Rose City Renaissance offers a deep dive into one of the most interesting, and most neglected, categories of music written for Holy Week, The Lamentations of Jeremiah.

During the final three days of Holy week prior to Easter (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday) the office of Matins features readings from the Book of Jeremiah, three verses on each day with the concluding refrain, “Jerusalem, return to the Lord your God.” In the early 15th century composers began to set these texts polyphonically and by the end of the century the genre was in full bloom. In the early 16th century Petrucci published two volumes of Lamentations settings in 1506, notably the third category of sacred music he published after masses and motets, and before books dedicated to the Magnificat (1507) or Hymns and Lauds (1507)

In this workshop we will explore settings that span the period between 1500-1650, getting a taste of the full arc of this tradition:

Works to include settings by:

• Thomas Tallis

• Alphonso Lobo

• Antoine Brumel

• Emilio di Cavalieri

Recommended Viewing:
Early Music Sources, “The Fascinating Counterpoint of Renaissance Lamentation Letters”

Recommended Reading:
Brumel’s Lamentations: an analytical guideo-light

Saturday, April 12, 2025, 1:30-4:30pm
Grace Episcopal Church
Workshop pitch is A=440
$40