John Tavener: Song for Athene: SATB: Vocal Score

Song For Athene is a work by British composer John Tavener arranged by Barry Rose for Upper Voices and Organ with optional Cello. The text is taken from Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' as well as from theOrthodox Funeral Service. The entire work lasts around 7 minutes. The original version of Song For Athene was commissioned by the BBC and first performed on 22nd January 1994 at St Giles'Church Cripplegate London by the BBC Singers conducted by Simon Joly. This arrangement received a positive review from Geoffrey Webber in the January/February 2016 edition of Choir & Organ.

Marienhymne is a piece on a smaller scale than Tavener’s dramatic cantatas and is written for unaccompanied choir and semiChorus. Tavener was drawn to writer and philosopher Frithjof Schuon’s vision of the Virgin Mary asuniversal and primordial Woman and has used an extract from his work Maria as the libretto in German for this piece. The composer calls for ‘radiance and ecstasy’ and also a ‘great distance’ between the main choir and the echochoir.John Tavener was that rare creature a composer of serious music and serious religious music who also achieved commercial success. He burst into the popular consciousness with the performance of his Song for Athene at thefuneral of Princess Diana but had been a highly respected and frequently-performed composer since the premiere of his dramatic cantata The Whale in 1968.

This album features 16 of John Tavener's anthems for SATB choir. Contents include: 'A Christmas Round' 'Advent Antiphon' 'Agnus Dei' 'As one who has slept' 'Exhortation and Kohima' 'TheFounder’s Prayer' 'God is with us (A Christmas Proclamation)' 'A Hymn to the Mother of God' 'The Lamb' 'Mother of God here I stand' 'Nunc dimittis' 'O that we were there' 'Rocking' 'Song for Athene' 'Today theVirgin' and 'What God is we do not know'.

In Prayer Of The Heart the text of the Eastern Orthodox monastic prayer -- Lord Jesus Christ Son of God Have mercy upon me is sung in a mantra-like way in English Greek and Coptic while a slow recording of a human heartbeatplays. The singer is instructed to ?sit on a low stool bowing towards the heart? and may play the bell and bowl. The piece slowly explores the entire circle of fifths beginning in the key of C and playing each related minorand moving to the related dominant key then repeating until the return to C. It is a profoundly meditative work.The work was originally composed for Icelandic singer Björk and the Brodsky Quartet to benefit the charity TheChain of Hope. It was recorded by the original performers.John Tavener was that rare creature a composer of serious music and serious religious music who had also achieved commercial success. He burst into the popularconsciousness with the performance of his Song for Athene at the funeral of Princess Diana but had been a highly respected and frequently-performed composer since the premiere of his dramatic cantata The Whale in 1968.

A Christmas Round was composed for the Feast of St Nektarios of Aegina and text in both English and Greek is included with transliteration. The piece is unsigned for key or time. It has a distinctly Eastern Orthodoxflavour.John Tavener was that rare creature a composer of serious music and serious religious music who has also achieved commercial success. He burst into the popular consciousness with the performance of his Song for Atheneat the funeral of Princess Diana but had been a highly respected and frequently-performed composer since the premiere of his dramatic cantata The Whale in 1968.