Salisbury Cathedral Choir will premiere a new commission of nine pieces, set as three Nocturnes, by composer Piers Kennedy at a moving Tenebrae service during Holy Week on Wednesday 1 April.
The service of Tenebrae is one of the most profound and stirring acts of worship during Holy Week, combining unaccompanied music and processions which make full use of the Cathedral building as it descends into complete darkness. Traditionally, the Tenebrae service also includes readings, with the choral music reflective of Christ’s betrayal, crucifixion, death, and the sealing of his tomb.
The three Nocturnes composed by Piers Kennedy for Salisbury journey from the anxiety of Maundy Thursday, through the suffering of Good Friday, to the quiet hope of the Easter Vigil. Each Nocturne features a plainsong psalm, in English, sung by a solo voice, followed by a lower voices antiphon in Latin, and a full choir motet in Medieval English.
Piers Kennedy is a composer and singer specialising in vocal and instrumental composition and improvisation. His music has been performed internationally by ensembles including the choirs of Westminster Abbey and Worcester, Wells and Truro Cathedrals. As a singer, Piers has performed with choirs including The Tallis Scholars and Tenebrae, and last year became a member of The King’s Singers.
Piers Kennedy said: “It was a thrill writing this commission – not only is this a choir with a long history of quality music-making, and Salisbury Cathedral such a glorious space, but also writing for Holy Week comes with a special brand of brooding, rippling drama. The especially stark darkness of the Tenebrae service with its three Nocturnes of three movements holds a pleasingly apposite resonance with the shining Nine Lessons and Carols service, instigated by King’s College Cambridge; I fancy my composition as something of a dark twin to that other tradition.”
Piers continued:
“It was important to me to compose new plainsong for the psalmody – somewhat more angular in nature than the usual – not just to be able to bind each Nocturne together in a particular sound world, but also to capture something of that deep, aching sting of Holy Week liturgy. The single melodic line of plainsong is perhaps best suited to expressing the personal tragedy we are all invited to experience in this liturgy, and I wanted to harness its expressive capabilities.”
John Challenger, Assistant Director of Music at Salisbury Cathedral, said:“Over the years we have incorporated various musical settings into this service, including the Tenebrae responsories by Spanish Renaissance composer Tomas Luis de Victoria, and the set of Tenebrae motets by the twentieth-century French composer Francis Poulenc.
“It is wonderful to build on this tradition by commissioning Piers to compose his own unique response to the Tenebrae liturgy. He has provided us with a set of nine beautiful works which, alongside their inclusion in this service, will also go on to be used as individual anthems in their own right. We are very excited to be premiering new works by one of our leading young choral composers, in such an atmospheric act of worship.”
Sarum Tenebrae: A Service of Shadows will take place on Wednesday 1 April at 7.30pm in Salisbury Cathedral, sung by the boy choristers and Lay Vicars of Salisbury Cathedral Choir.
