This year marks the 500th birthday of the ‘Arundel’ or ‘Lambeth’ Choirbook (Arundel, Sussex, c. 1525), one of only two surviving choirbooks from the reign of Henry VIII and an extremely important source for early English polyphonic music. The volume has been held in Lambeth Palace Library since the 17th century. Lambeth Palace Library is hosting an exhibition to mark this quincentenary.
Sing Joyfully: Exploring Music in Lambeth Palace Library opens on Thursday 31 July and runs until 6 November. This free exhibition will have the Choirbook on display alongside other interesting and unusual musical holdings from the collection, such as two leaves of fourteenth-century polyphony recently discovered in the binding of an early printed book.
Keep an eye on this page for the latest updates on our program of free events and online resources as they become available.
Opening Times
31 July – 6 November 2025
9:30 – 17:00 Monday to Friday
Until 19:15 on Thursdays
Saturday openings:
2 August, 6 September, 13 September, 4 October, 1 November
10:00 – 17:00
Last entry to the exhibition is half an hour before closing.
Events
Click on each of the events below to find out more. Keep an eye on this section for more information on how to book your tickets.
31 July – Launch Lecture: Joseph Mason (Clare Hall, Cambridge)
Time:
Pricing:
Location:16:30-19:30
Free
Lambeth Palace LibraryDr Joseph Mason will give a short paper to introduce the exhibition Sing Joyfully: Exploring Music in Lambeth Palace Library. In particular, he will discuss a newly discovered piece of medieval polyphony found in Lambeth Palace Library’s foundational printed collections. These two leaves, which date to the late thirteenth or early fourteenth century, contain four motets of English provenance, all but one of which were heretofore unknown to us. He will contextualize these new discoveries with the rest of the items in the exhibition.
About the speaker: Dr Joseph Mason is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Music in Cambridge and an Official Fellow at Clare Hall. Prior to joining Clare Hall, Joseph was Weston Junior Research Fellow in Music at New College, Oxford, and a Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellow at University College Dublin. Joseph’s research centres on the music and culture of thirteenth-century France. He is especially interested in questions of musical meaning, and his work combines music analysis with historical work, critical theory, and manuscript studies. In addition to his academic work, Joseph is also active as a singer, organist, and harpsichordist.
Please visit our Eventbrite page to book a ticket.
Accessibility
We are committed to ensuring that our event is accessible to all participants. If you have any specific accessibility needs or require accommodations, please contact us at LPLStaff@churchofengland.org. We will make every effort to provide the necessary support to ensure your full participation in the event.
16 September – Music and Reformation: A Symposium at Lambeth Palace Library
Time:
Pricing:
Location:10:00-16:30
Full Fee: £20
Student/Unwaged: £10
Digital Attendance only: Free
All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Friends of Lambeth Palace Library.
Lambeth Palace LibraryTo accompany our upcoming exhibition, Sing Joyfully: Exploring Music in Lambeth Palace Library, Lambeth Palace Library will be hosting a symposium on the subject of ‘Music and Reformation’. The symposium forms part of Lambeth Palace Library’s celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Arundel Choirbook (Lambeth Palace Library MS 1), a volume which has been held by the Library since the 17th century. Among other themes, we will foster discussion around music fragments recently discovered and identified in library collections. The symposium will be a space for researchers, music practitioners and library and archive professionals to share knowledge and experience across professional fields, but members of the public are of course welcome to join and learn about music across our rich collections.
The symposium will be held at Lambeth Palace Library, where lunch will be provided. Sessions will be streamed online for those unable to attend in person.
Tickets
All are welcome, but those wishing to attend should book a ticket via Eventbrite or email archives@churchofengland.org no later than Monday 15 September. Please note that tickets must be booked individually for security purposes.
This event is also available to watch online. Please book a separate ticket if you wish to join us online instead of in person for this lecture.
We have a small number of bursaries available for travel within the UK and registration fee. Please contact us at LPLStaff@churchofengland.org if you would like to request a bursary.
