Requiem for the Lost Souls of the Titanic
On this week's Sunday Sequence I spoke to the composer about his new composition, Requiem for the Lost Souls of the Titanic, and we heard, exclusively, two short excerpts from the piece. Many of you texted us to say how moved you were by what you heard. It really is a stunningly beautiful work which will make a massive contribution to our public commemoration of the Titanic tragedy during this, the centenary year.
The world premiere of Philip's Requiem takes place in Saint Anne's Cathedral in Belfast on 14 April, with an additional performance as part of a Requiem Mass in St Peter's Cathedral on Sunday, 15 April. If you would like to be present for either of those important dates, you can book your place on the . In what follows, Philip Hammond tells us more about the background to this remarkable new composition.
Liturgies and License
Our word "liturgy" comes from two Greek words - meaning people and performance. Most world religions have developed liturgies to codify how people perform for their gods; by so doing, they offer a set of formularies for people's conduct and how they can safely align their individual beliefs within the communal doctrine of the religion.
The Christian liturgy of the Requiem Mass has been developing for two millennia and it is an amazing amalgam of surprisingly disparate influences. It offers the participant, the listener, the viewer, a way of paying attention to the range of emotions surrounding death - life's inescapable conclusion.
Like all public performances, however, we can gain more meaning from them the more we understand their provenance. And despite the fundamental immalleability of the Latin texts, the liturgy of the requiem in particular is a perfect vehicle for artistic license.
The conjunction which I have made in the Requiem for the Lost Souls of the Titanic can produce a very special resonance. But this is not about the ship. This is about the people who died as a result of the Titanic tragedy - and even about those who survived and whose lives were overshadowed by it thereafter.
During the three years of its composition, my thoughts swam in a sea of synchronicities, of sounds and images, of personal experiences , surrounded by musical forebears and literary commentators. Eventually, a structure emerged: six choral sections, five of which have brass accompaniment, and each proceeded or preceded by a "meditation" for piano trio and reader.
I wrote the music in many different places - Portland in Oregon, Kor膷ula in Croatia, Stirling University in Scotland, as well as Belfast in Ireland. Just about everyone taking part in this premier - and there will be over two hundred performers - has a connection to this city. This is a performance that has its roots in Belfast; as far as I have been able to organise it, it is a Belfast response to the Titanic tragedy one hundred years on.
At the centre of my musical concept is the theatrical idea of "spaced choirs" - a method which uses the large cathedral spaces in which the piece is to be performed. This presents special challenges in performance and the obvious question is will it all come together? Will the concept work as a piece of performed art?
I don't know is the simple answer. Once you have written the music, you hand it over to the performers -in the end, yes, the responsibility as such still lies with the composer.
But unlike liturgies, there is no single formula that ensures either success or acceptability.
Comment number 1.
At 20th Feb 2012, newdwr54 wrote:My paternal grandfather was an apprentice riveter in H&W while the Titanic was being built. Admittedly he never said he worked on Titanic (well, in his position you wouldn't, would you?)
I don't think he'd have been much of a one for liturgies, and requiem masses, etc being a Shankill Road man and all. However he sang with gusto in the old Crumlin Rd Methodist - as did my dad.
Does that count? Or does Christian music have to be all 'classical' these days?
I think many of the men who built Titanic would have been a lot happier singing the hymns of Charles Wesley and such like, rather than listening appreciatively to the (no doubt magnificent) strains of various liturgies and masses.
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Comment number 2.
At 21st Feb 2012, NobleKnight1517 wrote:I have to chuckle at the idea of a "Tridentine " Requieum Mass being performed in St Anne's Cathedral Belfast, somehow I don't think the previous Dean would have chuffed at the idea.
Could we not just have a re hash of " For those in Peril on the Sea".
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Comment number 3.
At 21st Feb 2012, Fionnuala wrote:My grandfather was an apprentice electrician in H and W when the Titanic was being built, before he was "purged".
I think it's fair to say, what happens in St Anne's will be a performance of a musical work, while what happens in St Peter's will be liturgy. The low Anglicans in the Church of Ireland do not believe in praying for the dead and clearly can't have a requiem other than as a performance.
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Comment number 4.
At 23rd Feb 2012, AboutFarce wrote:Northern Ireland Inesshitive.
"What should we do nigh?"
"Carpet lice on the Taitoneek!"
"Here, thawt's goo-ed ah-dear!"
