More on the music for the FIUV in Rome

Cantus Magnus with Matthew Schellhorn at St Mary Moorfields, accompanying the Easter Vigil.

The Latin Mass Society is organising a Roman Pilgrimage to coincide with the General Assembly of the FIUV and the annual 'Summorum Pontificum' pilgrimage, 21-26th October, and we are sponsoring part of the music for these events through Matthew Schellhorn and his group Cantus Magnus.

See details of the pilgrimage here.

Matthew was recently interviewed on this in the New Liturgical Movement; he explains to Gregory Dipippo:



... we have music by Robert Parsons and William Byrd, both English composers who worked at the Chapel Royal and were most probably teacher and pupil respectively. We also have music by the great English Catholic composer Sir Edward Elgar, Master of the King’s Musick from 1924–34; his music is considered nowadays the epitome of “Englishness” or “Britishness”, but in fact owes more to continental Europe. I have also included a motet by my friend Sir James MacMillan, a potent musical voice who does much to represent Sacred Music and who is a Patron of The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales, which is sponsoring our work in Rome. To reflect the international dimension, I have programmed works by Josquin, Lotti, Viadana, Victoria, Palestrina, Mozart, Robledo and Franck. This will be a grand tour of Sacred Music!

Matthew was recently appointed as the Latin Mass Society's Director of Music in London. The Society organises (and pays for) a huge amount of sacred music in the London area, and we use a number of different choirs and scholas for this: not only the resident singers of Westminster Cathedral and St James' Spanish Place, but long-standing muscial friends of the Traditional Mass such as the Schola Gregoriana and Cantores Missae. This needs some professional oversight, and we are fortunate to have Matthew in this role. As the composer, Sir James MacMillan, said of the appointment:

I am delighted to hear of Matthew Schellhorn's appointment as the Latin Mass Society's Director of Music for London. Matthew is a consummate musician in both the secular and sacred spheres and I have known and admired his work for many years. He will provide the perfect guidance and leadership for the Society and will inspire its efforts throughout the country too. The LMS has never been more needed, and Matthew Schellhorn's new position will help the Church and its music go from strength to strength.

(See the press release on the appointment here.)

Matthew Schellhorn performing a newly composed piano meditation on the Stations of the Cross-
Ian Wilson's Stations - in St George's Cathedral, Southwark.

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