Accessibility
We are committed to ensuring that our event is accessible to all participants. If you have any specific accessibility needs or require accommodations, please contact us at LPLStaff@churchofengland.org. We will make every effort to provide the necessary support to ensure your full participation in the event.
Acknowledgements
The symposium is generously supported by the Friends of Lambeth Palace Library.
20 September – The Arundel Choirbook in Concert at St Nicholas’ Church, Arundel
Time:
Pricing:
Location:19:00-21:00
Pricing information forthcoming.
St Nicholas’ Church, London Road, Arundel, Sussex BN18 9ATTo celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Arundel Choirbook (Lambeth Palace Library MS 1), in conjunction with the exhibition ‘Sing Joyfully: Exploring Music in Lambeth Palace Library’, join us at St Nicholas’ Church in historic Arundel, West Sussex for a concert of music from the Arundel Choirbook and its contemporaries. This is a unique opportunity to hear the music from the Arundel Choirbook in the place where it was produced 500 years ago.
Performed by the Iken Scholars, one of London’s premier chamber choirs, under the baton of director Matthew Dunn, this concert will place music from the Arundel Choirbook in conversation with the wider environment of 16th century church music. The concert will feature selections from the set known as the ‘Lambeth Anonymous’, found only in the Arundel Choirbook and of unknown authorship, which have been recently recorded by the Iken Scholars in the historic Lambeth Palace Chapel. This album will be released later this year.
This event will be organised and hosted by the Friends of St Nicholas Church, Arundel, in the unique medieval building that houses both St Nicholas Church and the Roman Catholic Fitzalan Chapel. All money raised from the concert will go towards maintaining and improving the fabric of their remarkable 14th century church.
Keep an eye on this page for more information on how to book your tickets.
25 September – The Arundel Choirbook in Concert at Lambeth Palace
Time:
Pricing:
Location:19:30-21:30
Pay what you wish. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Friends of Lambeth Palace Library.
Great Hall, Lambeth PalaceTo celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Arundel Choirbook (Lambeth Palace Library MS 1), in conjunction with the exhibition, Sing Joyfully: Exploring Music in Lambeth Palace Library, join us in Lambeth Palace’s Great Hall for a concert of music from the Arundel Choirbook and its contemporaries. Performed by the Iken Scholars, one of London’s premier chamber choirs, under the baton of director Matthew Dunn, this concert will place music from the Arundel Choirbook in conversation with the wider environment of 16th century church music. The concert will feature selections from the set known as the ‘Lambeth Anonymous’, found only in the Arundel Choirbook and of unknown authorship, which have been recently recorded by the Iken Scholars in the historic Lambeth Palace Chapel. This album will be released later this year.
A wine reception will follow the concert.
The exhibition will remain open until 19:15 at Lambeth Palace Library for those who wish to view it before proceeding to the Lambeth Palace Great Hall for the concert. Please note that it is a 5-10 minute walk from Lambeth Palace Library to the Lambeth Palace Gate House and allow travel time accordingly.
Please pay what you wish. At Lambeth Palace Library, we are committed to opening our collections to as wide an audience as possible. You are warmly welcomed to attend this concert and pay what you wish for tickets. If you are unable to contribute financially, we will be delighted to welcome you to the concert regardless. If you are able to give more, your generosity will support the Friends of Lambeth Palace Library and help make this event accessible to all.
Security Arrangements
Please note that due to security requirements, ticket sales for this event will end 3 weeks before the concert. Please be sure to register by Thursday 4 September to avoid disappointment.
You must register a separate ticket for each attendee under their name. Attendees may be asked to present a photo ID to match the name on their ticket.
No large bags can be brought in, and attendees may be subject to a security search.
Accessibility Statement
We are committed to ensuring that our event is accessible to all participants. The recent refurbishment has greatly improved accessibility across the site. The Palace now has new lifts, accessible bathrooms, better lighting, and clear signage throughout. If you have any specific accessibility needs or require accommodations, please contact us at LPLStaff@churchofengland.org. We will make every effort to provide the necessary support to ensure your full participation in the event.
Acknowledgements
The concert is generously supported by the Friends of Lambeth Palace Library.
