Choir Sacred (SATB choir) SKU: AP.12-0571571573
SATB & Soprano & Tenor Solos. Composed by David Matthews. Choral (Sacred); Choral Octavo; Performance Music Ensemble; Single Titles; Worship Resources. Faber Edition: Choral Signature Series. 20th Century; Masterwork; Sacred. Choral Octavo. Faber Music #12-0571571573. Published by Faber Music (AP.12-0571571573). ISBN 9780571571574. English.
To What God Shall We Chant Our Songs of Battle? was commissioned by James O'Donnell and Westminster Abbey for a service of solemn commemoration on 4 August 2014 marking the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.
Stark and gritty yet always rooted in tonality, Matthews's expressive harmonies bring a potent immediacy to the bitter, disillusioned words of war poet Harold Monro and the two lyrical solos for soprano and tenor which set passages from the Book of Lamentations and St. Luke's Gospel. Beginning with a violent and impassioned energy, this anthem ultimately offers little consolation. In the words of James O'Donnell it leaves you standing on the edge of an abyss--its impetus petering out in a series of hushed, troubled questions.
