Benedicite (Carter)

Benedicite is a composition for choir, children's choir and orchestra by Andrew Carter. He set the hymn Benedicite from the Book of Common Prayer, and additional free texts based on the model in three movements for unison children's choir. The work was published in 1991 and dedicated to Andrew Fairbairns. A subset of the music for children's choir was published as Bless the Lord.

Benedicite
Choral music by Andrew Carter
One of the restored bosses in York Minster which inspired the composition
RelatedExcerpt Bless the Lord
LanguageEnglish
Based onBenedicite
DedicationAndrew Fairbairns
Performed5 November 1989 (1989-11-05): Queen's Hall
Published1991 (1991): University of Oxford
Duration35:00
Movements9
Scoring
  • choir
  • children's choir
  • orchestra

History

Benedicite was commissioned for the 1989 Singing Day in Edinburgh by the British Federation of Young Choirs.[1] Carter, an English composer and church musician in York, was inspired by the restoration of roof bosses at the southern transept of York Minster, which had been destroyed in a fire in 1984. They depict around 60 images of creatures. The music is written to convey a child-like perspective of the wonders of Creation.[2]

Benedicite was published in 1991 and dedicated to Andrew Fairbairns.[3] A subset of the music for children's choir was published as Bless the Lord.[4]

Structure and music

Carter set the hymn Benedicite from the Book of Common Prayer in six movements, and interspersed three additional movements, whose texts are free variations on the model, to be sung by a unison children's choir.[3]

The movements are titled:[5]

  1. O all ye works of the Lord
  2. Green Things
  3. Sun and Moon
  4. Badgers and Hedgehogs
  5. Ice and Snow
  6. Whales and Waters
  7. Butterflies and Moths
  8. Thunder and Lightning
  9. Spirits and Souls
  10. Grannies and Grandads
  11. O let the earth bless the Lord

The duration is given as 35 minutes.[5] The first movement, beginning "O all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord", is marked Molto ritmico (Most rhythmic) and is in 2+2+2+3/8 time.[3]

The three movements based on added text to be sung by a children's choir were also published separately as Bless the Lord, which is concluded with the final movement. The movements are:[6]

  • Badgers and Hedgehogs (Benedicite No. 4)
  • Butterflies and Moths (Benedicite No. 7)
  • Grannies and Grandads (Benedicite No. 10)
  • O Let The Earth Bless The Lord

Performances and recordings

The first performance of Benedicite was at the Queen's Hall in Edinburgh on 5 November 1989, conducted by Philip Ledger. The work was recorded, together with Rutter's Requiem, by the Wayne Oratorio Society at Wayne Presbyterian Church on 10 May 2006, conducted by Jeffrey B. Fowler.[7] In 2016, Benedicite was performed, together with Mozart's Great Mass in C minor, at the York Minster by the York Musical Society.[2]

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References
  1. Carter, Andrew (2 May 1991). Benedicite / Andrew Carter. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780-1-93-35507-1.
  2. "York Musical Society – Mozart and Carter Concert Spring 2016". Diocese of York. 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  3. "Andrew Carter / Benedicite". Oxford University Press. 1991. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  4. Carter, Andrew (2 May 1991). Bless the Lord: Children's Choir Part: Three Songs for Unison Children's Choir. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-335513-2. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  5. "Benedicite / Andrew Carter published by Oxford University Press (OUP)". scorestore.co.uk. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  6. "Bless the Lord". Boosey & Hawkes. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  7. "John Rutter: Requiem & Andrew Carter: Benedicite (2006)". Wayne Oratorio Society. 2006. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
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