Andrew Gant, Organist, Choirmaster and Composer to Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal
Dear Friends
Three hundred years ago the Chapel Royal Organist, Henry Purcell, and Poet Laureate, John Dryden, wrote odes and anthems to mark the various events in the lives of their royal patrons. This year the current holders of their posts, Andrew Motion and myself, have been honoured to be asked to continue that tradition by writing a work to mark the Golden jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen.
“A Hymn for the Golden Jubilee” lasts about nine minutes. It is scored for SATB choir with some divisions, with four alternative accompaniments: organ or piano (with or without percussion); organ, brass and percussion; small orchestra; large orchestra. There is also a version for upper voices alone. Musically it takes its place in the tradition of Elgar and Walton to which it belongs, while being appropriate to this uniquely modern event. The music is designed to be accessible to choirs and audiences alike: musicians who enjoy the music of Walton and Howells will find no dangers here.
The “Hymn” will be performed on a number of set-piece occasions during the year in the U.K. and broadcast on TV and radio. It was a central part of our brief from the Lord Chamberlain’s department, however, that in addition to these “central” performances the piece should be made available as widely as possible to choirs and choruses across the world as part of the wider celebrations of the Jubilee. I would therefore be very grateful if you could forward this message to any Organists or Choirmasters within your organisation who might be interested in finding out more about this project.
For more details or to receive copies, please contact me, either by return e-mail or to
Dr Andrew Gant
Chapel Royal
St James’s Palace
LONDON SW1
U.K.
Tel (+)1865 558841
Or:
Val Withams
Choral connections
28 Wright’s Lane
Great Missenden
BUCKS HP16 OLH
Tel and fax (+)1494 866389
e-mail [email protected]
website www.choralconnections.com
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