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Thames Valley Early Music Forum
21 February @ 10.30am to 5.30pm
About Thames Valley Early Music Forum
Henry Purcell
Movements from Come, ye Sons of Art and the symphony and choruses from Ode to St Cecilia’s Day
A workshop for voices and baroque orchestra (A=415)
Directed by Benjamin Nicholas
Singers and baroque instrumentalists are invited to a day of choruses and other highlights from two of Purcell’s best-known odes – Come ye Sons of Art, composed for Queen Mary’s birthday in 1694, and Hail, bright Cecilia! First performed at Stationers’ Hall on St Cecilia’s Day in 1692.
Applications are invited from singers and instrumentalists who play strings (viol and violin families), oboe, bassoon, and continuo (you will need to bring your own plucked or keyboard instrument).
To be sure, the natural trumpets and timpani have already been invited. Wind players – please indicate on the form if you would be happy to sing if places for your instrument are full.
Although, the number of wind instruments will be limited, expect that extra wind will be allowed, including recorders, to play in the short session after lunch when we do the Symphony from the Ode to St Cecilia’s Day. These extra wind players will need to sing in the other sessions.
The pitch will be A=415. The plan is to do movements from Come, ye Sons of Art in the morning, including the chorus Come ye sons of art, Sound the trumpet, The day that such a blessing gave, See nature rejoicing, and probably the Symphony.
In the afternoon, there is an aim to do movements from the Ode to St Cecilia: 1 Symphony (rehearsed straight after lunch), 2 Hail Bright Cecilia, 5 Soul of the World, 6 Thou tuned’st this world 1-34 Symphony, and 69-102 chorus, and 13 Hail bright Cecilia chorus. Any solo sections that we do will be sung tutti.
Singers are encouraged to download and print their scores or read them from a tablet, but we can provide you with a printed copy. Please indicate your preference when you book.
These two CPDL editions will be used:
All instrumental parts will be provided on the day, but can be found on CPDL if you want to look at them in advance.
The Thames Valley Early Music Forum is for people who play early instruments or sing early music, both amateurs and professionals. About once a month we put on one-day workshops with professional conductors, often well-known experts in their field, covering a wide range of baroque and renaissance music.
Every two months, members receive our newsletter ‘Tamesis’ which contains information about our workshops and those in other parts of the UK, as well as a list of local early music concerts, articles and members’ advertisements.
Members have cheaper admission to our own workshops and those of other forums. The area officially covered includes London and Oxford and the counties in between but there are members from all over southern England.
Tickets
Please see important booking information below.
Booking information
Workshop fee:
- Early Music Forum and Keble members – £16.00,
- Full time students – £5.00,
- Non-members – £20.00.
TVEMF membership to the end of 2025 costs £6.00 by Standing Order (£9.00 by BACS or cheque) – Application Form.
Dates & times:
Saturday 21 February 2026 at 11.00am
Doors open at 10.30am
Running time:
6 hours 30 minutes, including an interval