The Gaudete Singers: 1623 William Byrd & Thomas Weelkes

1623 William Byrd and Thomas Weelkes
The Gaudete Singers directed by David Leigh
St Patrick’s Cathedral Lady Chapel

What happened in 1623? On March 5th, the first American temperance law was enacted in Virginia. On April 29th, eleven Dutch ships departed for the conquest of Peru. On August 6th, Maffeo Barberini was elected Pope Urban VIII, a Florentine Pope who formed an alliance with Cardinal de Richlieu of France with the aim of making protestantism extinct everywhere. On December 5th, the first copies of William Shakespeare’s First Folio were purchased, collecting 36 of his plays posthumously into one volume. Shakespeare had died in 1616 aged 52. The Folio was bought by Edward Dering, thus preserving them and ensuring Shakespeare’s legacy.

And William Byrd and Thomas Weelkes died in 1623.

Come and join us to celebrate the lives and music of these two fascinating composers on 12th November in St Patricks’ Cathedral, Lady Chapel. We hope to see you there and please join us for a glass of wine after the concert (included in the ticket price). Tickets available on the door: €20, conc. €15, students €5, all including a glass of wine or soft drink afterwards.