Festival Te Deum
In 1974 I was approached by John Birch,
the organist of the Chichester Cathedral, to write a festive setting of the Te
Deum for the enthronement of the Rt. Rev. Eric Kemp as Bishop of
Chichester. The previous year John had
stepped into the breach at 24 hours notice to conduct my “Three Medieval Lyrics” during a tour of the United States by the
London Bach Society, and the experience was clearly positive enough for him to
want to work with me again! At the first
performance on October 25th 1974 the organ accompaniment was
augmented by the trumpets and trombones of Gabrieli Brass, but one of the
conditions of the commission was that it should also be suitable for normal
liturgical use with organ only. John
also asked for an alternative triumphant ending to allow the music to conclude
before the final prayer “O Lord, save thy people”. It was that version that was used for the
first performance, rather than the quiet reflective ending that is my preferred
choice.
©
Christopher Brown 2011