Programme Notes
Give Rest O Christ (SSATB Choir)
Give Rest, O Christ was commissioned by the 2007 London Festival of Contemporary Church Music and was written in memory of my granny, Marjorie, who died in 2006. The text is made up of lines taken from the Eastern Orthodox Memorial Service.The musical material is largely contained in the opening bars which consist of the word ‘Alleluia’ sung three times. Fragments of these opening bars can be heard almost constantly throughout the piece in various forms, and are used to form the climax of the work. In contrast to the almost ethereal setting of the word ‘Alleluia’, the majority of the words are set in quite a sombre way, reflecting the nature of the text.