York’s musical tribute to city’s feline heritage: ‘Catterwall’ ensemble debuts next month
Cats have prowled through York’s history for centuries, leaving paw prints on everything from folklore to architecture. In recent years, the city has celebrated its feline affinity through the beloved York Minster Cat Gerald, the whimsical York Cat Trail, a popular cat café, and even a dedicated cat-themed shop and gallery. Now, that legacy continues in a new and unexpected way … through music.
This autumn, University of York PhD student Benjamin Maloney will launch and direct Catterwall, a vocal ensemble inspired by York’s historic connection to cats.
The name ‘Catterwall’ comes from Middle English, describing the distinctive sound of cats wailing, a playful nod to the group’s focus on English Renaissance vocal music from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries.
On Tuesday October 28, Catterwall will make its debut at the National Centre for Early Music in York with a concert marking 450 years of Cantiones Sacrae, a landmark collection of Latin motets by Elizabethan composers William Byrd and Thomas Tallis.
Originally composed and performed by the musicians accompanying Queen Elizabeth I on her travels around England, these works will be brought to life with a fresh perspective. The collection was published under a royal monopoly on music printing, at a time when Catholics in Elizabethan England faced complex religious and political tensions.
Benjamin explained: “This project allows me to experiment with historical pronunciation and vocal technique; an approach rarely explored in UK choirs. Audiences will hear these works in a completely new way. I’m really looking forward to seeing this music performed in York, some of which hasn’t been heard for over 400 years!”
The ensemble features professional singers from diverse musical backgrounds including opera, pop, barbershop, and musical theatre. Their varied training and performance styles bring a vibrant energy to the ensemble, challenging traditional expectations of classical audiences, and attitudes to early choral music.
Benjamin has teamed up with Michael Winter on the project, a musicologist and editor of early music. In addition to selections from Cantiones Sacrae, the programme includes pieces from the fragmentary Baldwin Partbooks, for which Michael has newly reconstructed missing parts.
Catterwall’s first concert coincides with a special exhibition at York Minster’s Library and Archives in the Old Palace, which will showcase the original 1575 partbooks alongside other rare musical manuscripts and early printed volumes.
Benjamin is a doctoral researcher at the University of York, specialising in historical linguistics and performance practice. His research explores the musical cultures of the early modern English-speaking world and the evolution of English pronunciation over time.
He holds a master’s degree in keyboard performance from the Royal Northern College of Music and serves as a musicality judge for the British Association of Barbershop Singers. Outside academia, Benjamin is a versatile performer, playing harpsichord and organ, composing piano rags, singing a cappella music, and performing in viol consorts.
To book tickets for the debut concert event at the National Centre of Early Music on Tuesday October 28 at 7.30pm, visit https://ncem.co.uk/events/the-old-science-of-sound-450-years-of-tallis-byrds-cantiones-sacrae-1575/.
Catterwall has started a Crowdfunding appeal to help launch the ensemble. If you would like to help, please visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-old-science-of-sound. For more information on Catterwall, visit www.catterwall.org.