Main content

Breaking Free - Martin Luther's Revolution: Eamon Duffy

Michael Berkeley's guest is Eamon Duffy, professor of the history of Christianity at Cambridge University. His choices include Purcell, Haydn, Elgar and Arab Christian chant.

Professor of the History of Christianity at Cambridge, Eamon Duffy has changed for ever the way we view the Reformation. His books, including The Stripping of the Altars and The Voices of Morebath, have revealed a picture of late medieval Catholicism as a strong and vital tradition, and have shown that the Reformation, for most ordinary people, represented a violent disruption to a flourishing religious system.

Eamon talks about his passion for medieval, Tudor and seventeenth-century music and history, the state of Catholic church music today and the pleasures of playing chamber music.

His choices of music include countertenor Alfred Deller singing Purcell, the Beaux Arts Trio playing Haydn and Janet Baker singing Elgar.

Eamon's final piece of music is a wonderfully evocative Arab Christian chant for Palm Sunday, sung by a nun from the Melkite order.

Producer: Jane Greenwood

Part of Radio 3's Breaking Free series of programmes exploring Martin Luther's Revolution.

1 hour

Last on

Sun 30 Apr 2017 12:00

Clip

Music Played

  • William Byrd

    Ave Verum Corpus

    Conductor: Harry Christophers. Choir: The Sixteen.
  • Henry Purcell

    Music for a While

    Performer: William Christie. Singer: Alfred Deller.
  • Henry Purcell

    Music for a while from Oedipus

    Singer: Alfred Deller. Performer: Walter Bergmann. Ensemble: Deller Consort.
    • The Art of Alfred Deller: The Deller Consort.
    • Vanguard Classics.
    • 1.
  • George Frideric Handel

    As Steals the Morn (L'Allegro, Il Penseroso ed il Moderato)

    Singer: Lucy Crowe. Singer: Mark Padmore. Orchestra: The English Concert. Conductor: Andrew Manze.
  • George Frideric Handel

    As steals the morn (L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato)

    Singer: Lucy Crowe. Singer: Mark Padmore. Orchestra: The English Concert. Conductor: Andrew Manze.
    • Harmonia Mundi.
  • Joseph Haydn

    Piano Trio in A major, H.15.18 (Finale)

    Ensemble: Beaux Arts Trio.
  • Edward Elgar

    The Land Where Corals Lie (Sea Pictures)

    Singer: Janet Baker. Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: John Barbirolli.
  • Billy Strayhorn

    Isfahan

    Composer: Duke Ellington and His Orchestra. Orchestra: Duke Ellington and His Orchestra.
  • Trad.

    Allahu-r-rabu dhara lana

    Singer: Sister Marie Keyrouz.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 14 Dec 2014 12:00
  • Sun 30 Apr 2017 12:00

What makes Boogie-woogie piano legend Jools Holland tick?

What makes Boogie-woogie piano legend Jools Holland tick?

For Private Passions, Jools Holland revealed his piano history to Michael Berkeley.

11 things we learned from Harry Enfield’s Private Passions

11 things we learned from Harry Enfield’s Private Passions

Harry doesn't usually give interviews – but he couldn't say no to Michael Berkeley.

Archive Unlocked: Two Decades of Private Passions

Michael Berkeley introduces memorable interviews from Private Passions' archives.

Podcast