Sixth formers perform with Howard Goodall at Westminster Abbey
On Sunday 13 November, three Hull Collegiate sixth form pupils performed at the world premiere of the new King James Bible Oratorio in Westminster Abbey in London.
Rachel Barnes, Sarah Hess and Alexander Maynard joined approximately 60 students from fellow UCST/ULT schools across the country to take part in the new ten movement Oratorio which had been commissioned to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. Sir Ewan Harper, Chief Executive of UCST between 1991 and 2011, approached acclaimed-composer Howard Goodall to compose the piece which has been entitled Every Purpose Under the Heaven and sets some of the Bible’s best loved passages to music including Genesis, Psalm 121 and Ruth.
The performance, which included solos by professional singers, was conducted by composer Howard Goodall himself.
In preparation for the performance, the pupils participated in a day of rehearsals led by Howard Goodall in Lincoln Cathedral.
Sarah Hess, who is in Year 12 and who sang in the choir said, “It was an amazing experience. We all had to work hard to learn the work in a fairly short space of time but the sound we made on the night certainly made it all worthwhile. I’d love to perform it again.”
Mrs Sarah Maynard, (Head of Music) said, “This was a truly special day for the pupils. To play and sing under the baton of Howard Goodall was an honour in itself; to then perform the oratorio in the stunning surroundings of Westminster Abbey was an added bonus.”
Composer Howard Goodall said: "“The King James Bible of 1611 is one of the cultural milestones of Western civilisation and its poetic phraseology, its narrative imagery, its ethical dilemmas and its uninhibited spirituality permeate the English language like no other document in history, with the exception of the first folio of William Shakespeare, published at more or less the same time.
“Knowing that my 2011 King James Bible Oratorio was intended to reflect the themes of both Old and New Testaments, I set about selecting what I felt were the ten most memorable and powerful passages, then created ten movements from these, working chronologically through from Genesis to Revelation. The commission was requested and sponsored by Sir Ewan Harper with the express aim that it should be anchored in the language of the King James Bible and be accessible and suitable for young singers, so that a new generation, who might not perhaps have as easy a familiarity with the ringing phrases of the text as their parents and grandparents, might be introduced to it through the expressive power and unabashed sincerity of their own voices."
Howard Goodall is an EMMY, BRIT, Gramophone and BAFTA award-winning composer of choral music, stage musicals, film and TV scores and an energetic campaigner for music education. His settings of Psalm 23 and Love Divine are amongst the most performed of all sacred music in the UK and have featured on numerous platinum-selling CDs His Eternal Light: A Requiem earned him a Classical BRIT award for Composer of the Year. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music education. The composition is being published by Faber Music.
