With the accession of James II to the throne, the Catholic religion in England was reasserted, which quickly led to internal political tensions. In 1688, Parliament dethroned the monarch, who was succeeded by his first-born daughter, Queen Mary II, and William of Orange, following the 'Glorious Revolution'.
This period saw the appearance of several publications aimed at strengthening the Protestant religion. These included two volumes of John Playford's Harmonia Sacra, which contained hymns for home performance with keyboard accompaniment by such notable composers as Henry Purcell, John Blow and Jeremiah Clarke.
The concert will feature a selection from this volume, with which we hope to present some of the perhaps most rarely heard gems of English Baroque music.