A Plea for Salvation (2021)
SATB and Organ
This is a setting of the first three verses of the biblical Psalm 13 for chorus in monody with organ accompaniment, written in late January 2021 for Roger Williams and St Machar Cathedral Choir. The text itself was chosen to reflect the grim reality of the COVID-19 pandemic as it was at the time the piece was written.
Similarly, the reality of lockdown had restricted musical performances, including for this commission, to online, in particular video conferencing, and in response to the fact that Wi-Fi limitations could lead to inevitable desynchronisation of live ensemble performance, I have designed the vocal line in a manner similar to Gaelic psalmody, in which individual voices can start and end on different parts without necessarily harming the tonal language of the piece. The organist leads this line, and the accompanying material, whilst remaining fixed in tempo and rhythm, was designed so it can be held at certain phrase breaks until all voices have been able to catch up.
PERFORMANCES:
Première: 21 November 2021 - St Machar’s Cathedral, Aberdeen - Choir of St Machar’s Cathedral (dir. Roger B Williams)
RECORDINGS:
Praise ye the Lord! - Birnam Records (2023)
