Peter Maxwell Davies: Lullaby for Illian Rainbow: Guitar

For unaccompanied SATB chorus to words by George Mackay Brown.Composer Note:In setting George Mackay Brown’s acrostic lines for the birth of Lucy Randall (the first child borne in Rackwick Hoy for 32 years) I set myself the uncharacteristic problem of banishing all ‘black’ notes – that is the work used only the ‘white’ notes on the piano – a symbolic ‘conceit’ I had not tried before. The music has the gentle rocking rhythm suitable for its purpose and I enjoyed writing the tune so much I repeated all of the text in order to hear it twice. -Peter Maxwell Davies

Words from The Roman Missal-This accessible motet is a companion piece for Lullabye for Lucy which was composed for the birth of Lucy Rendall the first child born in Rackwick Hoy for 32 years.Suscipe Quæsumus was first sung by the Mayfield Singers conducted by Neil Price on the occasion of the marriage of Lucy Rendall in St Magnus Cathedral Orkney on 18 July 2005.