With their dramatic history, the Peterhouse Partbooks are among the most significant collections of English sacred music manuscripts from the 16th and early 17th centuries. Including several world-premiere recordings, this programme presents a survey of the rich variety in the Peterhouse manuscripts, from the Venetian splendour of Croce’s eight-part anthem Omnes gentes plaudite, to the penitential intimacy of Tallis’s O God be merciful unto us.

Collected for use in Peterhouse Chapel in the 1630s, and hidden during the Civil War, the Peterhouse Partbooks represent one of the most important manuscript collections of sacred choral music from the period. In this new recording the Choir of Peterhouse presents a snapshot of the rich and distinctive musical heritage of its Chapel in a programme that is rich in both discovery of more recently unearthed music, and the foundations of a tradition still very much alive in today’s Anglican Church. This is a release that will have an equal appeal to both scholars and fans of early religious choral music.

The Choir of Peterhouse, Cambridge, is appearing here in its Naxos debut. Founded in 1284, Peterhouse is the oldest college of the University of Cambridge. In 1635, the then master of Peterhouse John Cosin established a choir to sing in the college’s newly consecrated chapel, and Peterhouse continues to nurture its rich and historic musical tradition to this day. Music associated with Peterhouse Chapel in the 1630s forms a core part of the choir’s repertoire. The choir performs works from the 16th century to the present day, and regularly commissions new music. The choir tours internationally each year, and recent destinations have included Sweden, France, Lithuania, Latvia, Italy and the Faroe Islands.

Simon Jackson has been director of music at Peterhouse since 2017. He previously served as organist and director of music at the neighbouring Church of Little St Mary’s. He began his musical training as a chorister at York Minster, and continued his education at Jesus College, Cambridge where he sang as a choral scholar. In addition to his musical activities, he is an award-winning academic. His research focuses on the connections between poetry and music in the 16th and 17th centuries. His first book, George Herbert and Early Modern Musical Culture, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2022.