Gabriel Crouch, Gallicantus & Elizabeth Kenny - Queen Mary's Big Belly: Hope for an Heir in Catholic England
Classical | WEB FLAC (tracks) & d. booklet | 77:32 min | 276 MB
Label: Signum Records | Tracks: 18 | Rls.date: 2017
Gallicantus perform music surrounding the fascinating yet tragic story of Queen Mary Tudor’s ‘phantom pregnancy’. On 30th April 1555 the city of London celebrated the birth of a healthy male heir, but abruptly ceased the next day after the news was revealed to be nothing but rumour. There was to be no heir, with gossip and speculation surrounding the tale of Mary’s pregnancy from that day onwards. The music performed here resonates with the circumstances of the mid-1550s, including items composed outside of Mary’s reign; from the royal ceremonies in which Mary participated as queen, and music directly tied to the specific events of 1554-5.