Requiem canticorum, a piece to commemorate the dead and comfort the bereaved, can be performed as a standalone work or intertwined with the movements of the Son of God Mass to form a full Requiem Mass.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in the Princeton University Chapel, the same building for which the piece All shall be Amen and Alleluia was originally written.
Compositional Technique
The Son of God Mass features a soprano saxophone, an instrument choice that stems from a vigil service for war-torn Bosnia where the saxophonist John Harle improvised over short, mantra-like phrases.
Compositional Technique
Requiem canticorum incorporates a familiar plainsong melody from the ancient Introit of the Mass for the Dead, the same melody used by Duruflé in his Requiem.
Composition History
Living Voices was commissioned by the BBC as part of a broadcast from Westminster Abbey for a service held after the 9/11 attacks, and its text was written by then Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion.
Compositional Technique
The Son of God Mass is a modern-day "parody Mass," a technique from the Renaissance where composers re-worked existing music, often secular songs, into new Mass settings.
Composer Biography
James Whitbourn, the composer, began his career at the BBC, which helped shape his compositional style to connect directly with performers and audiences.
