with a clarity of expression and a human intensity. His six-part Mass, in our edition for SSAATB, is based on Josquin’s famous chanson. Morales’s facility in counterpoint enables him to sustain the chanson melody in one part while quoting it in the others to dazzling effect. Our survey of his output will be completed with motets and extracts from his Requiem Mass and setting of the Lamentations of Jeremiah.
Gabriel Díaz was born in Seville and directed the first Lacock course in that city in 2018. As a leading countertenor he performs regularly with orchestras and ensembles such as La Capella Reial de Catalunya, Choeur de Chambre de Namur, La Grande Chapelle, Los Músicos de su Alteza, Vox Luminis, Les Ambassadeurs and Musica Saeculorum.
Since his operatic debut at the Warsaw Chamber Opera, singing the role of Ircano in Semiramide riconosciuta by Leonardo Vinci he has sung many other operatic roles, including Andronico in Handel’s Tamerlano with the French orchestra Les Ambassadeurs, the title role in Handel’s Orlando with Welsh National Opera and Medoro in La Lisarda by Giovanni Battista Mariani at the Donaufestwochen in Austria.
Gabriel has explored other modes of musical expression such as the jazz-flamenco-classical fusion of the Looking Back Orchestra and its show Zambra Barroca by prestigious jazzist, recorder player and improviser Andreas Prittwitz, which he premiered at the Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid. He also performed in the dance show Until the Lions with Akram Khan, one of the most celebrated contemporary dance choreographers.
Granada
The city of Granada is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in Andalusia, famous for its grand medieval architecture dating from the Moorish rule, especially the Alhambra. This sprawling hilltop fortress complex encompasses royal palaces, courtyards and pools from the Nasrid dynasty, as well as the fountains and orchards of the Generalife gardens. We will sing in the church of the Monastery of San Bernardo, Calle Gloria 2 (Carrera del Darro), 18010 Granada, which is between the Alhambra and the mediaeval Albaicín district.
The course
The Missa Mille regretz is scored for SSAATB and our plan is to convene a group with six singers to a part. We will meet in the evening of Sunday the 2nd of March for dinner in a restaurant near the monastery. Then from Monday to Friday there will be rehearsals from 9.30am to 1pm and from 5pm to 7pm. On Friday the 7th of March we will give a public performance in the church, followed by a group dinner, which will mark the end of the course. On other evenings we will dine in smaller groups. Meals are not included in the fee for the course. All the music will be printed in a booklet and sent to you before the course.
Travel and accommodation
Granada has a railway station and an international airport served by British Airways, Iberia and many other carriers, with over 430 flights a week. A Lacock regular has had much experience of public transport in Andalusia and we will send you his page of recommendations if you are enrolled for this course. Participants in the course are asked to find their own accommodation. The Monastery of San Bernardo has a small number of rooms, which may be available for members of the course. As one of Spain’s most visited cities there will be no shortage of places to stay in March. The monastery is in the historic centre, between the Alhambra and the Albaicín.
Fees and enrolment
The fee for the course is paid in two parts: a deposit of £340 (or the equivalent in euros) on registration and €350 on or before arrival in Granada. The deposit may be credited to another course if you have to withdraw and we are able to allocate your place to another singer. The fee includes payment for the music booklet, which will be sent to you in advance, but not meals, travel or accommodation. To apply for a place on this course, just fill in the application form below and press the ‘send application’ button.
