RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS
Peter Leech completed his PhD in musicology in 2004 awarded by Anglia Ruskin University, with a thesis entitled ‘Music and Musicians at the Stuart Catholic Courts, 1660-1718’, supervised by leading seventeenth-century specialist Dr Peter Holman MBE.
Peter's core research has dealt with vocal and instrumental music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with areas including music and musicians in the British Royal Catholic chapels 1660-1714, music and musicians in the British Jesuit diaspora 1580-1773, late 17th century instrumental and vocal music in England, 18th century choral and instrumental music in Rome and eighteenth-century Russian Orthodox choral music.
Specific research topics (many yielding publications) have included vocal and instrumental music associated with Queen Catherine of Braganza, King James II (in England and in exile), as well as sacred music associated with Cardinal Henry Benedict Stuart (1725-1807) in Rome and sacred music performed for the Russian Tsars during the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Other recent research activities include a survey and re-evaluation of the choral output of the 18th-century Roman composers Giovanni Battista Casali, Maria Rosa Coccia and Giovanni Battista Costanzi (involving transcription and editing from widespread European sources), the transcription and editing of a Requiem setting by the early 19th-century Bohemian composer Joseph Holub from an autograph manuscript, and the creation of editions of songs by the 19th-century Bristol composer and child prodigy William Sidney Pratten (also transcribed from autograph manuscripts), composed from the 1850s to the 1870s).
Peter is also compiling an anthology of Russian Orthodox choral music composed between c.1700-c.1900 from original Russian editions by Jurgenson and others.
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PUBLICATIONS
2020
Gaudeamus omnes: Catholic Liturgical Music for St Thomas Becket in the British Isles, Continental Europe and the Venerable English College, Rome c. 1170 - 2020. Memory, Martyrs, and Mission: Essays to commemorate the 850th anniversary of the Martyrdom of St Thomas becket (c.1118 - 1170), Gangemi Editore (Rome, 2020)
2019
Leech, P. 2019. The Polyphonic Mass in France, 1600-1780: The Evidence of the Printed Choirbooks. Cambridge University Press, 2017 [Book Review]. H-France https://h-france.net/vol19reviews/vol19no171leech.pdf
2016
Leech, P. 2016. Richard Dering, Motets and Anthems, Ed.by Jonathan P. Wainwright. Music Britannica, 98 (Stainer & Bell), London, 2015.[Book Review]. Music and Letters 97(2), pp. 329-332. (10.1093/ml/gcw039)
Leech, P. and Whitehead, M. 2016. Clamores omnino atque admirationes excitant: New light on music and musicians at St Omers English Jesuit College, 1658-1714. [Article] Tijdschrift van de Koninklijke Vereniging voor Nederlandse Muziekgeschiedenis LXVI(1), pp. 123-148.
Leech, P. 2016. Prince, priest and patron: Cardinal Henry Benedict Stuart and musical patronage in eighteenth-century Rome. [Article] Society for Eighteenth-century Music Newsletter 27, pp. 1, 11-12.
Leech, P. 2016. The Cardinal King - Music for Henry Benedict Stuart in Rome, 1740-91. [CD]. 18 September 2019.
2015
Leech, P. 2015. Princely splendour: Cardinal Henry Stuart and music patronage in 18th-century Rome. [Article] The Consort 71, pp. 51-73
2011
Leech, P. 2011. Music and musicians in the Catholic chapel of James II at Whitehall, 1686-1688. [Article] Early Music 39(3), pp. 379-400. (10.1093/em/car072)
Leech, P. and Whitehead, M. 2011. 'In Paradise and among angels'. Music and musicians at St Omers English Jesuit College, 1593-1721. [Article] Tijdschrift van de Koninklijke Vereniging voor Nederlandse Muziekgeschiedenis 61(1-2), pp. 57-82.
Leech, P. 2011. Richard Dering, Motets for One, Two or Three Voices and Basso Continuo [Book Review]. Music & Letters 92(2), pp. 282-285.
2010
Leech, P. 2010. George Frideric Handel Parnasso in Festa [CD Review]. Eighteenth-Century Music 7(2), pp. 305-309. (10.1017/S1478570610000199)
2009
Leech, P. 2009. Handel's legacy [Book Reviews]. Early Music 37(4), pp. 657-660. (10.1093/em/cap089)
Leech, P. 2009. Recusant song?. [Music Review] Early Music 37(3), pp. 485-487. (10.1093/em/cap049)
2008
Leech, P. ed. 2008. The Selosse Manuscript - Seventeenth Century Jesuit keyboard music. [Scholarly Edition] Launton: Edition HH.
2007
Leech, P. 2007. Devotional music from Stuart England. [Music Review] Early Music 35(4), pp. 644-647. (10.1093/em/cam065)
Leech, P. 2007. Music for an Academic Defense (Rome, 1617) [Music Review]. [Music Review] Archivum Historicum Societatis Iesu 76(151), pp. 174-177.
2006
Leech, P. 2006. Regal Handel [Book Review]. Early Music 34(1), pp. 143-146.
2003
Leech, P. 2003. Catholic musicians in Restoration London. [Article] Genealogists Magazine 27(9), pp. 391-397.
2001
Leech, P. 2001. Musicians in the Catholic chapel of Catherine of Braganza, 1662-92. [Article] Early Music 29(4), pp. 570-587. (10.1093/earlyj/XXIX.4.570)
Leech, P. 2001. Records of the Chapel Royal [Book Review]. Early Music 29(3), pp. 456-457.