"Sit nat a bit... morbid?"
"Sure it's are greatest sicksess storay!"
"Oh aye. Carpet lice away t'yer hawrt's cintant then."
"Harr do we do it then?"
"I know. Let's do sumthin in in the church!"
"Goo-ed idear!"
"We'll do something kyafflick in a pradisson church so everybody feels included."
"Aye."
"Sawwwd what hoppened when ye hink about it though."
"Aye."
"Tourists love it but. That'n the murals."
"Do thugh?"
"Aye. Sure it's all in the papers and the telly. Thurs a whole whatyemacallit... Ineeshitive."
"Oh aye. They must be carpet lists too."
"Spose."
"See they're makin a carpark out of the Gaaant's Causeway?"
"Nivver been."
"Aye. I heard they're goany make it the shape of the Titanic..."
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Comment number 5.
At 23rd Feb 2012, logica_sine_vanitate wrote:I think one of the saddest and most tiresome things to come out of the sinking of the Titanic is the tendency for certain Christians to exploit the tragedy for proselytising purposes. is an example.
Those who use the death of the victims as an example of (or a metaphor for) the "fate of the damned" are, in my view, committing posthumous libel.
Here's a challenge for the fundamentalists: why don't you use the fate of all those who perished on 9/11 as an evangelistic example of damnation? And let's see how your message will be received!!
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Comment number 6.
At 23rd Feb 2012, newlach wrote:AboutFarce
Stop mocking the capacity of the religious to inject religion into everything!
The reality of the situation is very different:
/news/uk-northern-ireland-12804637
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Comment number 7.
At 23rd Feb 2012, PeterM wrote:Newlach
You should read more closely. It isn't just 'the religious' who are being mocked.
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Comment number 8.
At 24th Feb 2012, mscracker wrote:@4.AboutFarce:
You know, in parts of the US South we have similar pronounciation&language as the North of Ireland since many Scots/Irish settled here.I saw a documentary about NI on tv once & from the dialogue at first thought it was filmed in West Virginia.
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Comment number 9.
At 24th Feb 2012, newdwr54 wrote:8. mscracker:
I read a book leant to me recently, the title and author of which escape me now. It claimed that south east US boys run off a much shorter fuse than average. They tend to be aggressive, territorial and notoriously insensitive to the feelings of others.
The (American) author put this down to the 'kindred' spirit of the Scots/Irish migrants; something they inherited from their ancestors' wayward and dangerous lifestyle of herding/rustling cattle.
It appears the Scots/Irish may have inherited a particularly combustible and reactive personality trait.
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Comment number 10.
At 26th Feb 2012, Scotch Get wrote:听
Mr. Crawley,
Your Richard Dawkins v Rowan Williams thread cannot be accessed.
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Comment number 11.
At 27th Feb 2012, mscracker wrote:9.At 21:06 24th Feb 2012, newdwr54 wrote:
8. mscracker:
I read a book leant to me recently, the title and author of which escape me now. It claimed that south east US boys run off a much shorter fuse than average. They tend to be aggressive, territorial and notoriously insensitive to the feelings of others.
The (American) author put this down to the 'kindred' spirit of the Scots/Irish migrants; something they inherited from their ancestors' wayward and dangerous lifestyle of herding/rustling cattle.
It appears the Scots/Irish may have inherited a particularly combustible and reactive personality trait."
**
I've heard this, too & wonder if there may not be some truth in it.I think there are many things in our DNA that we inherit.
I've heard it said that if Stonewall Jackson ,who was of Scots-Irish descent-had been in charge of the Confederate forces instead of Robert E. Lee, the war might have had a different outcome.(Or maybe just lasted a bit longer.)
The Scots-Irish settlers were known to be fearless & ruthless fighters.Andrew Jackson is another example.
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Comment number 12.
At 27th Feb 2012, NobleKnight1517 wrote:... and I suppose all Jews are good at making money? Given that it is in their DNA, according to some books....
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Comment number 13.
At 27th Feb 2012, mscracker wrote:@12. NobleKnight1517,
I don't know, but if true it would be a great thing to be able to pass down to your kids..... :)
Ditto for Scots saving money.I've seen mixed results for both in my family, so my guess is it's more nuture than nature, but I think the intelligence factor to make shrewd financial decisions could be inherited.Wish I'd received that.At least I inherited the frugal DNA type.I'm not overly talented in making money but I sure can save it.
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