Directed by Andrew Carwood, the St Paul’s Cathedral Choir will perform the new anthem as part of the National Service of Thanksgiving which will take place at 11am on June 10 in the presence of HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. At the service the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will give the address and Prime Minister David Cameron will read a lesson. The event will be televised live on BBC1.
Churches and other local organisations are planning events on Sunday 12th June for which this approachable setting of Robert Bridges’ lyric poem would be a worthy centrepiece, but of course you can perform this piece whenever you want to, including before the service at St Paul’s.
Judith Weir comments:
'It is a particular honour to contribute new music for this great occasion, and a pleasure to write a choral version of Robert Bridges’ beautiful verse.'
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Composer's noteAt the suggestion of Michael Hampel, Precentor of St Paul’s Cathedral, I have set words by Robert Bridges, who was Poet Laureate from 1913–1930. Bridges was an outstanding humanitarian and writer, whose poetry has inspired me before in The Voice of Desire, a song-cycle for mezzo-soprano and piano. This short, fast-tempo setting aims to emulate the swift, fleet-footed rhyme and metre of the two-verse poem, with its unobtrusive but telling reference to ‘man in his hasty days’. J.W.
I love all beauteous thingsSATB choir with organDuration c. 3½ minutes
Commissioned by the Chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral to mark the 90th birthday of HM The Queen, generously supported by the Boltini Trust.Performed at the National Service of Thanksgiving for HM The Queen’s birthday at St Paul’s Cathedral, London, on June 10 2016 in the presence of HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.Music by Judith Weir, Master of the Queen’s Music, words by Robert Bridges, Poet Laureate in the year HM The Queen was born.
I love all beauteous things,I seek and adore them;God hath no better praise,And man in his hasty daysIs honoured for them.
I too will something makeAnd joy in the making;Altho’ to-morrow it seemLike the empty words of a dreamRemembered on waking.
Robert Bridges OM (1844–1930), Poet Laureate 1913–30
