Echo, the first of three songs, was written as a memorial to my friend Sandrey Date who died in 2020. In September 2021 I conducted it at a concert in his honour given by the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, for which Sandrey was a Trustee and Musical Adviser for many years. It opens with a short cello prelude whose theme is developed as short commentaries between the three verses. It opens with a short cello prelude whose theme is developed as short commentaries between the three verses. The baritone melody, also derived from the cello’s, rises to a passionate climax on the words “Come back in tears, O memory.” The chorus takes the lead in the second verse, with the baritone commenting simply on the contemplation of Paradise. The final verse builds once more to a climax on the words “Pulse for pulse, breath for breath,” before dying gently away. I wrote the second two songs at Carolyn Date’s invitation and was glad of the opportunity to explore more of Christina Rossetti’s spiritual poems. The second song Uphill, opens once again with the solo cello playing a descending sequence marked pesante. I loved the call-and-response structure of this poem, the chorus answering the simple questions of the traveller/pilgrim whose destination is unknown. On his final question, “Will there be beds for all who seek?” the chorus erupts in a joyful response, “Yea, beds for all who come!” and repeat the words in joyful counterpoint. A Hope Carol opens with the wordless chorus singing rhythmically, like pealing bells. The baritone’s melody is less straightforward dropping from B-flat minor to A-minor in the first verse. The celebratory mood continues with the cello depicting both the sounds of angels and birds in counterpoint to the chorus. In the final verse the chorus sing the main tune, with the baritone providing a descant before coming together for the final bars. Richard Blackford, October 2023
