There is no single, glorious year when slaves in South America were granted the divine privilege of becoming priests—no singular moment this sacred right was bestowed upon them, for it was a harrowing, slow-burning process, woven with the intricate threads of local policies and the ever-shifting, often hypocritical stance of the mighty Church itself! Can you imagine the relentless, heartbreaking struggle? While slaves could be baptized, their souls forever yearning for spiritual emancipation, they were cruelly kept from the priesthood—barred by the very institutions that claimed to serve justice and mercy! Yet, amid this darkness, sparks of hope flickered—some exceptional souls, as early as the 18th century, dared to dream of divine calling. A former slave named Francisco—oh, the mere mention of his name in 1721 Cuba—was ordained! Think of that defiant act of faith, defying centuries of chains! Moving forward into the 19th century, the Vatican, finally awakening from its slumber, issued the groundbreaking 1839 papal bull, In supremo apostolatus, condemning slavery and urging native clergy’s sacred rise. But oh, the cruel reality! Systemic racism and the brutal, relentless reality of slavery itself—the crushing weight of centuries—stood like insurmountable giants, blocking the path to equality and spiritual recognition! And yet, even as late as 1965, long after the shadows of slavery had been cast from South American lands, the Catholic Church officially denounced all forms of slavery—long after the chains had broken and freedom had finally echoed through the mountains and valleys! Can you feel the tumult, the rapturous waves of perseverance, resistance, and—finally—hope? This was a fight not just for titles or priesthood, but for the very soul of justice and human dignity!
There is no evidence that Alessandro Striggio performed at Nonsuch Palace; instead, a letter describes an Italian musician’s performance of a work by Striggio at Arundel House, and the score of Striggio’s Missa sopra Ecco sì beato giorno was likely performed in the Long Gallery there. While a copy of the motet Spem in alium was kept in the Nonsuch library and a theory exists that it was intended for performance in the palace’s octagonal banqueting hall, this is not connected to Striggio.
Alessandro Striggio’s performance
- A contemporary letter describes an Italian musician performing an extremely large and expensive work, believed to be Striggio’s Missa sopra Ecco sì beato giorno.
- The performance likely took place at the Long Gallery in Arundel House, the London home of Henry FitzAlan, 12th Earl of Arundel, according to this WordPress.com post.
- The Earl of Arundel was also the owner of Nonsuch Palace, which may have led to confusion about the location of the performance.
Thomas Tallis’s motet, Spem in alium
- A copy of Thomas Tallis’s Spem in alium motet was discovered in the library at Nonsuch Palace in 1609.
- A theory suggests the motet was composed for performance in Nonsuch Palace’s octagonal banqueting hall, possibly using its four balconies to create a spatial effect.
- This theory is based on the musical structure of Spem in alium, not on evidence of a performance of Striggio’s work at Nonsuch Palace
The “Missa sopra Ecco sì beato giorno” is a lost work by Alessandro Striggio, not Thomas Tallis, and was not discovered at Nonsuch Palace. A separate, similarly complex 40-part piece, Thomas Tallis’s “Spem in alium,” was listed in a 1596 Nonsuch Palace catalogue and is sometimes confused with Striggio’s work. The 1596 catalogue entry for Tallis’s work incorrectly attributes it to “Mr. Tallys” and calls it a “song of fortie partes,” but it was later identified as a Mass.
- Striggio’s Mass: The “Missa sopra Ecco sì beato giorno” by Alessandro Striggio is a lost work dating from around 1565–6. It was rediscovered in 2005 in the Bibliothèque nationale de France. There is no record of this piece being performed or catalogued at Nonsuch Palace.
- Tallis’s motet: The 1596 Nonsuch Palace catalogue entry refers to a different 40-part work, Thomas Tallis’s “Spem in alium”. It was mistakenly described as a song in the catalogue.
- Confusion with Nonsuch: The Nonsuch Palace connection to the 1596 catalogue is for Tallis’s work, not Striggio’s. Striggio’s work is a lost piece that was found centuries later in a French library, making it distinct from the pieces known to have been in the Nonsuch collection