THE SONG OF SAINT FRANCIS op.248 (May 1977) Listen to this Work

Commissioned by: The Ditchling Choral Society
Instrumentation: 0022 0230 timp perc (2 parts which may be played by one player) strings
[Key to Abbreviations]
Note on Lyrics: Text: 'Il Cantico del Sole' , St Francis of Assisi (1182-1226), Early Italian
Duration: 25 mins
First Performance: Worth Abbey, Ditchling Choral Society conducted by Janet Canetty-Clarke, May 3rd, 1977
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Movements

• 1: Laudato sie, mi Signore
  

  The work begins with Sopranos and Altos in simple two-part harmony, as if sung in the open air of the Italian countryside. 'Praise those who pardon for love's sake and suffer illness and tribulation. Blessed are those that endure it in peace for they will receive your crown, O Lord Most High.' The text of this verse and verse 9 are thought to have been written at the end of St. Francis' life.

• 2: Altissimo onnipotente
  

  The orchestra enters with a mediaeval drum -a tabor- beating out an insistent rhythm as if in a celebratory procession, the singers entering one after another in a canonic chorus, first Tenors, secondly Sopranos, then Altos and lastly Basses. It is a universal hymn of praise: 'Almighty Lord most high, fount of all goodness, praises, glory, honour and every blessing belong to you.'

• 3: Frate Sole
  

  A hymn to brother Sun with the lower voices humming under the soprano line and warmth and heat provided by surging brass harmonies.

• 4: Sora Luna e Stelle
  

  Quiet divided strings and a silver triangle provide music in praise of Sister Moon and the Stars

• 5: Frate Vento
  

  Vigorous string arpeggios conjure up brothers Wind and Air, with gusts and squalls of sound assisted by woodwinds and suspended cymbal, rising and falling and then dying away into the distance,

• 6: Sor Aqua
  

  Pizzicato violas suggest drops of rain, two solo violins trilling suggest splashes and cellos suggest a deep-flowing stream as the singers offer praise to 'sister Water, useful,humble, precious and pure.'

• 7: Frate Focu
  

  In a movement marked Allegro Robusto the trombones combine with forte Basses to portray the power and beauty of brother Fire, rising in fugal progressions to a great tutti unison of affirmation.

• 8: Sora nostra matre Terra
  

  A movement where the choir are featured, gently and expressively to celebrate 'Our sister, mother Earth who bears and sustains us and brings forth various fruits, many-coloured flowers and grasses- praise and bless the Lord and thank him and serve him with great humility.'

• 9: Sora nostra Morte Corporale
  

  A chiming bell over sustained low strings reminds us of mortality, but to St. Francis even death is 'our sister Death', and as the bell ceases to toll, the Sopranos and Altos remind us of the open-air manner of the opening, singing: 'Blessed are those whom death shall find performing your holy wishes, for the second death shall not harm them.' On this the Sopranos divide into three and crescendo and modulate into the final section.

• 10: Altissimo onnipotente bon Signore
  

  The tabor returns with full choir and orchestra to bring the work to an ecstatic conclusion in a concise recapitulation of the fugal chorus: 'Praises, glory, honour and blessing belong to you alone O Lord Most High!'

Notes

Composer’s note: In the mid-seventies whilst living at Highbridge Mill near Cuckfield in Mid-Sussex I was approached by Janet Canetty-Clarke, then conductor of The Ditchling Choral Society, to ask if I would be interested in composing a choral work. No text or details were discussed since I was on the point of undertaking a tour of Christian sites in Israel. Arrived there I found that much of the country remained as it had been in the time of Christ, with fishermen plying boats on the Sea of Galilee, and nomadic Arabs in tents near the Dead Sea, in both of which waters I swam - but there was a palpable 'presence' which manifested itself one day by my being suddeny totally transfixed on the very spot where Christ was said to have been condemned to crucifixion.

On the last day of an inspirational trip, high above Qumran on the Dead Sea, where the scrolls were found, with the sun ferociously beating down at 124F there came an intense realisation of the all-vital  power of the elements in such a climate and a sudden remembrance of the ‘Canticle of the Sun’ by St Francis, which so wonderfully praises God as revealed in nature. Returning next day to London I went straight to the Franciscan library near Victoria, finding ‘Il Cantico del Sole’ in its original early Italian and began to set it to music.

 
The Ditchling Choral Society were delighted with the idea and suggested that a first performance with orchestra might fit into a concert alongside Mozart’s Requiem planned for Worth Abbey on 15^th May 1977. On examining the scoring I was convinced that the instrumentation could work for my new piece, but replacing the two basset-horns with bassoons and adding certain percussion instruments to reflect the different elements characterised in the verses. 

In 1988 whilst I was under contract to the music publisher Faber Music the work was rescored by a 'professional arranger' for a much larger orchestra in order to be performed at the Three Choirs Festival. This proved to be a mistake however, entirely losing the simplicity and clarity of the earlier scoring. Since regaining my catalogue from Faber in 2000 I have restored it to its original form, now published by Highbridge Music, my own publishing company.

 

 

 

Performances

12th April 2007	Leith Hill Festival choirs, English Festival Orchestra, conducted by Brian Kay, Dorking Halls, Surrey
October 2003	Sussex Chorus and orchestra conducted by Neil Jenkins, St George's Kemp Town Brighton
22nd August 1991	Three Choirs Festival Chorus, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Dr Donald Hunt OBE, Hereford Cathedral Composer's note: This Hereford performance was given in a version for large orchestra (including 4 percussion) specially orchestrated by Larry Ashmore and published by Faber Music. However the somewhat bombastic result was unsuited to the gentle spirit of Saint Francis and I think for that reason the work was not taken up. In May 2003 I restored it to its original 'Mozartian' orchestration and it was succesfully revived in a splendid performance by Neil Jenkins and the Sussex Chorus
3rd May 1977	The Ditchling Choral Society and Mid-Sussex Sinfonia conducted by Janet Canetty-Clarke, Worth Abbey, Sussex Composer's note: This was the premiere of the work, which was performed along with 'The Mozart Requiem', the tenor role taken by the great Richard Lewis. After the performance the Abbot of Worth, Victor Farwell, said to me jokingly:'How dare you compose a work for the opposition, (meaning The Franciscans). Why don't you write a full-scale oratorio for Benedict whose 1500th birthday it is in 1980? Richard Lewis then said that if I would write one featuring a tenor he would perform it. I said I didn't know anything about Benedict, but the unstoppable Abbot then invited me to come and stay in the monastery and find out. I did so and there started work on 'Benedictus' (q.v.)

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