Composers Across Centuries

The Capitol Hill Chorale is excited to launch our spring fundraising campaign: Composers Across Centuries. Throughout the month, we’ll travel through centuries of history as we dive into the biographies of the composers whose works you will hear at our May concert:

• Josquin des Prez (c. 1450 – 27 August 1521), a prominent Renaissance composer, is often considered the first western composer to maintain widespread fame after death. He played a leading role in the Franco-Flemish School and greatly shaped European music during the 1500s. Josquin refined a sophisticated polyphonic style that closely linked musical expression with text. He also worked as a professional singer throughout his career, and his music consists almost entirely of vocal compositions.
• Josef Rheinberger (1839-1901) is from Liechtenstein but primarily resided in Bavaria, where he began playing organ for the Vaduz parish church by age 7. His first composition was performed when he turned 8. After he married, Rheinberger’s wife, Franziska von Hoffnaaß, wrote the texts of many of his vocal works.
• John Tavener (1944–2013), a composer predominantly of religious works, was born in Wembley, London. He is another example of a composer who got his start early; he was composing music as young as age 3 while learning to play piano and organ. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music and rose to prominence at age 24 through his cantata “The Whale,” which is based on the Old Testament story of Jonah. Tavener converted to Orthodox Christianity in 1977, and that liturgy then became a major influence on his work.

We also previewed composers you will hear next season at our December concert!

• William Billings (1746–1800), regarded as the first American choral composer, wrote works including hymns, anthems, psalms, and fuging tunes. He was instrumental in the growth of the singing-school tradition of American folk culture.
• Amy Beach (1867–1944) was among the first American composers—regardless of gender—to achieve international acclaim. Primarily self-taught, she published more than 300 compositions and became known as “the dean of American women composers.”
• Margaret Bonds (1913–1972), featured prominently in the Chorale’s June 2022 concert, was among the first Black composers to achieve national recognition in the United States. She is known for her acclaimed arrangements of African American spirituals and her stylistic blend of African and European musical traditions.

In celebration of our exploration of music across centuries, we hope you will consider giving to the Chorale as we strive to raise $10,000 this month.