EACH JUBILANT CHORD
Musical settings of Thomas Traherne

Francis Pott (b.1957)

1 & 2. ‘A Meditation’ and ‘A Remembrance’

Both these beautiful motets – four and eight minutes long respectively – set an amalgam of words from Centuries I, II and III, including: ‘An empty book is like an infant’s soul’ in ‘A Meditation’.

Published: Ricordi (London 2005 ) SATB a cappella

Recorded: Both are recorded on “Meditations and Remembrances”, sung by the choir of Christ Church, Dublin, conducted by Judy Martin; SIGNUM 80

3. The Cloud of Unknowing– oratorio for tenor solo, SATB chorus and organ (circa 90 minutes)

This work sets a number of writers, and answers Traherne’s ‘Who art Thou?’ addressed to the Crucified Lord (Centuries I,88) with a reply from Wilfred Owen’s ‘Strange Meeting’: ‘I am the enemy you killed, my friend’ (included by Benjamin Britten in War Requiem).

Published: First performance in 2006 at St. Pancras Church, Tavistock Square, London (where nearby, a terrorist bomb had blown up a bus ten months previously)

Recorded: SIGNUM SIGCD 105

4. The Love of God is in Eternity– an anthem for SATB and organ

This Anthem was commissioned by The Traherne Association to mark Richard Birt’s twenty years as its founder chairman and was first performed by Hereford Cathedral Voluntary Choir at the Three Choirs Festival evensong on Sunday, 22 July, 2012.  The text is taken from “Love”, The Kingdom of God (chapters 12 and 32) and Centuries (I.87).