This work was commissioned by the Friends of Cathedral Music to mark their Diamond Jubilee in 2016 with the intention of performance by as many of the affiliated choirs as possible. Naturally a celebratory anthem was envisaged but with a text that is general enough to allow its performance throughout the church year. The opening section features a joyful energetic setting of the first five verses of Psalm 105 (King James Version). A contrastingly quiet and gentle passage follows the text being Robert Herrick’s (1591–1674) To Music. A Song ('‘Music thou Queen of Heaven Care-charming spell …'). The openingmaterial then returns with a short ecstatic organ postlude bringing the piece to its conclusion.
