(SSAATTBB choir) SKU: HL.48024952
SATB Divisi a cappella. Composed by Becky McGlade. Boosey & Hawkes Sacred Choral. Octavo. Boosey & Hawkes #M060137235. Published by Boosey & Hawkes (HL.48024952). ISBN 9781784545987. UPC: 840126947243. 6.75x10.5 inches.
I was introduced to William Blake's poem The Lamb many years ago through John Tavener's famous setting and, when commissioned by York Minster to write a carol for their 2019 nine lessons and carols services, the idea of writing my own setting of this beautiful poem was hard to resist. For me, the biblical symbol of the lamb represents one of the most profound theological mysteries. That divine omnipotence as represented by the symbolic lamb speaks volumes of the humility and self-sacrificing nature of God; complexity illustrated in simplicity. The poet has seen within the vulnerability of the lamb, the profundity of God's self-sacrifice. I looked to convey the innocence of the lamb through the gentle opening of the piece with its simple melody and harmony. The harmonies gradually intensify as the questions of the text continue, and there is a stronger feel to the second verse as those questions begin to be answered and it is revealed that the Creator God is Himself the Lamb. A feeling of space should prevail, without the tempo dragging. The commas in bars 29, 33, 46, 51 and 52 imply there should be room to breathe, but not a whole quaver's worth of breath if possible.
