Susie Vaughan Composer

I warmly invite you to this concert: Wisdoms, on Friday 9th December at 7:30pm, of music new and old for Baroque instruments with Janet Oates and the wonderful musicians and singers of Theorbo Today and Philomel.

I’m having performed the Agnus Dei from my collection of pieces Sounding the PAges. These compositions are settings of text by, and musical reflections on artefacts relating to, Mary, Queen of Scots.

The pieces are in the stye of mini film scores. For the concert, I’ve written a new version of the Agnus Dei for Soprano Solo, Baroque Violin, Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord, but here is the original recording, beautifully sung and played by:

Hedvig Eriksson: Soprano
Catherine Martin: Violin
Anna Holmes: Cello
Juliet Edwards: Piano

PROGRAMME NOTE:

This miniature Agnus Dei underwent a ‘reverse ravalement’ for period instruments into the arrangement presented here for Soprano Solo and Baroque Trio, following the recent British Library Exhibition: Elizabeth and Mary, Royal Cousins, Rival Queens and viewing the artefacts associated with Mary Queen of Scots in the Kingdom of the Scots Gallery, National Museums of Scotland. This inspired me to create a collection of pieces in the stye of mini dramatic film scenes: Sounding the PAges, setting to music Mary Queen of Scots’ final Sonnet: Que Suis-Je Hélas? - written on the eve of her execution on 8th February 1587 at Fotheringhay Castle - and musical reflections on artefacts relating to the life of Mary Queen of Scots, including the Agnus Dei, gold rosary beads, and other objects of devotion, she wore at her execution:

“She entered the hall dressed in black with a white veil, carrying her ivory crucifix and Latin prayer book, with an Agnus Dei [a small wax tablet stamped with the image of the Lamb of God notionally consecrated by the pope] around her neck and a rosary on her girdle.”
[British Library Catalogue, Ed. Susan Doran, Elizabeth and Mary, Royal Cousins, Rival Queens, p.190 & 230].

Antonia Fraser, in her biography Mary Queen of Scots, further documents:

“According to their usual practice, the executioners stretched out their hands for the queen’s ornaments, which were their perquisites. When they touched the long golden rosary, Jane Kennedy protested, and the queen herself intervened and said that Bull would be compensated with money in its place, and the same promise had to be made regarding the Agnus Dei.” [p.1,171/1,362]

The next piece to be composed for this collection is a setting of the Ode that Mary, Queen of Scots wrote on the death of her young husband, Francis II (1544-60): En mon triste et doux chant for Soprano Solo, Baroque Violin, Viol Consort & Harpsichord.

I am delighted and honoured that my piece La Conversation Enchantée et Galante has been chosen as one of the three winning compositions in this year's wonderful Zuzana Růžičková Composition Competition 2022. Huge thanks to competition founder Ada Witczyk and the rest of the judging panel. Receiving the Viktor Kalabis Prize and the Prima la Musica Prize means that the piece will be recorded by Ada Witczyk and the musicians of Florilegium, then filmed by Director Simon Helbling, and published by Prima la Musica, which is all wonderful news. This competition has been such a pleasure and an inspiration to take part in and I look forward to sharing the piece very soon. To read more about the competition and La Conversation Enchantée et Galante please follow the link on the button below.