Three Motets

Richard Dering (c.1580-1630) was an English Roman Catholic composer active in the early seventeenth century. Dering spent many years abroad, and it is now assumed that he converted to Catholicism during a stay in Italy, after having trained as a musician in England where he obtained a B.Mus. from Christ Church, Oxford, in 1610. Dering spent time in Brussels as organist to a convent for English nuns, and was later awarded royal appointments as organist to Queen Henrietta Maria and as 'musician for the lutes and voices' to King Charles I. Dering thus became highly proficient in the contemporary styles of both England and Italy: his English music, which includes Anglican repertoire, was all published posthumously; his Italianate music includes Latin sacred works for the Catholic church, and secular Italian madrigals.