John Sheppard (composer) - Latin Music

Latin Music

Sheppard wrote a large body of polyphony for the Sarum Office. There are 21 responsories, elaborate liturgical units normally sung at Matins in which progressively shortened repetitions of the responsory itself alternate with verses and a doxology. Sheppard often set the responsory to five or six-part polyphony with the chant sung as a cantus firmus in the tenor (less commonly in the treble or mean) and leaving the incipit, verses and doxology to be chanted. A good example of this technique is Sheppard’s six-part setting of Verbum caro factum est (the ninth responsory at Matins on Christmas Day). In a few settings of ferial responsaries for Advent and Lent he employs the reverse procedure, providing polyphony for the incipit, the verses and the doxology but leaving the responsory itself to be sung to plainsong (In manus tuas a4). One of the most grandiose of Sheppard’s responsories is Gaude, gaude, gaude Maria (a6), a magnificent setting of the responsory and interpolated prosa for Second Vespers for the Feast of the Purification.

Like Tallis, Sheppard also composed alternatim hymns, with the even-numbered verses sung to polyphony with chant cantus firmus and the odd-numbered verses left to be chanted. Usually the cantus firmus is in the treble. There are also a number of additional items for particularly solemn feasts of the Church calendar, including settings of the Gradual at Mass for Easter Day (Haec dies a6), and of the Kyrie as sung at Second Vespers. An alternatim setting of the processional psalm In exitu Israel, composed for the Paschal Vigil, was set jointly by Sheppard, William Mundy and the young William Byrd.