Heaven-Haven: Ensemble: Score

These settings were written to a commission from the Southern Cathedrals Festival and first performed in Salisbury Cathedral on 24 July 1976 by choirs of Salisbury Winchester and Chichester Cathedrals with the Phillip Jones BrassEnsemble conducted by Richard Seal.Pied BeautyThe rhythmic elasticity and freedom of the poem matches the vividness of its images and the freshness of the poetic language: it is like light playing on water. In thissetting for choir and brass phrases for trumpets and then voices- ‘Glory to be God’- Alternate with more meditative moments- ‘who knows how?’. The contrast of the poem- ‘swift slow sweet sour- a dazzle dim‘ quick changes fromsunshine to shadow- are mirrored in the music.Heaven HavenThe stillness and serenity of this poem one of Hopkins’ earliest is in direct contrast to the other. ‘Out of the swing of the sea’ to a gently rockingfigure runs as a sort of undercurrent through the piece. At the end this figure combines with a motive in thirds (heard quietly on the trumpets at the opening) and expands slowly with the choir in eight parts before dying awayinto silence.