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In this arrangement, a familiar carol melody is presented with unfamiliar rhythms, accompanied by ostinato quavers and with the short Gloria refrain extended contrapuntally at the end of each verse. Sopranos set the scene in verse one, tenors take on the role of the angel in verse two, and altos provide Mary's awe-struck response in verse three, with reflective and almost static harmonies. The concluding narration is shared by the whole choir in verse four, culminating in an exuberant cascade.
This setting was written for St Mary's Scholars, the adult chamber choir of the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick, to sing during the Palm Sunday Eucharist on 14th April 2019. On a day when the Gospel reading recounts the Passion of Christ, it seemed fitting to have a communion motet that would underscore one of the essential messages of the Passion as described by Paul and Timothy in their letter to the Philippians: that Christ humbled himself and accepted death on the cross. Accordingly, the music proceeds from a simple plainchant-like theme, from which harmony unfolds tentatively and humbly. A sudden outburst of more opulent harmony declares the exaltation of Christ's name by the Father, before the world takes up acknowledgement in quieter reverence, ultimately declaring Jesus as Lord in unison - expressing the catholic faith as one.
The ancient hymn Phos Hilaron is often used in the Anglican choral tradition, via settings featuring English adaptations of the text, most notably Charles Wood's double choir anthem "Hail, gladdening light".
This setting uses Winifred Douglas' adaptation of the text, "Gladsome radiance", but draws upon the 16th century Kievan chant "Svetye tikhii," allowing the Church Slavonic translation to be sung as an alternative. The chant is shared between the three lower voices, beginning in the alto with atmospheric wordless support from the remainder of the choir, before passing to the tenor and bass with inverted triadic harmonies, building to a contrapuntal climax before a more reverent ending.
Originally composed in December 1999, during early student days in York, this was a setting of a mediaeval carol ('Balulalow') which had already attracted plenty of other composers. Revisiting the manuscript 25 years later prompted a change of text, to a more obscure 16th century hymn in honour of the Virgin Mary, with some subtle revisions to the music as well.
It is essentially a brief harmonic exploration, within the tightly-knit sonority of upper voices, which can be any combination of women's or children's voices in four parts.