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Josquin des Prez was the towering central musical presence of the Renaissance, lauded by his contemporaries such as Castiglione and Rabelais, and the favourite composer of Martin Luther. The prestige he brought to the Franco-Flemish school of polyphony led to his successors’ appointments to some of the most important positions in Christendom: Philippe de Monte in Vienna, Rolande de Lassus in Munich and Adrian Willaert in Venice.
Johannes Ockeghem ~ D’ung aultre amer
Josquin des Prez ~ Missa D’ung aultre amer, Nymphes des bois, Mille regretz, Nymphes nappes
Jean Richafort ~ Requiem in memoriam Josquin des Prez
Jean Mouton ~ Qui ne regrettoit le gentil Févin
Jean Lhéritier ~ Miserere mei, Domine
Nicolas Gombert ~ Mille regretz, Musae Jovis
Loyset Compère ~ Ave, decus virginale
Pierre de la Rue ~ Agnus Dei, Missa L’homme armé
Thomas Crecquillon ~ Ave byssus castitatis
Rory Wainwright Johnson writes: “In this course we will be exploring the music of Josquin through the lens of his influences. These include his brilliant forerunner Johannes Ockeghem, the experimental Loyset Compère, to whom many ascribe importance in the development of his craft, and his association with members of the royal chapel in France in the early 1500s. We will also sing music by those who were – or claimed to have been – his students and others shaped by the legacy of one of the most prolific composers of the Renaissance and perhaps the greatest composer of all time.”
Gourdon en Quercy
Gourdon is a historic hilltop town in southwest France in the modern département of the Lot and the ancient province of Quercy. This is an undulating area of woods of oak and chestnut, ducks and geese, walnut groves, fields of maize and tobacco, cave paintings and the majestic rivers Lot and Dordogne – la France profonde. The town has a flourishing weekly market and an arts venue in a deconsecrated church, l’église des Cordeliers, which will be our home for the week.
Rory Wainwright Johnston is a British conductor and composer based in Berlin. He read music at the University of Manchester, followed by postgraduate studies in composition with Camden Reeves and Nina Whiteman. He then moved to Berlin and studied for a master’s degree in choral conducting at the Hochschule für Musik ‘Hanns Eisler’ under Justin Doyle.
Before moving to Berlin he worked with many choirs across the northwest of England and founded Manchester Renaissance Ensemble. He also worked as an associate conductor as part of The Hallé’s choral team. Previously, Rory had assisted Justin Doyle with RIAS Kammerchor’s 2017 performance of Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, and Matt Hamilton with the preparation of the Hallé Choir for the Hallé’s performance of Schoenberg’s Gurre-Lieder. In 2018 he was the musical director for Manchester Contemporary Youth Opera, conducting a mixture of University of Manchester and RNCM students alongside the Vonnegut Collective in the production of 5 newly-composed mini-operas. He was also the Young Artist Musical Director for Waterperry Opera Festival in 2019. Rory is currently the musical director of Consortium Vocale Berlin and is regularly engaged as a workshop and course leader for early music throughout the UK.
As a composer, his music has been performed and workshopped by a variety of ensembles from across the UK, including ORA Singers, Kantos Chamber Choir, Echo, Psappha Ensemble, BCMG Next, The Orchestra of Opera North, QuatourDanel, Skipton Camerata, Chester Bach Singers, and Ad Solem.
The course
Our plan will be to meet in time for a 5pm session on Sunday the 27th of August. Then in the ensuing week we rehearse all morning, have a long break in the middle of the day to rest the voice, have lunch, a walk, or in Tobias Smollett’s apt words, a recess from labour in a climate that disposes one to idleness. So from Monday to Friday our timetable will be:
09.30 – 11.00 first session
11.00 – 11.30 break
11.30 – 13.00 second session
13.00 – 17.00 long break
17.00 – 19.00 third session
We will arrange a supper for everyone together on the first and last evenings (not included in the fee for the course), but let the party split into smaller groups on the other four evenings. We will give a public performance in the evening of Friday the 1st of September.
Travel and accommodation
Gourdon has a railway station on the line from Paris to Toulouse. This is not a TGV line, but the excellent Man in seat 61 website will tell you how to get to Gourdon from Eurostar or any other European railway. The largely toll-free A20 north-south motorway passes near the town. The nearest airport is Brive, also known as Brive – Souillac and Brive – Vallée de la Dordogne. Bergerac is further away, and a larger choice of destinations will be offered by Toulouse and Bordeaux. You arrange your own accommodation. There is a wide choice of places to stay. Gourdon is a holiday destination and has hotels, gîtes (holiday lets), chambres d’hôte (b&bs) and a tourist office. We will send you more information about places to stay when you apply for the course.
Fees and enrolment
The fee for the course is paid in two parts: a deposit of £305 (or the equivalent in euros) on registration and €350 on or before arrival in Gourdon. 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 enrol, just email us and include the information listed below, or if we already know it just let us know that you would like to come. We will then let you know if we can give you a place and send you details of how you may pay the deposit.
