The Choirmaster’s Burial – vocal score
Mäntyjärvi Jaakko7,50€
NEW FROM JAAKKO MÄNTYJÄRVI!
Description
Commissioned by Matthew Harrison for Hamden Hall Country Day School, Hamden, CT, USA
Year of composition 2023. Duration 7′
Text by Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)
Scoring: mixed choir SATB and string quartet (2 vl, vla, vcl).
It is thought that in his poem The choirmaster’s burial author Thomas Hardy was reflecting on an actual event. His father was a choirmaster at a parish church which had an instrument ensemble much like described in the poem. We should note for context that it was quite common for churches in England up until the mid-19th century to have a group of local musicians volunteering to accompany hymns at church services. Church organs were rare, and it was well towards the end of the century before they could be considered to have become a standard feature.
A choirmaster being denied music at his funeral service makes for a poignant story, but there is also considerable doubt that it was the vicar who was responsible for the alleged absence of music. Thomas Hardy’s father and he himself were two of the musicians who regularly played at church services, and with one being deceased and the other being chief mourner at the funeral, it is likely that there simply were not enough musicians available to perform the service. The musical material of the piece is partly based on the hymn tune named in the poem itself, known as ‘Mount Ephraim’. There is also a quote from an earlier work of mine, Grim and glacial funeral waltzes (S0865). Including a string quartet suggested itself as representing the village band.
Jaakko Mäntyjärvi 2024
ISMN 979-0-55017-033-9
Level of difficulty **
Additional information
| Composer | Mäntyjärvi Jaakko |
|---|---|
| Text author | Hardy Thomas |
| Opening words | He often would ask us that, when he died, after playing so many... |
| Ensemble | SATB + string quartet |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Sulasol |
| Weight | 38 g |
| Categories | Mixed choir |
| Product ID | S3033 |
| Page count | 12 |
