Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina ~ Virgo prudentissima, Cantabo Domino, Gloria from Missa Ut re mi fa sol la, Agnus Dei (II) from Missa O magnum mysterium
Tomás Luis de Victoria ~ Salve Regina (a6), Lamentations for Good Friday ~ Aleph. Ego vir videns
Orlando Lassus ~ Domine Dominus noster, Verbum caro factum est
These works are unified as quintessential examples of late-Renaissance polyphony: the serene Roman School of Palestrina and Victoria and the more experimental, cosmopolitan Franco-Flemish style of Lassus. The connection to Ferrara is deeply rooted in the influential patronage of the Este dynasty. Duke Alfonso II d’Este actively sought the works of these masters to enhance the prestige of the Ferrarese court; for instance, he specifically commissioned a book of motets from Palestrina in 1575. Lasso also had a personal connection to the city, visiting Ferrara in 1567 to see its famous musical culture at first hand.
Patrick Craig writes: “This programme continues to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina whose possible birthdate spans both 1525 and 1526. His masterful Christmas motets, Marian Antiphons, Psalms and Masses are laid alongside similarly beautiful settings by his contemporary and predecessor at St John Lateran, Orlando Lassus, and his pupil who trained alongside his sons at the Lutheran Theological College in Rome, Tomás Luis da Victoria. We shall also explore Palestrina’s patron Cardinal Ippolito d’Este, the second son of the Duke of Ferrara. All these six part works match the splendour of Ferrara where Palestrina was much lauded and performed in his lifetime.”
Patrick Craig is a countertenor and conductor. Since 2012 his regular Lacock courses, combining exploration of 16th and 17th century sacred music within its historical and cultural contexts, have been widely praised. 
He is a Vicar Choral at St Paul’s Cathedral, a member of The Cardinall’s Musick and sang a thousand concerts around the world with the Tallis Scholars over a period of twenty years. He began conducting as organ scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge, and then spent two years studying singing at the Royal College of Music. He went on to found and direct Aurora Nova, the first all-female professional choir to lead Sunday worship at St Paul’s Cathedral. He led them on their first tour of USA, and also conducted the City of London Sinfonia in a series of orchestral Masses at St Paul’s. Other conducting opportunities followed including guest conducting The Cardinall’s Musick at the Brinkburn, Brighton, Lichfield and Aldeburgh Festivals. He is also the Director of Temenos chamber choir in Sevenoaks, with whom he has conducted Bach’s Magnificat and B minor Mass and Handel’s Dixit Dominus. In 2019 Patrick conducted his first Messiah in the Lichfield Festival, Biber’s 53-part Missa Salisburgensis in Thaxted, and made his conducting debut in Hong Kong.
With a prestigious inland location in the heart of the Po Valley, Ferrara
is renowned for its fine Renaissance buildings, arcaded streets, evocative misty autumns and radiant, temperate springs. Originally a secondary settlement under the Exarchate of Ravenna, Ferrara rose to unparalleled prominence under the rule of the House of Este beginning in the 13th century. It became a jewel of the Italian Renaissance, serving as a vital centre for the arts, philosophy, and the revolutionary ‘Addizione Erculea’ urban project, the first of its kind in modern Europe. After being absorbed into the Papal States in 1598, the city has maintained its aristocratic character. The course will be held in the historic centre, in Chiesa del Gesù, Via Borgo dei Leoni 56, 44121, near the cathedral and majestic Castello Estense.
The course
Our aim is to convene an SSAATB group with six singers per part. Participants should have straight, blending voices with full dynamic range and be able to response quickly to direction. We will meet in the evening of Sunday the 18th of October for an opening rehearsal session. Then from Monday to Friday there will be sessions from 9.30am to 1pm and from 5pm to 7pm. On Friday the 23rd of October we will give a public performance in the church, followed by af group dinner, which will mark the end of the course. Meals are not included in the fee for the course. All the music will be sent to you before the course, either printed in a booklet or as a pdf for you to read on a tablet.
Travel and accommodation
The nearest airport is Bologna, about 43 km away. From England, you can find flights with airlines such as British Airways, Ryanair and easyJet. From Bologna Airport, the most convenient options to reach Ferrara are the bus or a combination of the airport monorail and train. The Ferrara Bus & Fly shuttle operates a direct service from the airport to Ferrara’s city centre (Viale Cavour, near the Castello Estense), which takes just under an hour. Alternatively, you can take the Marconi Express monorail to Bologna Centrale railway station and then a direct train to the entire journey takes around 55 minutes, including transfers, and direct trains from Bologna to Ferrara run frequently, with the fastest taking as little as 20 minutes. Other possible airports are Venice Marco Polo and Verona. You arrange your own accommodation, and there is a wide choice of places to stay in the historic centre itself.
Fees and enrolment
This course is for invited singers but you may register an interest by completing the form below and pressing ‘send application’. The fee for the course is paid in two parts: a deposit of £343 or the equivalent in euros on registration and €400 on or before arrival in Ferrara. 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.
