Choral Christmas: A soaring Gloria from John Taverner

At 10am GMT on each day of Advent I am posting a video of a piece which, in my opinion, celebrates the best of music made by the human voice – with the occasional quirky video thrown in for good measure! You can catch up with the full Choral Christmas here.

John Taverner: Gloria, from the Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas (‘Glory be to the Trinity’ Mass)

Given his influence over the composers who were to follow him, it’s a crime that the name of John Taverner is not more widely known today. As Gimell Records point out:

Originally in a spirit of wanting to flatter Taverner by copying him, composers of every generation up to that of Purcell, and including Purcell himself, tested their contrapuntal techniques by basing music on the ‘In nomine’ section of the Benedictus of Taverner’s Missa Gloria Tibi Trinitas.

If anything, Taverner’s Western Wind Mass is more well known than his Trinity Mass, but for me it is this work, and this Gloria, which cry out to listened to in rapt attention. I dream of being allowed to sit in front of a choir in, say, Durham Cathedral, just me, a choir, and this. I’d be jelly on the floor come the final, awesome, Amen.

A score for the Gloria can be downloaded from CPDL.