I couldn’t resist writing a double-bill on the Reformation.
This kind of opportunity only arises every 500 years, so I just might not get another chance. I’ve done a couple of talks on music in the Reformation, which means that I’ve learnt a huge amount about the convictions and sacrifices of the musicians of the 16th century. One of my new heroines is Katherine Parr, Henry VIII’s sixth wife. We need to give thanks that Henry didn’t bow to the pressure of his Catholic advisors who wanted to send her to the same end as Anne Boleyn.
On the music scene, Katherine was absolutely key in making sure that the sung Word of God was audible. She even wrote her own words in English set to music by Thomas Tallis. We won’t know until we meet her in the New Creation whether this was because she didn’t trust the Catholic Tallis not to write in Latin! She was also hugely instrumental in bringing up her step-daughter Elizabeth with a Protestant music education. Hooray for Katherine Parr!
