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Richard III

In the light of the discovery in a Leicester car park of Richard III's skeleton, Lucie Skeaping and musicologist David Skinner consider what music the king might have heard.

Lucie Skeaping and musicologist David Skinner consider the music that might have been heard by Richard III.

In September last year archeologists from Leicester University made the exciting discovery in a car park of a Medieval skeleton which was later proved to be that of King Richard III. Thanks largely to Shakespeare's portrayal of Richard as a dysfunctional, ambitious and murderous villain, the character of the Yorkist king has been much discussed over the centuries, in spite of the fact that he was only on the English throne for two years before being killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.

For this edition of The Early Music Show, the Cambridge musicologist and director of the vocal ensemble Alamire - David Skinner - takes Lucie Skeaping to the Northamptonshire village of Fotheringhay, where Richard III was born, and talks about the kind of music he might have heard during his lifetime, which spans an exciting and fast moving period in the history of musical composition in England.

58 minutes

Music Played

  • John Dunstable

    Speciosa facta es

    Performers: Orlando Consort

    • METRONOME.
    • MET CD 1009.
  • Frankes

    Quene note [tenor melody with discant; Bodleian MS Digby 167, c.1470]

    Performers: The York Waits

    • SAYDISC.
    • CD-SDL 364.
  • Anon.

    Agincourt Carol

    Performers: Alamire, David Skinner (director)

    • Obsidian.
    • CD709.
  • Anon.

    En amours n'a si non bien

    Performer: Margaret Philpot (contralto)

    • HYPERION.
    • CDA 66194.
  • Walter Frye

    So ys emprinted (extract)

    Performers: Christopher Page (medieval harp), Christopher Wilson (lute)

    • HYPERION.
    • CDA 66194.
  • John Plummer

    Tota Pulchra Es

    Performers: The Sixteen, Harry Christophers (conductor)

    • COLLINS CLASSICS.
    • 14622.
  • Gilles Binchois

    Qui veut mesdire

    Performers: Shirley Rumsey, Christopher Wilson and Christopher Page (lutes)

    • HYPERION.
    • CDA 66783.
  • Anon.

    Plainchant - Requiem eternam (extract)

    Performers: The Cardinall鈥檚 Musick, Andrew Carwood (conductor)

    • ASV.
    • CD GAU 196.
  • John Dunstable

    Descendi in ortum meum

    Performer: The Cardinall鈥檚 Musick, Andrew Carwood (conductor)

    • ASV.
    • CD GAU 196.
  • Richard Davy

    O Domine celi terreque

    Performers: The Cardinall鈥檚 Musick, Andrew Carwood (conductor)

    • ASV.
    • CD GAU 196.
  • William Cornysh

    Ave Maria

    Performers: The Sixteen, Harry Christophers (conductor)

    • CORO.
    • Coro 16022.

Broadcast

  • Sat 22 Jun 2013 13:00

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