for SATB, upper voices, and organ
This compelling work tells the story of creation through a tapestry of biblical passages, spiritual writings, poems, and hymns by writers such as Thomas Traherne. The piece is structured around a recurring refrain, composed for upper voices, but also suitable for performance by any group from within the SATB choir, if an upper-voice choir is unavailable. Chilcott's great sensitivity to text brings this wondrous story to life, evoking images of 'the earth, the seas, the light, the day, the skies' being fashioned before our eyes.
Programme Notes:
Creation Song was written as a response to a request from Ashley Grote, the Master of Music at Norwich Cathedral, along with Canon Aidan Platten from the Dean and Chapter. Norwich Cathedral was due to be the final stop on a nationwide British tour, which began in February 2018, of the replica skeleton of 'Dippy' the dinosaur from the Natural History Museum in London. The idea was to celebrate this visit to Norwich with a piece that could be sung by the Cathedral Choir along with a large choir of schoolchildren. The resulting work, Creation Song, is scored for upper voices, SATB, and organ. It is written in sections with a recurring refrain but is designed to be sung as a continuous piece. The opening tempo marking suggests a speed that remains constant throughout, but please feel free to allow for some flexibility of tempo in certain sections if that feels right to you. The refrain, written for upper voices, can equally be sung by the mixed choir in any voice combination that you may choose should an upper-voice choir not be available. I am grateful to both Ashley Grote and Canon Aidan Platten, as well as the Norfolk Music Hub, for the commitment, energy, and enthusiasm that they have shown towards this lovely project.