PUBLICATIONS FROM 2010 AND EARLIER
‘Handel’s Legacy’, Handel Studies (Pendragon, 2009); Handel’s Will (London, 2008), Early Music 37 (November 2009), pp.657-660.
‘Recusant song’; Martin Peerson, Private Musicke (1620), Richard Dering motets, Ed.Jonathan Wainwright Musica Britannica (2006), Early Music (August, 2009), pp.485-487.
‘Stuart devotional music’; John Blow Motets, Ed. Jonathan Wainwright, York Early Music Press (2006), Early Music 35 (February 2007), pp.644-647.
‘An academic defense’; Domenico Allegri, Music for an academic Defense (Rome, 1617), Ed. Antony John, A-R Editions Inc, 2005 – Archivum Historicum Societatis Jesu (2006): pp.261-4.
‘Regal Handel’; Handel and the English Chapel Royal, Donald Burrows (Oxford University Press, 2005), Early Music 34 (February 2006), pp.143-146.
‘Records of the Chapel Royal’; The Cheque Books of the Chapel Royal ed. Ashbee & Harley (Aldershot, 2000), Early Music 29 (August 2001), pp.456-7.
CD SLEEVE NOTES
In dulci jubilo, Choral music for Advent & Christmas. (Harmonia Sacra, Nimbus Alliance, Autumn 2019)
Lux Memoriaque, British contemporary music (Harmonia Sacra, Nimbus Alliance, 2017)
The Cardinal King, Music for Henry Benedict Stuart in Rome, 1740 - 91 (Cappella Fede & Harmonia Sacra, Toccata Classics, 2016)
Princely Splendour, Choral works from 18th century Rome. (Harmonia Sacra, Nimbus Alliance, 2014)
Cherubim & Seraphim, Russian Orthodox choral works from Catherine the Great to Nicholas II. (Harmonia Sacra, Nimbus Alliance, 2012)
La Chasse Royale, The Antoine Selosse Manuscript (Terence Charlston, Deux-Elles, 2010).
Violino o Cornetto, (Canzona, Theresa Caudle, Nimbus, 2010).
Adoremus, Bristol Bach Choir (Live concert recording, Gloucester Cathedral, 2003).
CONFERENCE PAPERS AND LECTURES
Archive
‘Music and musicians at the St.Omers English Jesuit College, 1593-1720’, KVNM, Amsterdam, November 2010
The life and music of Thomas Arne (1710-1778), 300th anniversary lecture, Winscombe Arts Appreciation Society, September 2010.
‘Spent too soon for so long a preparation’: Late seventeenth-century celebrations in Rome for King James II of England’, Early Modern Rome (Rome, May 2010).
‘Music, art and patronage at the Court of James II, 1685-88’, Wells Evening Society, April 2009.
‘Music and Musicians at the seventeenth-century English Jesuit College at St.Omers’, Cambridge University Music Faculty Seminar, January 2009.
‘Singing the Lord’s Song in a strange land’; Matthew Locke (1622-77) and the London Catholic community, British Society for Eighteenth Century Studies (Oxford, January 2009).
‘Power, panoply and passion; baroque art, music and ceremony at the court of James II’, The Brockley Lecture, September 2008.
‘Another Lady Nevil’s Book: a hitherto unknown English source of late seventeenth-century instrumental and vocal music’, 13th International Conference on Baroque Music, (Leeds, July 2008).
‘Music, art and literature at the court of James II’ (Winscombe Arts Appreciation Society, 2007).
‘A New Source of Seventeenth-Century Keyboard music – the Antoine Selosse manuscript’, 12th International Conference on Baroque Music (Warsaw, July, 2006).
‘A new source of instrumental and vocal music by Innocenzo Fede –Berkeley Manuscript MS 118’, 11th International Conference on Baroque Music (Manchester, July 2004).
‘Musicians in the Catholic Chapel of James II, 1685-1688’, 10th International Conference on Baroque Music (La Rioja, July 2002).
‘Musicians in the Catholic Chapel of Catherine of Braganza, 1662-92’, Society for Court Studies (Somerset House, London, October 2001).
‘Musicians in the Catholic Chapel of Catherine of Braganza 1662-92’, Society for Seventeenth-Century Music (Lancaster, PA, April 2001).
‘Jacques Paisible, a French musician at the Restoration Court’, Dance Music conference (New College, Oxford, June 1999).
‘Claude Desgranges and sources of petits motets in England 1660-1690’, Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles (Royaumont, April 1998).
PUBLISHED EDITIONS
The Antoine Selosse Keyboard Manuscript (Bicester: Edition HH, 2008). Newly-discovered seventeenth-century keyboard music by Antoine Selosse (1621-87), professor of music at the English Jesuit College at St Omer in Flanders (c.1659-85). 92 pages of music, 8 of editorial commentary, in A4 oblong format.
Innocenzo Fede (c.1661-1731) – Laudate pueri dominum for double choir (Cheltenham: Parish Publications, 1999) 13 pages of music, 1 page of editorial commentary in B4 format.
Innocenzo Fede – Nunc dimittis for double choir, strings and continuo (Cheltenham: Parish Publications, 1999) 19 pages of music, 1 page of editorial commentary in B4 format.